How to Become a Rap Artist
Majors Overview December 13, 2012If you want to become a rap artist, you must be prepared to invest lots of time and money into the profession. Once you are sure of what stage name you want to adopt, and have some original songs created, you can start marketing yourself. Rappers will need to perform at a lot of shows in order to build a buzz and to ensure that people become aware of their music. Once rappers have a dedicated following, they can hire support staffs for assistance in furthering their career and in producing a CD.
The following is a step-by-step guide to becoming a rap artist:
Stage One: Creating an Individual Sound Through Persistent Practice
Rappers can choose from many available paths to becoming a rap artist, all of them different from one another. However, there are certain steps you must take if you want to launch yourself successfully on your chosen career path as a rap artist. An individual sound and style is the first prerequisite for a rap artist. Rappers will need a lot of frequent practice in order to achieve this. Listen to a lot of music, if you seek inspiration, and try to use original lyrics and beats to create your own music. Potential rappers will need to become thoroughly familiar with enunciation, songwriting, word flow and how these elements combine in music.
Stage Two: Launching a Marketing Campaign
As a rap artist, you need to familiarize many potential fans with your music, if you are to achieve fame. This is a process that will require a significant amount of hard work, skill, determination and the road will be long and arduous. A rap artist has to rely on word of mouth as an important element of their marketing strategy. When people enjoy the music they hear, they are likely to tell others about it. There are a few preliminary decisions you will need to make before you can begin performance in front of an audience. For instance, the first decision is about what stage name you want to adopt. A few artists use their own names; a large number decide to go with a stage name that helps represent them as a brand. Such stage name could be easy on the lips or even representative of something or other, above all it must be easily remembered. Once rappers have decided on their stage name, they must decide on the type of music they want to perform. This can be cover versions of other people’s work; however, the most preferred option is to have your own creative works with original lyrics and beats. Once rappers have decided on their stage name and have the songs in place, future rappers can start playing at shows. The shows can be in any form to create a publicity buzz about the rapper, it can be at street corners, gigs, concert venues, parties, nightclubs and schools.
Stage Three: Hiring of Support Staff
Rap artists who achieve success usually have support staff around them that work to push the artists’ career onward. Once you have earned sufficient popularity and money as a rap artist, you need to employ an agent, producer and manager who can help with marketing, booking concerts and sign record deals.
Stage Four: Making a CD
Once rappers are able to accumulate enough original material, they are ready to start creating a CD. Rappers will need to choose a record label, a producer and a studio before beginning recording their CD. Once rappers have their CD completed, it will give them a powerful tool to promote themselves by handing it out to other rappers, concert venues, producers and fans.
Stage Five: Continual Marketing and Improvement
As a rap artist; you will need to develop and improve as a performer, if you wish to remain relevant and popular in the music industry that is constantly changing. Once rappers created their CD and employed support staff, they must continue in increasing their fan base by playing at several shows annually and making new music.
