[New Music Video] Kydd Jones - Patience

Kydd Jones finally drops his new video "Patience" through All Def Digital! The black and white visual takes us on a trip to Texas where Kydd is working on finishing his new album "GR33D" which will be out shortly. You'll probably see this track on a ton of blogs but stay tuned to LNS Crew Blog.com to learn more about what Kydd will drop next! #Lz

[New Single] Kydd Jones - Thow It Back

Kydd Jones of the LNS Crew drops a new R&B single off of GR33D. This song (produced by Scott Pace) is available for a limited time only so listen to it now before it's offline! Kydd seems to be prepping his listeners for a well rounded and progressive album due for release this year featuring Tory Lanez, Kirko Bangz and Chuck D.

[New Singles] Cory Kendrix - Doses (with Half Man Half & Brill), Cory Kendrix - Lit (with Wise Vibrations)

Cory Kendrix from Denver, Colorado is coming to Texas in August next month, and to celebrate he dropped two new singles, "Doses" with Portland rappers Half Man Half and Brill as well as Lit with Denver rap group Wise Vibrations. Catch Cory in Austin, San Marcos and even Houston next month!

[New Singles] Austin Hiphop June 2015 - July 2015

Kydd Jones - Patience



Kydd released this single recently as a preview of his new tape's sound, with more of a new-age R&B feel. Produced by Scott Pace, this song is supposed to have a video coming out soon so we'll have to stay patient and wait for Kydd's new album GR33D to come soon!

King Kase ft Chamothy & Sertified - Ran Me Up A Check



Die Slo hits hard with this new StonerBoyKP produced joint that was mastered by TrackGonEat. The trap vibes on this one are definitely wavy as Kase, Cham and JD turn up on this song.

Chiclopz - Neva



Chiclopz comes in with this DVZN Media directed video. Produced by DJ Zetroc, The chill boom-bap bassline with vocals and guitars lets Chiclopz kick some street knowledge as his Mindz of A Different Kind compatriots make cameo appearances. The beat changes to a more basic percussion loop at the end, leaving you to wonder what else Chiclopz will drop.

D.O.S. - Do What It Do



DOS of SubKulture Patriots delivers this single off his "Obey The Raw" album with this Ari Morales-directed music video. The hype boom-bap beat from Ruler Why is grimy as hell and suits DOS as he parties with his friends. Check out the intro at the beginning as well of this extended director's cut.

Chamothy The Great - Dead Petals EP



Chamothy's new project is consistently high-quality, starting with the intro instrumental and going into "Early Dis Morning" with Fiyah Boy Flame Gang. "That Real" with King Kase and Sertified goes into the smooth "Pimp Talk" with Ben Al & another appearance from FBFG. The EP closes out with a standout in the indie influenced "MT4T's" which has a super catchy hook with Pacboi Tank of LNS Crew delivering the last verse. We heard a video for this joint is in the works, can't wait to see it!

Casino - Politics, Parties & Bullshit



Veteran Austin emcee and The Cleaners affiliate Casino of FratHouse Gang says this is his last album, and if so he goes out with a bang. There are a ton of Austin rappers featured on this album but my favorite cut off the project as Casino takes a realistic and nostalgic look at the rap game over a Chef Greezy beat.

Solis Made - Stop Lying



Element 8 Music Group dropped off this video to us, with Solis Made spitting aggressively over a trap beat. This is a young clique that's on the come up so keep your eyes peeled!

Country Cousins - Jugga Man



KPaul and Pimpin Pen dropped this heavy second single off their new tape "Country Kingz" with DJ Smallz. Unlike the tape's first single,  "Taking Risks" featuring Kydd Jones, this one is more of a trap hype banger.

Sertified - 3 AM



This new joint Sertified and Click Clack put out a little bit ago had us vibing. The heavy samples and bass are mixed by Garbage Man and give you an idea of the frenetic pace with which Sertified is working at.

Cha'keeta B - Freaks Only ft RJ Maine



Chakeeta B teams up with RJ Maine on this joint where she gives you the female perspective on getting freaky. She's been on the rise as a Texas rapper for these last few years so she's definitely got a lot of people's attention on what she'll drop next.

Soopa Frendz - Soopa Mix Vol One



SoopaFrendz out of Austin dropped this new mixtape and we were feeling this party rocker off the tape which features multiple members of the group and is produced by SoopaFrendz member Mista Mozes.

Norman Ba$e - Splash



Upstate New York raised, Austin resident Norman Ba$e released this new video of him rapping over a trap beat.

Phranchyze - Get On My Level


ATX rap veteran Phranchyze comes out with a poppier joint than we're accustomed to seeing from him. Not mad though, this song is dope!

Malik - Breakaway

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Malik out of Austin, Texas releases his new project and put out this new video. I'm pretty sure this is the Greenbelt where he shot this but I could be wrong.

Deezie Brown - Little League Villains



Deezie Brown drops this new Kydd Jones produced banger. Deezie has been changing his sound in the last year or two since "Hoop Dreams" so you know his next album is gonna be crazy!

Khalil Farran - Arab Samurai Mixtape



Palestinian refugee and Arab rapper Khalil Farran of Austin, Texas brings out his new mixtape produced by Scan Reason. He explores a lot of political topics and his upbringing (even rapping in Arabic on a track or two). This track features Geto Boys rapper Bushwick Bill.

Pacboi Tank - Picture Me Rollin (Lounge Remix)



GoDJ Knowledge unearthed this old freestyle from Tank Washington the other day. Make sure to check out their new Radio show "Over Tacos" available at www.soundcloud.com/theovertacosshow!

Eric Dingus - Apple Beats mix ft Drake & Oliver El-Khatib



The young producer/DJ prodigy made his first appearance on Apple Beats 1 Radio closing out the OVO radio show. Austin rappers S.Dot and Dowrong of the LOEGz repped for the city and both have solo albums coming with Dingus soon so keep watching!

How to approach a producer for beats

It seems so simple, right? You've been killing freestyles left and right with the squad, you shut down ciphers at parties, maybe you even went to an open mic and flowed over some instrumentals. You tagged half your Facebook and Instagram feed in your newest freestyle video, got a bunch of comments and were only blocked by a couple of people. Everyone comes up to you and tells you you're dope, now you're ready to get on. You need to get some hot beats from a producer because you don't wanna just use the same industry beats everyone else is using, right? I mean, unless you're Jay-Z or 50 Cent, nobody really cares about your freestyle over "Energy" or "We Dem Boyz." You need to make a new record that people can jam, so you gotta get at one of the big record producers you can find and try to make a dope track together. What could go wrong?

Turns out that a lot of people don't really have their priorities straight when coming at a producer for beats, especially one with credits under their belt. Back in the day, the idea was that artists didn't have to worry that much about handling business with producers because that was something that the labels and their lawyers would handle. But it's 2015 now and times have changed; artists are increasingly more independent now and have to talk to producers themselves which means you have to be both an artist and a businessperson. This is something that's hard to handle at first for some people. But this has always been true in the music industry, now it's just much more so. If you haven't had much experience in the music business, you might leave a bad impression on a producer and make them hate you. So we asked Kydd Jones, Scott Pace and H+ of the LNS Crew about some "dos and donts" for how to get a dope joint from a producer! This advice, of course, can be generalized for creative types in general, but is specific to the hip-hop conundrum of a rapper asking a producer for beats.

- Be serious when you contact a producer because first impressions mean a lot. These people get hit up frequently by people they don't know that well and usually have to weed out the bullshitters. This means that they're looking for a red flag to indicate that you're going to just waste their time. Try to do a little research first and look them up before you ask about some information that's readily available (like if they have a Soundcloud or what they've done in the past), it'll show that you at least are serious enough about the music to spend some time learning about the person.

- Show them that you value their art and creative skills (aka PAY THEM $$$$). Yes, let's be honest. Paying a producer and showing them financially that you're willing to establish that relationship with them is the best way to get a beat. Ask for quotes because you'll get the producer's attention and they'll probably wanna write you back. Paypal is your friend, but Western Union and Money Gram are common as well.

- Don't hit up a producer about a beat until you have a business plan or are ready to make a transaction. You would think this might be common sense but you'd be surprised. Producers get annoyed when somebody bugs them about a beat but doesn't buy it until four months down the road. Doing this will basically say to a producer, "I don't care about your time, just follow my demands and hopefully you'll get compensated!" Even doing something like putting down a deposit on a beat will at least show the producer that you're serious about doing business with them. If you've expressed interest in a project or a beat, try to follow through or keep the producer updated because nothing is worse than someone who is always in your ear saying, 'Lemme listen to that what if you did that' and then never throws you any cash.

 

- Don't say that you're broke. Let's be honest, we've all been at tough financial points in our lives at one point. But there's just so many better ways to say "Realistically my budget isn't quite where I'd like it to be" or "Unfortunately our budget at this time is only XXX" than "I'm broke" or "Help me set up a payment plan." Saying you're broke just makes you sound hopeless. Hip hop music in 2015 is probably not going to be the best way to solve your problem of having no money.

- If you do exchange money for their services, handle your business properly. Try not to change up dollar amounts at the last minute (IE saying you'll pay $200 for a beat and then just send them $75 saying "I got you later" without prior notice).  A lot of producers feel like selling beats makes them have two jobs, producer and detective/hunter/financial planner/bill collector (which if you add that up kinda comes out to more than two jobs haha).

- Don't just say "let's work" and then nothing else because what the hell does that mean? Chances are, if you're hitting up that producer trying to get tracks from them, they're already working. So that means the producer has to work to make the beat and to make you sound good. After that, if you don't release the song or do but don't have the promo or PR game to push it, the producer ends up doing all the work for basically nothing except whatever financial compensation occurred. "Let's work" is such a vague phrase that it becomes meaningless. Even if you preface it with a compliment like "Dope music" or "I like your stuff," saying "let's work" followed by no other details basically means to a producer, "I'm trying to sucker you into following me into a rabbit hole of discussion in the hopes that I just may happen to conduct business with you."

- Know the difference between leasing and buying a beat and having exclusives. A news flash is that if you're spending less than a couple hundred on a beat, chances are it's probably just a lease to the beat and you don't actually own the rights to it. Trackouts are usually extra and some producers will consider that essentially "buying" the beat.

- Producers might not wanna be smoked out or have a vibing session or let you slide through the crib one time if they don't know you that well. If you ask them what they're up to right now, they're probably making a beat and they stopped to check their messages or their email. Maybe they don't need any new friends right now.

- Don't be creepy. Again, you'd think this was common sense. A lot of musicians are a little bit different than what might be considered "normal." And not everybody is the super social type. But being just a weirdo and a creep and bugging people too much is generally not a good way to make a favorable impression on someone.

- If you have a legitimate creative resume, it's always good to let a producer know as that may have them pay attention to what you're capable of. But be humble and don't overstress your accomplishments. It's great to have done cool things in your career and to be on the verge of doing something more but at the same time if you act like you're doing a hundred different things at once, most people in the industry will see through it if you're not being real.

- Personal connections always help, if you know the producer through a mutual friend or even if you know them personally. It always helps to have somebody independent vouch for you or if the producer knows you. But don't be the random cat from back in the day that tries to call in an old favor without handling business properly first. Just because you have the same friends and you knew somebody five years ago probably doesn't mean you deserve different treatment.

- Remember that producers are artists too. If you're working with them, try not to be the micromanaging type that asks them to change and tweak every detail (unless you're paying well) because they're probably going to think that it wasn't worth the effort dealing with you.

- Think about the context before you start asking a producer if there are samples in particular tracks. Obviously getting your work licensed and whatnot is cool and it's great if a track gets placed somewhere, but most amateur musicians working on a mixtape don't really have to worry about getting sued or having a sample cleared. Usually as an independent artist, if a song is big enough to get you sued, you probably did something right. Also, do some research on the producer you're talking to because if all they do is sample and you ask that question you'll seem ridiculous. Imagine talking to Pete Rock or 9th Wonder and sounding interested in a beat and then stopping to be like "Wait, are there samples? I dunno now bro…"

Hopefully this will give aspiring rappers and managers the mindset they need in order to successfully build relationships with producers who can ultimately help them make great music and grow their careers. Check out our next article on janky promoters... how to not be one and how to spot one!

[Podcast] The Over Tacos Show - Episode 3

Austinites Pacboi Tank and GoDJ Knowledge team up with LNS Crew Blog, Optimo Radio and Dirty South Radio to bring you the Over Tacos Show. On this episode of the "Over Tacos" podcast, Tank and Knowledge discuss Kendrick Lamar opening at the BET awards, ASAP Rocky getting the cover of The Source and his role in the new movie, "Dope," Beyonce and The Weeknd headlining "Made In America" 2015 in Philly, the Free Weezy Album, Diddy, Ross & DMX getting arrested, the Warriors and Blackhawks winning, the NBA draft, UFC, and the whole controversy over the Confederate flag and gay marriage being legalized.

1. What's Been Going On- Die Slo
2. Hi Sidin'- Lil O
3. No Discussion- 5th Ward JP ft Sauce Waka
4. Down South Hustlers- Young Dolph ft Slim Thug & Paul Wall
5. Finessin Remix- Baby E ft Kevin Gates & Lil Bibby