'Who Killed It' Pt. 12: Friends Sign For Free
There seems to be a connection between this issue and the one we discussed in the last post about the entourage. It could be that this is just another attempt at "keeping it real" and proving loyalty to those that have been with the artist before they experienced success, but too often it comes at the expense of the music and the culture. Once again, the false sense of loyalty has caused both the music and the artists' reputation as a label head to be compromised. It could also be that these artists want to be the most talented and recognizable people on the label and fear of losing that position causes them to sign those that they know aren't on the same level as them. Either way, the fans and hip hop end up losing.
I have said before on this blog, I think that G.O.O.D. Music, the imprint formed by Kanye West, is the best label at this point-in-time. Kanye actually goes out and finds artists that have talent and creativity and signs them because they make good music (no pun intended). I'm sure there are plenty of people that Kanye could have put on and not really worried about all of the true talent that was out there, but because he truly appreciates the music, he decided that he was going to find the best talent he could.
This is not to say that all friends of artists are talentless. If artists came up with people that also possess some sort of lyrical skill and/or creativity, then by all means, they should be signed. However, it seems as if the majority of artists' peers tend to be sub-par when it comes to their musical abilities. If artists could have a little more respect for the music, drop their ego/pride, and focus on exposing other great artists, our music and culture would be much better off.
What are your thoughts on artists signing their peers? Is there a positive when they do this? What are the reasons for this? Let me hear something. As always, comment here on the blog and you can also e-mail at straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.
Peace.
Posted by H.E.R. Lover at 12/13/2010 11:00 AM 
Categories: 'Who Killed It' Series
Tags: hip hop music Joe Budden Kanye West loyalty
Categories: 'Who Killed It' Series
Tags: hip hop music Joe Budden Kanye West loyalty
I think it's important to bring your friends along with you....just not as a rapper if they aren't a rapper. If you're an artist and you're in a position to employ one of your friends you've got a responsibility to yourself and them to put the friend in a position to be successful. Send him/her to school so that they can learn how to do something beneficial to the whole team. Invest in them and their own ideas aside from rapping. Give them options other than to follow directly in your footsteps.
I want to see my friends successful and if I'm ever in a position to help their cause I will. But it's got to be a realistic option. And they have to be adding value to the team.
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