1. To increase your fan base and develop online skills.
2. Digital media is the new-age driving force in music relations.
3. Many A&R and record execs will ask, and or Google to find you online before doing business with you.
4. Know the difference between a web presence and a web site. A web presence is a blueprint of your character, musical talent, and social skills. A web site is just a web placeholder that does nothing unless you do something.
5. Drive impulsive sales.
6. Recognition
7. Content interaction and sharing.
8. Access to tons of social media outlets, software and applications to increase your web presence as an artist.
Although many of you have already caught wind of First Flight since the December ’09 release of this remarkable mix-tape… Diggy Simmons, son of Rev. Run of Run-DMC, who is now signed to Atlantic Records as of March 22, one day after his 15th birthday, refreshingly proves he’s got the skills.
I felt it’s important to keep this joint effort relevant ’cause son is delivering for a young breed. It’s evident he’s a natural with the pen and behind the microphone. I won’t lie though, all the while I’m thinking his older brother Jo-Jo was the only one writing rhymes, Diggy slipped this one up on me, and I’m truly impressed.
What grabbed my attention off the bat is this kid studies the meat and potatoes of Hip-Hop and he’s lyrically and stylistically in the ballpark. Nothing bubble-gum about this 13-track mix-tape masterpiece from the (then) 14 year old. Diggy spits rhymes that are much different from what you expect from a kid born with a “platinum spoon” in his mouth.
My favorites are Classic Introduction, Hustle Simmons, Point To Prove, The Truth Of Me, Dreams Interlude, We Have A Problem, Fly Away, Gotta Make It, Bonus Tracks: The First Flight Prequel, What’s It All For
The other joints are not bad, just more of mainstream and very familiar. My other flaw with this project and even considering it’s a mixtape, is that the copy I downloaded was not the best in sound quality. Some of the bass areas are distorted, and seemed overly compressed. But hey that’s from the ears of a producer behind a board… I couldn’t help myself… 
If for some reason you haven’t already added this one to your mix-tape collection… do it now! Diggy is delivering what we hungry hip-hop heads yearn for. I’ve had it banging out my iTunes and in my car since its release. Also if you want more of Diggy … Check out his Made You Look (Nas remake) Diggy kills it!!!! and that’s in a good way!
First Flight Mix-tape Features Lil’ Twist, Karina Pasian, Neako and more.
Artwork by PrinceWaxx
TrackList
1.Classic Introduction {Intro} (Prod. Black The Beast)
2.Hu$tle Simmons (Prod. Young Jerz)
3.Laid Back (Prod. Black The Beast) Ft. Chris Classic & Mike Charles
4.Point To Prove (Prod. Black The Beast)
5.The Truth Of Me
6.Dreams {Interlude} (Prod. Natural Disaster)
7.Like a Star (Prod. Young Jerz) Ft. Young Jerz
8.We Have A Problem (Prod. Black The Beast) Feat. Khalil
9.Make You Mine (Prod. Black By The Beast) Ft. Lil Gavin & Lil Twist
10.What’s It All For (Feat. Neako) (Prod. By Neako)
11.Fly Away (Prod. Black The Beast) Feat. Karina Pasian
12.Gotta make it {Outro} (Prod. Natural Disaster)
13.The First Flight Prequal {Bonus} (Prod. Neako)
Ever tried mixing from your laptop, and felt it was being put through some serious testing while stressing out your CPU? Have you ever wanted all the additional necessary plugins to work flawlessly within your mobile setup? It is obvious in today’s music production and recording process, portability is a necessary tool for many producers and musicians. Whether you are going across town or across the world, the UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop from Uaudio is a dream come true!
Features:
World-class UAD-2 Powered Plug-Ins
Run large professional mixes w/ dedicated DSP power
Free up your laptop’s CPU
UA 1176SE Compressor, Pultec EQP
1A, Realverb Pro, & CS-1 Channel Strip
UAD $50 Voucher, good toward plug-in purchases via UA’s online store
Convenient ExpressCard format
No cables or external power supply needed
VST, AU, RTAS support
Mac OS X Tiger/Leopard and Windows XP/Vista compatible
Auto-Delay Compensation for Pro Tools LE via included Mellowmuse® ATA
The UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop is the must-have sonic upgrade for recording and mixing on a laptop. Whether you use Cubase, Nuendo, Logic, Digital Performer or Pro Tools, this simple, ExpressCard-based DSP accelerator puts all of Universal Audio’s award-winning Powered Plug-Ins at your fingertips — freeing up your laptop’s internal processor for other mixing duties.
With exacting emulations of the most revered studio processors of the past 50 years, the UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop is like having a rack full of vintage analog gear in your pocket. It comes with a versatile collection of Universal Audio’s most popular Powered Plug-Ins right out of the box, including the famed 1176SE Compressor/Limiter, Pultec EQP-1A Program Equalizer, RealVerb Pro Room Modeler, and CS-1 Channel Strip.
As the child in the picture looks bored, this facial expression takes me back to when Simon Cowell was first recognized as THE heartless individual who could tell it like it is or say what no one else wanted to say about the performances and auditions before him.
As many may beg to differ, it is not a bad thing to be honest with someone who may not realize they are not as talented as they think they are. However, as humans, we get the soft-side and feel we don’t want to hurt any feelings or cause grief to someone who’s aspiring and seriously focused on their budding singing career.
As a producer, can you take money from a singer knowing they can’t deliver on your song? Does a sell mean more to you than being honest with that artist? Do you feel it’s not your place to form an opinion, and that business is business? Can you even work with someone knowing they have no singing talent?
I’ve seen talentless artists come and go in the studio and out there in the streets, and many times they are the hardest working individuals in the game.
As we also know image plays a strong role in how songs are sold these days… (Some may argue this is unfortunate and that we lose focus of the musicianship), it is known that many of these talentless artists use their cute/handsome faces and over-exposed bodies to create interest and buzz… and at the end of the day, how does it ever come to light that singing may not be their money-maker?
What’s your take?
While today’s music industry has taken quite a turn in the last few years, it’s evident if you don’t have an internet presence, you are basically non-existent. The same goes with artists, musicians and producers in the industry.
Back in the day (and not so long ago) records were broke with a certain mystery behind the artist that evoked great anticipation, as well as the wonderment of the lifestyles of our favorite artists. Well now days and special thanks to social media in the likes of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, we can basically logon and find the latest in the lives of our celeb family.
Do you find it necessary for artists to engage with their fans? Is there a point where too much information kind of breaks down barriers and the connection becomes overwhelming and demanding? Like back in the day, should there always be an untouched side between artists and fans?
I do believe social engagement is a necessary and effective marketing tool for anyone in business. Now whether it’s the artist tweeting, or some hired help behind the computer screen; it’s something that must be done to aid marketing and promotional efforts. Social media has bridged the gap so to speak between artists and fans, and it’s no secret the internet is the greatest medium to get your business around the world in seconds.
Relative to all this, starving/over-eagerly aggressive/aspiring artists take great advantage of reaching out to these celebs. Many would call that a good and or bad thing. However, on the flip side, celeb artists are people too, and not even the average MoJane wants someone sweating them all the time. Many people don’t think about this.
While some artists socialize more than others, would you still buy their music if they didn’t? Is it about being sociably engaged with them or supporting their music regardless? I have to say for myself, I’m a music lover first… and was one well before social media took over the web. I support good music regardless of the social engagement.
On the other hand, I can understand why many artists may not utilize the social medium outlet. It’s easy for things to get flipped out of proportion, especially if the gossip media feels like having a field day!
Your thoughts?
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