Homestead on the Rise

When people normally talk about South Florida’s hip-hop music scene, they are usually referring to the numerous artists living in the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale area. If you travel a few more miles south, you will find a thriving scene of hip-hop artists making a name for them selves and putting Homestead on the map of music in Florida.

Photo Courtesy of P-Squad Ent

First, we have Stevie Bee, the artist formerly known as Bishop who has released numerous popular songs, songs like Haitian Pride, Love Race, and the recent single Second Chances. The single will be featured on his upcoming album Walk With Me.

Another talented artist calling Homestead home is Block Bezzle. Hip-hop fans in Homestead know Block with his hit singles such as Swigga, Kisses, and Turn Up. He recently released his Me, Myself, & Music 3 mixtape for the fans and is currently working on his new album.

Photo Courtesy of Cheeba Gang

The two artists have also collaborated on numerous projects. The rumored single for Block’s upcoming album, Remember By Name, features Stevie Bee. Block Bezzle also had a guest performance on Stevie Bee’s remix to hit single Love Race also featuring Tariq and Buga.

Besides working on their individual albums, the two artists will be performing together at multiple venues this month. On August 10^th the two will be performing at Kisses nightclub in Kendall, along side P-Squad artist Calico.

On August 30^th, the two artists will be performing at this years Coast 2 Coast artist showcase event in downtown Miami at Club Eve.  The event, only $10 to attend, will feature numerous artists in the area competing to win the first place prize of a $1000 premium video promotion package and an article feature in the Coast 2 Coast Magazine.

While both artists have their own respective camps, Stevie Bee with P-Squad and Block Bezzle with Cheeba Gang, the two artists work well with each other. Hopefully the two continue to work with each other and continue to put Homestead on the map.

This is What I’m Up To: Stevie Bee Music

Photo Courtesy of therealsteviebee.com

Besides looking up the best emerging hip-hop acts in today’s industry, I have been also working on my personal artist named Stevie Bee. Stevie Bee formerly known as Bishop is a hip-hop artist you need to check out, and I’m not saying this because I represent him; or maybe.

Honestly, Stevie Bee is a straightforward emcee that favors hip-hop greats such as Eminem, 2Pac, and Joe Budden. Often painting pictures with his storytelling skills, Stevie Bee has released a number of smash songs that have gained him some notoriety.

His most popular song up-to-date is the Haitian anthem, Haitian Pride the song he dedicated to his home country after the tragedy of the earthquake disaster in 2010. The single was the first release off his Switching Lanes mixtape. The mixtape also featured songs “I’m Here for Ya” featuring label mate Leo and the inspirational hit “You Can Make It.”

Stevie Bee at an early age has always been drawn towards music. He was introduced by learning to read music for the piano and quickly excelling towards other instruments such as the trumpet, French horn, and the drum set.

Always interested in poetry, he soon began merging the two art forms and began rapping and writing raps whenever he could. He soon had notepads and notebooks full of raps and poems ready to be performed.

Continuing to make steady progress within the industry, Stevie Bee is looking to take things a step further this year. Stevie Bee just released the music video to his song “2^nd Chances” the debut single off of his upcoming album, Walk With Me. 

He has also been chosen to perform at this years Coast 2 Coast artist showcase in Miami, next month at Club Eve. Furthermore, he is in the contentions to participate in this year’s Vans Warped Tour as well.

Doors will continue to open for this young hip-hop artist, as more and more people begin to realize the talent that he possesses. Stevie Bee is on the rise taking over a radio station near you. Just remember I told you it was bound to happen. 

Business Plan Advice

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Starting your own company and deciding to go into business for yourself can be a lucrative but yet painstaking ordeal. To limit the hassle and stressfulness that will automatically come when starting your business, consider taking advice from a seasoned entrepreneur. Two individuals with a wealth of knowledge on starting and operating a business that I personally can relate to are Donald Trump and Mark Cuban.

Donald Trump gives out amazing advice to up and coming business owners like myself. A particular key point that Donald notes and I am incorporating into my integrated recording studio and label business is to focus on the present.

What is the current state of the market?  Trump says that he tries to learn from the past, but plans for the future by remaining exclusively focused on the present.

As the Internet continues to shape how the music industry operates, it is easy for new indie labels to make a decision to only operate digitally. Yes, the market is transitioning to a more digital platform, but physical CD’s are not completely obsolete.

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There is still potential revenue to be made with physical CD’s and I will continue to keep it a part of my business plan until the market has completely moved on to a new platform.   

Mark Cuban is another seasoned entrepreneur with great advice concerning start up companies and business plans. A tip that he shares with readers of his “How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It” book is to start a business that you are obsessed with. “If you have an exit strategy, its not an obsession,” says Mark Cuban.

It is about doing something that you love and are passionate about; and obtaining a team that feels the same way about the business.   Motivated employees are hard working employees who will go above and beyond for your business. Find them and keep them happily working for you.

For entrepreneurs seeking funding from investors when presenting their business plan, remember the most important documents you want to have are the financial statements. They are the bread and butter of your business plan. I

t is nice to have a great idea, but your financial documents will tell investors if your company will be profitable and make a return of income in their pocket. Nobody wants to fund a ailing company, and your financial statements will either prove that you are profitable or show you areas where your business needs to improve upon. 

Donald Trump: A Few Tips From the Pro

Photo Courtesy of projectlifemastery.com

When you think of entrepreneurs, a common name that comes to mind is Donald Trump. Donald Trump, born in Queens, New York, is an American businessman who began his career in real estate working for his fathers company, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which primarily worked on middle-class rental housing in New York.

 Donald Trump has grown into a successful real estate mogul. He owns Trump Luxury Real Estate, which operates the famous Trump Towers, and also a mixture of hotels and golf courses around the world.  

Donald Trump’s success as a businessman is attributed to the importance he places on the business plan. Trump says that with a business plan, there is direction and focus for your business and with out it you are bound to fail.  I can agree with that. If you do not have your goals and ideas for your company formatted, how can you measure the success of your business?

The biggest pitfall an entrepreneur can make is failing to plan at all.  Having a business plan will let potential investors know what the goals of the business are and the health of the market. Will the market be conducive to a company such as yours? That is the question that is answered with a functioning business plan.

By reading Donald Trump’s books and listening to his speeches, there are a few tips that are beneficial for any entrepreneur creating a business plan. First, discover your passion and immerse yourself into it.

 Secondly, discover who is your target market. You want to focus on people who can actually purchase and use your product. To continue, have appropriate negotiation tactics, and if a deal is not up to your standards, do not be afraid to walk away and move on. It is not to your benefit to sign a deal that you are less than pleased to sign.  You will surely regret that decision later in your business career.

If failure is inevitable, learn to deal with it and move on. If it is a possibility to turn the circumstances around, make the necessary changes to your business plan so that the business can succeed.

If you either love or hate Donald Trump, you will still agree that Donald Trump is a successful entrepreneur that is knowledgeable in the world of business.

The West Coast is Back

Back in the glory days of West Coast Hip-Hop, the 90’s featured some of the most prolific artists in the industry. Hip-Hop greats such as NWA, Mack 10, Easy-E, Ice-T, super producer Dr. Dre, and the late great Tupac are just a few artists of the many that represented the West Coast.

Photo Courtesy of blog.jayrock.com

For a while now, the hip-hop community has been missing a strong voice from the West Coast. In recent years, it seemed that The Game was set in place to be the resurgence of West Coast Hip-Hop and even the talented Nipsey Hussle look poised to putting the west coast back on the map for listeners. Taking nothing away from their accomplishments thus far, the biggest hip-hop movement that has grown from the West Coast since the 90’s is from the group Black Hippy.

Black Hippy is an American hip-hop group that features west coast natives Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and SchoolBoy Q. The group formulated in 2009 when all of the members were signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, indie label based out Carson, California.

Black Hippy is the only rap group ever to have all of its members apart of XXL Magazine Top 10 Freshman list. Jay Rock becoming a member in 2010 followed by Kendrick in 2011 and Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul becoming members in this year’s freshman class.

Currently, each member of the group is working on solo projects for 2013.  Kendrick is teaming up with Macklemore for the “Yahoo On The Road” tour. Also he is preparing for his upcoming “Good Kid Maad City” world tour, which will feature performances in 15 different countries and at 22 international festivals. Jay Rock and TDE are gearing up for the official 30 days 30 records takeover challenge. Schoolboy Q is working on debut album, Oxymoron and Ab-Soul are currently touring and working on new music for 2013. 

Will Black Hippy be the resurgence of West Coast Hip-Hop? Only time will tell but these talented young men have the entire west coast supporting their movement as emerging hip-hop artists.

An Emerging Freshman Making Waves in Hip-Hop

Dizzy Wright is an emerging hip-hop artist that is generating a lot of attention in the music industry.  Recently named a member of XXL magazine’s “XXL Freshman 13”, Dizzy Wright’s success in the music industry is becoming even more apparent.

Dizzy Wright, born La’Reonte Wright is an American hip-hop artist by way of sin city, Las Vegas. Dizzy began rapping at the early age of 8 years old along side his brother and close friend. They started the rap group “DaFuture.” Dizzy’s mother, who was a club promoter at the time, introduced Dizzy to the music industry. Dizzy became knowledgeable of the music industry at an early age, and credits his early experience for his decision to stay an indie artist.

Photo Courtesy of www.djbooth.net

In November of 2011 Dizzy signed with Funk Volume records and later went on to release 3 different releases in 2012, the Smokeout Conversation, a promotional mixtape, and the follow up EP, The First Amendment.

Smokeout Conversation is a quality mixtape with a young emcee delivering knowledge on each track. Songs like “Wake Up” and “Nobody’s Teaching Game” shows Dizzy’s depth and that he is more than just another marijuana rapper. Judging on title alone, most would dismiss the music as another smoker’s mixtape, but Dizzy’s inspiration for the name came from the moment he first met his father.

A few months before Dizzy was born, his father was sent to prison. He went on to spend the next 20 years in prison and just after being recently released, met his son for the first time. Dizzy described the moment as profound and a key moment when creating the mixtape.

As of right now, Dizzy is currently on the Funk Volume: Turn It Up tour that feature label mates Hopsin, SwizZz, Jarren Benton, and DJ Hoppa. With a sound that favors Nas and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, the XXL Freshman has a bright future ahead of him.