I’m sure you have heard of the saying, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” and that couldn’t be any further from the truth in the world of Hip Hop.
The One Hit Wonder Myth
Rappers and hip hop producers always work towards that one big ‘hit’ that will launch their careers into fame and success. But what most fail to realize is that that big ‘hit’ is only the beginning.
Let’s be honest, Desiigner died out quick, don’t get me wrong his new single “hate me now“ is a dope single but I don’t see anyone blasting anything other than ‘panda’ which is way past due. I’m sure he’s well off but I’m sure his biggest checks were years ago in terms of streaming.
Rich The Kid was named the hardest working rapper of 2019 and his collaborations alone show for it. This guy keeps gunning out singles like there’s no tomorrow. He has booked the most shows and guess what? Most of these tracks are not platinum. Now as far as relevancy, who is killing it out of these two?
One hit wonders might bring in checks for a year or two but these artists will likely run dry after the hype. Consistent artists on the other hand constantly release tracks and although it may not blow up, it will gradually rise due to authenticity and sheer drive. Having 20 decent songs that deliver consistent streams for 2 years is better than having one song hit big and decrease in stream growth rate over the next 2 years.
How Consistency Leads to Hip Hop Hits
The story behind Russ is a great example of how consistency will lead up to big hip hop hits. Russ is a controversial name in Hip Hop, likely due to his arrogance. But what some people do not know is that Russ released a song on SoundCloud every week for about 2 years before he received a hit record. Russ is a self made artist who consistently sells out shows and has a cult like fanbase who buys his merchandise. Although you may not be bumping Russ in your car at the moment, there’s no doubt that he is consistently outperforming major artists in the industry.
How to be a Consistent Hip Hop Artist/Producer
Now that we know the importance of consistency, how do we implement this into our own schedules?
For starters, you have to have multiple projects either done or in progress. There are different bits of your work that you can consistently present to your online audience. Therefore it does not have to be a finished track all the time, sometimes it can be clips of you free styling or a quick type beat! Anyways, here are some steps to help you be more consistent.
- Stock up multiple projects or bits of content that are ready to publish (videos, audio snippets, freestyles, beats, etc)
- Establish a schedule with dates & times to publish and DO NOT miss any dates. (It is important to keep the same time same day)
- Commit to your schedule for at least 2 months to see significant results!
Once you get the hang of it you will be always on top of your game! Not only that but you will have extra time to create more projects! How are you going to stay consistent?
Conclusion
Being a consistent artist takes work and energy. Although it takes a lot more work to become consistent, the rewards are worthwhile. Allowing yourself to implement these changes into your schedule will end up bettering your process as a whole. Visit our tutorial page for specific strategies to build your audience.