Recently, Hip-Hop artist and staple, Nas, sent an open letter to the executives at Def Jam, expressing his disgust and frustration with their lack of attention to his project and his brand.You'll need to read it to understand my response, so to do that, CLICK HERE :-).
This was the comment I wanted to post, but it was obviously too long. So here goes.
As someone who has been a fan of Nas since my introduction into Hip-Hop Music in '98, I'm sad to see something like this open letter be the last straw for him in 2010. I've said in posts of my own that traditional controversy should end with a press release, and it seems that Nas is at his wit's end, hence this letter. The real question that needs some research is: Why has it come to this point?
I feel that what is taking place is an "Everybody's Fault" situation. On the executive side of the table, we have LA Reid and his band of music business pundits, trying to steer what is the essentially sinking ship that is Def Jam records. Mind you, this ship is sinking in a sea of toxic waters known as the music industry. Having realized all this, the upper brass at the labels and media corporations are doing whatever they can to salvage their profit; the difference here is, unlike non-entrainment companies & the financial sector, they refuse to cut their losses (i.e. cutting down their roster, reeling in miscellaneous spending, etc.) and instead have chosen to eke out whatever money can be had with whomever is working for them & whatever product is up for purchase. Everyone knows that artists on a record label roster are a tax break for the company, and so we have a contractual and financial deadlock, one that the personnel at the labels are unwilling to break, even if it was for the betterment of the industry as a whole.
From the perspective of the artist, Nas is faring no better with his career decisions. What he seemingly fails to realize - or is unwilling to utilize - is that Def Jam or no Def Jam, he himself is still a brand. Nas the Rapper is one of the most prolific and well-known artists to come out of Rap, and has been arguably considered one of the best in the past 15 years of an almost 35-year genre. Instead of bemoaning & griping about the obvious underhanded business practices of the music industry, FIGHT FOR YOUR BRAND. Prince, an artist who is a champion for freedom of musical expression and good business, has shown that one can prove to the labels the power of the artist & what they can achieve outside of the confines of corporate music contracts. As someone who has helped to define Hip-Hop music, Nas needs take similar steps at playing an active, administrative, and effective role in doing the same thing, REGARDLESS of whether the label is in agreement with this role. The effectiveness of internet promotion, viral campaigns, photo campaigns, viral music releases, and artist-to-peer-to-fan marketing has proven to be something that one can not only do for FREE, but can also be exponentially effective at creating an artistic & business success. If all of this is already going on and not working for Nas and his camp, then this dude needs to gather up his crew & come up with a new game plan. Now.
Ultimately, I wish all parties well and hope that some solution can be worked out, but I doubt it. Without knowing the details of his contract, I'm sure Nas is locked into a situation that only a rash legal battle will resolve, should he choose to step away from the Def Jam family. But what everyone needs to realize is that these are the types of results we are going to get if we continue to let a business that is supposed to be about music (a gift, not a right) be consumed by it's own poor business. I most certainly agree that Karma and universal reciprocity will provide the true justice that some of these industry thieves deserve, but that same Karma will not work in your favor until you make a move to call that favor to you.
Just some thoughts.
P. Murray
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