As we all know these days Atlanta has been the music mecca since 2004. All aspiring artist now come to Atl chasing the dream of a music career. Being an artist myself I've had a chance to view the Atl music scene first hand. One thing I can say about Atlanta is that they support their own no matter how good or how bad they are. One thing I've noticed about Atlanta in general though is that most people out here are big "Flexers" a.k.a fronters (if you're not up on the lingo). This is really the city of Beamer, Benz, or Bentley because they're everywhere you look. If you talk to people they all say they have something to do with the music industry whether it be an artist, a&r, or they're "CEO" of an entertainment company you have never heard of. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of official people out here that can make a dream come true but you have to fight your way through all the snakes and the bullshit.
The music scene is so dominant here that there's some kind of music showcase damn near every night. Most people would think that is a good thing but a lot of these showcases just turn out to be the battle of the 'flexers'. Damn near every showcase says the same thing, there will be a&r's and record labels in the building, cash prizes, and exposure. Sad thing is when you actually show up to the event the only people you're really performing for are the artist you're performing against and whoever came with you. The a&r's usually never show up and if they do it's always so late that most of the talent has already performed. Once you do perform they take so long to announce the winner that most of the artist end up leaving, I've actually seen a sorry person win a contest because everyone left the showcase. Now there are some official showcases out there that cost a lil' more to perform but if you have the talent it will be worth it. The bad thing is that if you sound different or are not repping Atlanta it will be harder for you to get love no matter how good you are, because all the artists who sound the same usually all know or support each other because it's the same exact sound. I can almost guarantee if you go to a showcase your going to hear 5 swag songs, 6 trap songs, 3 dance songs, and the rest will be a mix of all 3. My question is how do you choose the best carbon copy?
Now a lot of people say that the artists coming out of Atlanta are not good or they all sound the same, and they ask how are they all getting on? It's like I said before Atlanta has a good support system for their artists. Perfect example Waka Flocka, he knows just like we all know he's not lyrical but he got hot because he had the support of his city. As long as Atlanta keeps supporting their artist like they do the city will continue it's reign of the current music scene. One thing that I have noticed out here is that the wackest artist usually are the ones with the most connections to the industry as well as the strongest support teams. Think about an artist that you think sucks that's in the industry then go look up how they got on, I'd say 95% of them had a solid connection in the industry whether it be family, friend, or other. They say if you want to get on you have to network but it's hard for an outsider to network down here when most people just want to work with family or friends. Hell some artist won't work with you because they feel that you are better than them and you would make it before they did. So being talented in Atlanta is almost a gift and a curse because you really have to work twice as hard to get through all the bullshit if you have no connects. One thing I can say about Atlanta is that there is always an opportunity to make it, you just have to take it and make sure it's real when it presents itself. Sad thing is with there being so many 'flexin ass' artist out here that it's hard for the movers and shakers to separate the real from the fake. Every artist out here tells everybody they're hot and they're the next big thing then come with some bullshit music, so much so that if you tell somebody you're hot they'll think yea just like the 100 other people that told me the same shit, and sucked.
People believe that coming to Atlanta will make it easy for them to fulfill their dreams of being in the music industry, but in reality it might be harder because the scene is so overly saturated right now. If you ask anybody out here what they do, especially a male, they will say "I DO MUSIC" and 90% have never made a dollar off their music. The next thing they will tell you is "I'M THE TRUTH WITH THIS MUSIC SHIT" and half of don't know the difference between a simile and metaphor. The problem out here and in general with music today is that people don't do it for the love of the music anymore they do it for a lil' money and some groupies. Most of the artists out here are just happy with local fame and being known inside I-285, no one is trying to be the best rapper anymore. They just want to make a lil' show money, get a couple girls, and get into some clubs for free. This is the reason why the industry is so fucked up now, because these are the people that will jump at any offer a label throws at them. Then they become a one hit wonder, sell a couple ringtones, flop an album, and then just do mixtapes and features to try to get hot again. It's like everyone wants to be the smartest kid with down syndrome either way it goes you're still not up to speed with everybody else. Why not aspire to be the best at your craft? Instead of aspiring to be the best future has been. Atlanta wonders why people don't take the music scene seriously, it's because the artists don't take it seriously they just want to make a quick buck.
If people want the music industry to change, start supporting the real artists that are passionate about the music. If you want your city to become the next mecca of music stop hating on you indie artists and support them because they will be the future stars. Every artist that is in the mainstream started out as an indie artist and their talent and passion made them a star. For all the aspiring artist that want to come to ATL to pursue your dream, have patience, and do your research on people you work with or events. Remember that everyone starts out on the showcase circuit but every showcase is not a worthy showcase so look for the ones that are sponsored or endorsed by actual labels (i.e Grand Hustles Hustle & flow nights, battle ground mondays, etc.). Remember it doesn't matter where you are if you make a big enough buzz the labels will come find you.
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