Hip Hop is dead??? Not at the A3C Festival!!

Now I can tell you details about my trip to Atlanta, like my 14 hour drive with 5 of the members of BBAS, how I got on stage to see Ghostface and Sheek Louch, or how I saw a ton of artists that I respect in the hip hop world in the same hotel that I was in, NO I'm not going to talk about that. What really got me inspired to write this is because of one specific performer. I won't put him on blast but let's just say I was disgusted by his performance. Now for me to say something like that is a BIG thing because nothing really disgust me not even farting in a car with the windows up... hahaha... ok maybe that is disgusting but besides the point.

A3C Festival to me is a place for indie artists to really shine, everyone there appreciating the art and culture of real hip hop. This isn't a festival where you'll see some whack ass mainstream artists, this is a place where you'll see indie artists putting their heart and soul on the stage and creating music that doesn't jeopardize their art. With that in mind, you think going to these shows the artists you came to see would be happy that you as a fan have chosen to see them perform. This was my first year at A3C and I heard that it was better the years before because the shows were all in one space and this year they all were in completely different venues. So you would have to take a taxi or suck it up and walk and I think because of that a lot of the smaller acts didn't get as much traffic as they wanted or should have, but at the same time those fans really wanted to be out there to see them.

I went to my first show the day that I got in after driving 14 hours (extremely tired and not in the best mood) and went to one of the smaller venues to show support and rock the fuck out. Almost all the artists that I saw were dope and gave the crowd everything that they got, even if the crowd started dwindling away. They did their best and made the most out of the situation and joked around with the crowd.  As I was walking outside,  I heard the last artist come on... Let's just say a lot of the crowd disappeared and there might of been a handful of people left (literally like 5-6). When the artist came out he had the audacity to say, "This is the worst show I've ever done." As a fan that's extremely insulting. If I was there to see him, drove 14 hours, and payed money to see the show I would have punched that dude in the face. It's the most ungrateful thing to say to fans that are waiting there to see you perform. These people are the ones that support your art and for you to shit on them is fucked up. As an artist you should thank the fans that stayed to see you and give them the best fucken show that they ever saw. Don't be a fucken bitch and make your fans feel like they aren't important. It doesn't matter what level artist you are you should not feel entitled to have a certain amount of people in your crowd, you should appreciate that people are paying and waiting to see you perform.

To have an artist who is that unappreciative and inconsiderate is a shame. This festival showcases REAL hip hop and artists should be grateful to be chosen to be put on the bill because not everyone gets asked to perform. To have someone that is a bitch really fucks up the experience. Every show that I have ever seen the artists always says thank you to their crowd and tries to show their appreciation, no matter how small the crowd. Even Ghostface had fans come up on stage and rap verses with him. To me it was a way to give back to his fans that support him and give them an opportunity be part of his performance. That's what you should be doing as an artist even if there is only one person in the crowd.

Minus that one performer, A3C was amazing, even though I only got to stay for 2 days.

A3C gave me hope in hip hop, it made me realize that even though I program mainstream music at my job, I should still push the music that I love. Sometimes I don't get a chance to listen to all the dope hip hop music out there because I'm so caught up in my work (which is sad because I work in the music industry). But to see all those artists trying to make it and putting their heart out on the stage is amazing. It gives me hope that there are artists that really want to stay true to hip hop and not do this for the money. The indie hip hop scene is such a culture and a community, to be able to be part of it makes me feel excited and hopeful. Maybe mainstream isn't ready for the realness of these artists but I hope one day they will because a lot of them should get the recognition that they deserve. People at my job tell me that I need to start giving up on the indie hip hop scene but I can't, I will support and listen to these artists until I can't hear them anymore. A big shout out to A3C and all the performers (minus that one dude) for the inspiration and giving me hope in hip hop music again.

Dating someone in the music industry... especially an artist

Sometimes on the weekend I love googling stupid shit and sometimes I google about dating an artist/musician. I am in a relationship with an artist and it gets really hard and it's not like dating a normal person,  I get that. I've been with my bf for 4 years and sometimes I want to strangle him and walk out but then I realize that I need to take a moment and understand that I'm not in a typical relationship. I've read a bunch of articles with "tips" on how to date a musician. I really don't think people need "tips" I think people need to learn how to understand and get some advice. Everyone's relationship is different and you can't make general rules for dating someone... It's stupid. I also think my relationship is really different since I work in the music industry and my bf is an artist.

We met because we both worked at the same company.  I worked in the office and he worked at the store. I still work in the music industry as a music programmer and he's an artist trying to get his music played. People automatically think that we should make the perfect match but it's not that perfect... Nothing is perfect. I see what goes on at shows and I know the business side of it, so yes I do understand but it doesn't mean that I don't have feelings. So yes, I get jealous, yes, I want more time and yes, I believe that I deserve a lot because of all the shit that I put up with (no money, no time to ourselves, never being able to plan anything in case he has something come up). Then you may ask why the fuck are you putting up with all this shit if you don't seem to be happy, and the reason for me is because I love him. Yes, it's cheesy but sometimes in a relationship where you have to make A LOT of sacrifices... Love, trust and respect is all you have. 

It's not easy dating someone that's trying to be an artist and live off his art. You have to be able to be independent, understanding, supportive, and willing to be second to his music. You have to be willing to work through HIS schedule and that's hard because as a woman you think everything should revolve around you and it's not like that when you're dating an artist. You have to be selfless, it's like having a child, but you also need to know when to open your mouth and let your bf know that he may be fuckin up. You can't be a pushover or kiss his ass because being a strong woman is important in ANY relationship. So if you're not willing to understand the dynamics of dating an artist then this kind of relationship isn't for you. I think the best advice is to have your own life and be busy so then you're not at home alone sitting and waiting for your bf to come back from gigs, practices, being in the studio, shows or networking parties.

Also, for me I have a great group of friends that are all the wives of my bf's group that are super supportive. We're all really busy but we try and get together to talk and help each other because sometimes you need to get out your frustration and have that group of females that really UNDERSTAND what you're going through. Again, it's a different type of relationship so not every woman is going to understand what you're going through and give you the best advice.

I know this was a long post but I just wanted to say that having a relationship is difficult and having one with an artist is even harder. There are no "tips" that can help you but just know that people can date artists and survive it's just a hard long road to get there and if you both really love, trust and are supportive of each others dreams, hopefully it will all work out.

Been on a hiatus...

I haven't really been on my blog for a while. I think it's because I've been working on other blogs so I've fell off this one. BUT i've decided that I need to start thinking about ME more. Yes, be more conceited because as someone once told me, "No one is looking out for you so you have to look out for yourself." I also think that I've been scared of doing things alone and failing. Failing has never been an option in my mind, but i have to grow up and realize that people fail all the time it's what you do after that makes the difference. I'm going to start on my venture and work on my ideas and not look back.

Check out he First Episode of B-Side Anthems feat. The Audible Doctor shot and edited by Civil Productions

You know that I love BBAS especially The Audible Doctor. This interview gets real personal with it and there's not a lot of interviews that do that for Indie Hip Hop Artists. This is the shit!

Don't forget to Follow:
@bsideanthems
@audibledoctor
@civilprod_rob