BlapChat

Finally caught up with my boy Murda for a conversation about his come up. This is the first BLAPCHAT episode since the "quarantine". Raw, 1 on 1 chat about Murda's up bringing, grinding on type beats, believing in yourself, getting your brand out there, being consistent and so many more PURE GEMS. Load this episode up and take notes!

What happens when you get your first major label placement as a music producer with a big artist? How do you handle the contract? Where can you find a lawyer? Do you need a manager? If a big artist asks for STEMS on a beat, do you send them and give up your only leverage? Or do you prioritize the opportunity and hope for the best? Is it ok for labels to take advantage of artists/producers by presenting unfair contracts? Or is business just business? We brought in special guest Karl Fowlkes, an entertainment lawyer who has experience playing both sides. Let's clear the air on this once and for all!

RIP KOBE. RIP NIPSEY. There is so much we can learn from these 2 legendary human beings. Their legacies left a mark that will be remembered forever. So what are some of the practices we can apply to our own lives? Spread love. Be thankful. Reflect. Prioritize ownership. This is a very in-depth conversation about the hustle and bustle.

The music industry is the wild wild west. If you're a music producer or an artist, it's easy to fall victim to industry scams. Not all of them are bad, but a lot of them are. How do you recognize what opportunities to take and which ones to ignore? Do they even work? Are there true shortcuts and "pay to play" services that are legit? Let's dive in!

Most aspiring music creators have a 9 to 5 job, or some sort of "side gig" to generate income to live. The age old million dollar question is always "when and how should I quit my job to pursue my passion full time?". There is no right or wrong answer because every human being is dealt a different set of circumstances at any point in his/her life. I do think there are some important things to think about, so Perfection and Myself did a deep dive. Lots of "end of year" gems here. What a perfect way to go into 2020!

As an up-coming music producer in 2019 (going into 2020) there are an overwhelming amount of resources, options and routes to choose from. Do I go the beat leasing route? Maybe I should try click funnels. Should I only sell exclusively? Should I just focus on developing artists? I can try to sell drum kits and sample packs but how do I go about doing that? Maybe I should try to become a Youtube influencer? Or maybe I should try all of the above? The possibilities are endless, but also very overwhelming. This is something I've been thinking about for a while and I wanted to dive into an effective way to approach this. My good friend and Grammy Award Winning producer Symbolyc One joined me for a call-in conversation. So many gems in this one.

Meet Gabe. He generated over $1,258,367 in online beat selling without a ton of subscribers or followers. You're probably wondering how he did it (yes that's over a Million dollars lol). Well, we spoke to the man himself about how you can too. This episode was exciting because it really put into perspective how powerful his methods are to start making some REAL $ online as a music producer. The method we're talking about is called a "sales funnel". You've probably been hearing about it here and there recently in the music production community. We dove into the pros (and cons) and what it takes to work up to that level selling beats online using "sales funnels". Really powerful stuff! If you want to get started on creating your own sales funnel, just click this link after you listen to the episode: http://www.legionbeats.com/blap

In this episode we continue the conversation about how to overcome the EARLY struggles of being an up-coming music producer. The #1 issue most people deal with in the beginning could be summed up in one word: MONEY. So the question is, how do we generate some in the beginning while pursuing a career? What are some ways to generate income quickly to eventually quit that 9-5 job? Is beat leasing, kit selling, youtube hustle a good idea? Does that make it harder to become an "industry producer"? Lot's of questions answered in a nice stream of consciousness. This is a must listen.

The title "sample maker" has become more and more popular these past few years in the music production world. So we spoke to one of my personal FAVORITES and in my opinion one of the BEST Mario Luciano. I personally have some placements with him coming up, but recently he just earned a production credit with Cardo Got Wings, HER and YG. We talk about the process of "creating original sample loops", the advantages of using analog gear, doing a ton of research, trial and error and being authentic. We also discussed the controversy of being a "producer influencer" teaching people how to be "successful" without actually being successful yourself. You might have a nice following, but what type of baggage does that come with and does that stereotype you into a "box"? To a certain extent, it does. If you take offense by what I'm saying, maybe you're one of them. Either way, this was insightful asf!

This is by far one of my favorite episodes. We went a little left field on this one and spoke about some real stuff: where did humans come from? Do aliens exist? Are we reptiles? I know. Interesting lol! This all in some weird way ties in to the realities of being human and how our roles coincide with living on earth as musicians and aspiring artists. We also spoke to amazing producer "My Best Friend Jacob" who recently produced & scored Travis Scott's Netflix documentary. Lots of insight on sound design, TV/Film licensing and how you can get into the business, what to look out for and how to get your foot in the door. Also, Jacob was nice enough to share his personal custom ANALOG BANK PRESET LIBRARY for free download. Here it is: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pdft6xw3rrhvl0n/Analog%20Lab%203_Bank_Look%20Mom%20I%20Can%20Fly_20190904_22h01.labx?dl=0

Ok guys. This is one of my favorite and most crucial episodes we've done, to date. Our guest is my brother (my actual brother) Les-Paul (yeah, my dad named him after the inventor of the electric guitar!). He plays piano (better than me), but above else, he's got 15+ years experience as an accountant and is a director at a huge accounting firm. We spoke on one of the most important subjects that people don't really talk about: financial literacy. How do I grow my money? How much should I be saving? When and where should I invest my money? What happens if I sell $20,000 worth of beats online? How much taxes do I have to pay? Man, we've all made financial mistakes in the past. This episode contains useful information to get you going in the right direction. Also, we spoke on my early days (mom's basement, making beats on Playstation (yup that was real!) and so much more). Enjoy!

What happens when you're invited to a big studio for the first time? Maybe it's with a superstar? Or maybe it's with a local artist. As a music creator, what is your role and how can you maximize your time in the studio to be as productive as possible. Every situation is unique, but there are some "in studio hacks" that you can apply to help you along your creative journey. In this episode Illmind & Perfection (who managed one of the most premiere recording studios in NYC for years) speak on some tips to help you in the studio, whether you're a music producer, engineer or artist. So much value in this episode so don't sleep!

I know the title of this episode sounds deep, but hear me out. What I love about my podcast is the fact that we like to get DEEP into the root of things and not be so "on the surface". To cut right to the chase we must ask ourselves this question: "How do we achieve our goals?". Now, of course this is the million dollar question and a topic of discussion that is very complex. I think it doesn't have to be complex. We reach our goals by taking "action". "Action" is taken based on our decision making. Our decision making is based on our emotions. So when you peel back all of these layers, "emotion" seems to be the root of everything. So, how do we control and manage our emotions to help us make the right decisions? We went in pretty deep on this one. Enjoy!

This discussion was important! We touched on the challenges of generating income in the beginning of the grind as a music producer or engineer, ways to overcome the hardships to get to your first WIN and why it's important to never quit until you reach that first WIN! Our amazing guests BREGMA (a production trio) who produced Logic & Eminem's "Homicide" record (which was their first major placement by the way) spoke about the early grind, how they got their track to Logic, being broke for years but sticking with the grind and so much more.

What does "success" mean to you? For some it's money. For others it's happiness and the freedom to do what you want, when you want. For most, it's a combination of all the above. How does one answer this question in the MUSIC INDUSTRY? What does a successful music producer with Grammys and platinum plaques look like? And how do you get there? In this episode, Illmind + his co-hosts Atlas and Perfection go into a deep dive of some of the psychological, spiritual and routine habits of the successful. So many gems in this one.

In this episode, Illmind, GLAM and Atlas chop it up with special guest June James about his music, history and influences. "We're here to talk about anything and everything music, business, music production." (00:02:50)"I have a couple special things for Spotify." (00:03:42) "I want to announce a couple things... my Throne Loops contest is ongoing." (00:05:09) "I just got back from Miami. I did a 3 city little tour run for Pass the Aux." (00:06:48)"On this podcast we talk a lot about building with your peers and collaborating with each other." (00:07:53) "Go to IllmindProducer.com for tickets to Pass the Aux" (00:09:00) "Atlas, what do you have going on right now?" (00:09:23) "GLAM, what have you been working on? How's the music?" (00:11:20) "We're all really nothing without memories." (00:15:00) "I like the campaign idea about artists that have a 9 to 5 and then talk about the 5 to 9." (00:17:10) "What are some of the things your learning along the way in terms of the 5 to 9 hustle and balancing that with the 9 to 5?"(00:17:45)"That's a key word that you're using - coexisting." (00:22:50) "Everyone has bad days. Everyone has stuff they go through whether it's financial, personal or a relationship... We have the power to give power to certain things."(00:25:30)"If I was doing these Pass the Auxs' for free, not only would I be losing money, but imagine the type of clientele I would be attracting." (00:34:50) "We're here with a very special guest." (00:37:50)"What got you into production?" (00:39:50) "It's all about building direct relationships, but with people that aren't necessarily big yet." (00:47:00) "What's the priority right now?" (00:51:55) + so much more!!

100th episode is here!!! 🙏🏽🔥In this episode, Illmind, Perfection and Atlas celebrate the 100th episode and chop it up with special guest Mo Wezz about his music and accomplishments. Shout out to A Boogie! Mo Wezz talks about how he met A Boogie and what sparked his interest in engineering(00:03:15)"Some upcoming producers are missing opportunities because the first thing they ask when an artist inquires about a track is what's their budget, without even listening to the artist's music first. You might have just blown away an opportunity with a dope artist." -Atlas (0007:38) "I can't be a good engineer with no artist" - Mo Wezz (00:08:15) Mo Wezz gives advice about studio time and what it's worth, not only monetarily, but also opportunistically (00:08:45) Illmind pushes Mo Wezz to talk about his 12 plaques and his accomplishments (00:13:40) "If you're making a record with a bunch of people in the studio and everyone feels strongly about that record, there's a good chance that it's probably good" (00:18:35) Mo Wezz speaks about different templates he uses for certain types of artists (00:18:55) Illmind asks Mo Wezz about his work schedule and his work with new and upcoming artists (00:25:15) Mo Wezz shouts out a few artists he's been working with lately (00:26:36) Illmind asks what's next for Mo Wezz (00:39:00)The crew pops a bottle to the 100th episode and gives sound advice to the listeners (00:43:50)BLAP 🔥or CRAP 💩is back (00:48:17) + so much more!!

On this episode, Illmind talks solo about coming up on the 100th episode, the power of the mind and the effect it has on success🔥🔥🔥Illmind gives a shout out to fans and gives a brief intro of the podcast to new listeners(00:03:09)"You can go from A to Z and realize that Z is not the end. Realize it's really just one alphabet you've conquered, and there's multiple alphabets for you to conquer" (00:03:40)💯Illmind gives insight into the tools he's been using to be more mindful and how success correlates to your mind state(00:04:44)"There's this elephant in the room that we don't talk about the power of the mind and how absolutely crucial and important of a component it is to reaching ultimate happiness and ultimate success"(00:06:19)Illmind explores the reasons for his success and concepts he's used to get where he is now, "which is rich is success, rich in all aspects of [his] life" (00:09:10) Illmind stresses that there isn't one single safe route to success and that "we've been trained and programmed to believe that you can only accomplish this in one particular way, which is just not the case"(00:10:58)"It doesn't matter how old you are, or at what point in life you are, but I think an amazing starting point is to try stuff"(00:16:53) Illmind speaks on incremental progress and the road to euphoria (00:24:89) Illmind encourages listeners to be "mindful of your rest periods" and how some of his best ideas came from those periods(00:29:38) "Patience is just the idea of living in the moment and not beating yourself up into trying to predict the future" (00:37:39)"If you want new experiences, you have to do things out of your comfort zone"(00:47:20)Illmind wraps up with some of his history and emphasizes the importance of finding what makes you happy + so much more!! 🙏🏽

On this episode Illmind, Perfection and Atlas discuss the importance of relationships, positive energy output, meaningful collaborations and other tools that get you that ring!!!🔥llmind is back in the studio with Perfection and Atlas 1..2..3.... BLAPCHAT!!!🔥(00:00:56)Illmind gives a shout out to the "Pass the Aux" world tour(00:03:24)"G.O.A.T. Loops Sample Pack Contest is officially a wrap" (00:06:32)RIP Nipsey Hussle 🙏🏽"There's no words to describe how deeply impactful Nipsey Hussle's recent death has been for everyone"(00:08:00)Illmind talks about The Green Room AKA The BLAP Room. This will be a 10 minute interactive live stream after every Blap Chat!!! Membership info and platform announcement coming soon!!! (00:10:33) "Influence should be born in real life and exposed on the internet" (00:23:08) "Bad Attitude, Bad Music, Bad Business...the TripleB"(00:29:43)"Who is at that 100% who wants to win?"(00:35:03)Atlas speaks on positive reinforcement and how to get optimal performances out of staff and artists(00:36:53)The BLAP crew speaks on the importance of constantly networking (00:48:08) + so much more with Illmind, Atlas and Perfection!!!

On this episode the Blap crew goes over the importance of initiative and a "problem solving" approach to the industry and your career. Illmind is back in the studio with Perfection, Atlas, and GLAM 1..2..3.... BLAPCHAT!!!🔥(:2:25)"Are there any projects this year you guys liked?"(00:05:41)Quick shout out to all the creatives coming out to Illminds "Pass the Aux World Tour"!!!(00:07:09)"Having a rich mentality vs. a Poor Mentality"(00:15:18)"There are two different types of people in this world; People who wait to be told what to do, and people that just do shit"(00:19:00)"The keyword is initiative"(00:27:50)IG Live Q&A (00:40:10)"How would you have found your Skyzoo in 2019?"(00:52:33) Blap or Crap segment (00:59:06) + so much more with Illmind, Atlas, Perfection and GLAM!!