Blog entry #7: My Daughter Found My Rap Book
We’re now heading into August, and I’m just about to release my first project of the year. I thought I’d be on release numbers 4–5 by now, but, as happens a lot of the time, life gets in the way sometimes. I don’t stress about things out of my control, so it is what it is, and the music will be released when it’s ready. Anyway, here’s the first project.
If you don’t know who Trademark Blud is, I’d remedy that right away. When “The Hold Up” was putting on regular Hip-Hop events, we tried to create a balance in regards to who the artists on the line-up would be. We wanted to have a headliner-level act with support from the UK as well as local support. At one event, we had Wu-Tang affiliate Bronze Nazareth, with Rock n Rollas, all from the US, as our headline act, and we got Trademark Blud down from Telford to be our main support.
We used to play his music on our radio show, so we always had it in mind to get him to one of our shows. Seeing Trademark perform to a packed crowd was something to behold. He had that ability to connect very easily with the crowd but still remained “in charge” as such. Funnily enough, this led to Trademark hooking up with Bronze Nazareth further down the line for the stomping track “Take a Seat.”.
After the show, I asked Trademark about the possibility of doing a track together. He agreed and appeared on my “Connect the Dots Vol. 1” album on the track “Trust Me.” We connected again at various shows and agreed to start a project together. This became “My Daughter Found My Rap Book.”.
I feel this is a very poignant and personal album for Trademark Blud, as echoed by the title and his blurb on the Bandcamp page, dedicating the album to his kids. I’m happy to have provided the backdrop for that.
The album is available for pre-order (or is now out, depending on when you read this). It is exclusive to Bandcamp for the foreseeable future, as I’m not in a rush to release it on the digital platforms as of yet. Music is so undervalued in today’s market, and I feel Bandcamp is the only platform that genuinely helps independent musicians and artists. Physical CDs are a great way to support artists.
Even paying for a digital download is a far greater help than just streaming it. It puts money directly in the artist’s pocket, making it a semi-sustainable career. Without that, we’d be left with nothing but big-time commercial artists, churning out chart hit after chart hit. That’s why I am putting value on everything I do from here on in. If you think that £10–£15 is too much for an album, digital or physical, then, respectfully, go ahead and keep your money. People will spend money on all manner of things on a daily basis (Starbucks coffee, a pint, cigarettes, vapes, etc.), but will baulk at paying money for something that, for the most part, cost the artist 20–30 times that amount to create in the first place.
The time, money, effort, patience, heart, and soul put into creating an honest piece of work to present to the public can take its toll on artists and musicians, so I’m not belittling what I do any more. If you pre-order or buy the album, I genuinely thank you for helping me keep making music.
EDIT: The album is now released; head to the store to listen, download, or purchase a copy.
Until next time, thanks, and PEACE!