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Heavy D: The Business Of Artistry
November 19th, 2008
I remember when I was at Uptown records, I was a Senior VP at Universal. I had great success. I had Monifa, Soul For Real, I had me. I had great success there. But there is nothing artistic about running a label. It made me realize how much of an artist I am. I remember going to Doug Morris who is one of my favorite people on the planet, there was a buyout that went on for 12 billion, and I remember saying you gotta make this back fast. I knew it was going to turn into a machine, and it was going to turn into a machine where the creativity and artist development started going out the window. We just had to make money. I couldn’t turn into that guy so I went to Doug and I was like I love you but I’m not going to be the guy to do this. It takes two or three years to break an artist. I’m not built for that, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I’m not a business man that way. I love finding the artist, cultivating the talent, producing the records and letting the management and the system take it from there.
At the same time, I was focused on my acting and I fell in love with doing theater and acting, and you could do it ‘til you take your last breath. It changed my life little by little. And it put me in a great place and it made me realize a lot of different things.
Kanye is the person I respect the most right now, because he pushes the bar. He’s the dude. I love the bravery, you put yourself out there, go be an artist.
wow where do i start the article was huge but anyways am gonna get to the point i gotta admit i say you did real good losing all the weight how you did it lol , its a good look good luck with your label keep up the good work
I am glad to see that you are not dead Heavy D. You went missing for a while but it was nice to see you on TV. Your response to how hip hop has changed was a nice spin on the way the music and industry is run; it was very insightful. Good Luck with your album!
P.S. Great job on losing the weight! What did you do?
i feel you on the artist vs. the corporation… just aint gonna win that battle.
http://www.rapmonster.com
great job on the weight.i’ve always loved your music.can’t wait for your album to drop.
Thank You… I can really appreciate your what you said.
think? ,”corporations”(in many industries) are lo$ing/crumbling NOW! by: blind, greed formula of late-80s, & before. & “internet” is nail in all their coffins in some way. cant cheat the universe hehe. that said, if youre smart “artist” (ie., music, business arts) who wants to be rich, BUT fair to your customers, you can make it. in other news, are kanye west (& “mAny” others) “stampeding” after latest/old fad(vocoder), from “fear” of future sales? maybe, but its clearly not for “creativity”.
These autotune haters are really starting to get on my nerves!! Here we have a true artist commending his favorite other true artist for pushing the envelope and “owl” HAS to throw in a jab over homie’s choice of special effect… Granted, autotune is corny for 90% of everyone tryna use it but it wasn’t the vocoder that wrote, produced, and performed “808s and Heartbreak,” it was a man with art pouring out of his pores!! Kanye is one of the most creative and inspiring artists that hip hop has ever counted within its ranks but “owl” thinks he just jumped on the autotune bandwagon in “fear of future sales…” Come on man. Just like Heavy D. explained, there’s a thick line between business and artistry that has us in this musical purgatory we’re stuck in but autotune or no autotune, you’ll never have to question which side of the line ‘Ye’s standing on.
I just want to say that I am a huge fan of yours Heavy! This past Saturday I went shopping with a couple of friends and put on your greatest hits. We rode around to your music all day and couldnt help but to wonder what happened to hip hop? Even with the mainstream hip hop that you had a hand in delivering to the public was so much different than it is now. There is no substance and it seems like people dont care about the art form anymore its just about having fun and making money. I am a professional young woman but I am also painter and I majored in art which gave an insight on many different art forms so when I listen to music whether its rap, r and b, rock or pop, I want to feel it. I really dont know how we can save hip hop, well really I think that its up to you guys, the leaders of the old school to teach these leaders of the new school what to do.
I feel that heavy you were my icon growing up in the way when. I have the majority of ur albums now.I remember when it was heavy d and the boyz and one of the young men had died on tour in indianapolis i was there when i had heard that on the radio. I was coming home from the classic that year . Anyways u r still a great mentor and role model even if no one else may think so. I do sincerly. I love u heavy and always will.
Heavy D? or rather, Skinny D…I just saw your latest video on Video Soul and it was great. Man, you make me feel better about getting older. Keep it up!
By the way, great article and you are one of the true professionals. That’s the way hip-hop artist should speak about other artists especially the talented ones such as, Kanye. Even though he can be a bit strange a t times. He is still growing…
One thing I wanted to mention about the Rookies, it seem to they achieve a little bit of popularity, but continue to spit mindless rattle about thugging and banging…what ever happened to telling a story about enjoying life and the daily struggles of making it happen?
Anyway, stay strong Heavy…and may God Continue to Bless you.
To be inspired is to listen and get a message from which what you hear or see, well i remember when i was young and i saw this dude in a video rapping
about life as it was at that time, i was like yeah that’s what i want to do, and hear it is almost twenty years later and i am responding to one of his post. An yet in still i am getting a message in which makes me want to thrive harder to be heard and help change music back to it’s original formation. So thanks man and keep doing what you do cause you not just good at it, you we’re chosen to represent brothers such as myself. PEACE
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