Week 7- Figure out what works best and repeat

Unfortunately the recipe for success in the Hip Hop game isn’t quite like recipe to your favorite dish. There are key elements (nutrients) that come into play when thinking of success. Key factors include networking, marketing your music and a unique sound and a hunger for more. KM currently has these elements incorporated into his image but it varies as to what area should be zeroed in on.

In the words of KM “there is no exact process, just need to figure out what works best and repeat”-- KM. With Ace Ventura approaching nearly 5K views on SoundCloud it is evident that KM has been shopping this track that much harder. Ace Ventura has nearly tripled the amount of listens to any other track currently listed on SoundCloud. He has reached out to local DJ’s, local venues and curated a hashtag that associates all of his social media post with his work ethic, #SteadyWork. There has been a major rebranding effort in the past 2 months.

In addition to shopping the song KM is more present on social media; always focusing on his musical grind. Tweeting more, posting more pics on Instagram and even creating a Periscope account to give his fans an intimate look inside his shows, recording sessions and everyday activities that revolve around music. Image is a factor that comes into the equation but it is not the only thing that makes or breaks an artist. Content is everything. People don’t want to just see dope a** pics but they want to hear dope a** lyrics, futuristic beats and topics they can relate too. KM is currently creating more and more content and preparing to drop his next single along with new visuals. The biggest thing KM is working on as an artist is being open to new ideas especially ones that are effective and will yield a bigger audience, but that’s a part of the chase, he will get there one day until then the grind continues . . .

What types of marketing do you currently use?

When you think about it everything is marketing. Your name in itself is a brand. For that reason alone KM has shifted the focus of his Instagram/twitter to strictly tweets about music including his hashtag whenever he gets a chance. When you see or hear the letters KM think of someone who is reliable, consistent and always grinding for more. Besides Instagram, twitter and getting more and more familiar with Periscope he uses Facebook marketing, still trying to figure what exactly works best. When a new song is released he creates a detailed contact list and sends it to all the blogs, websites and colleges within a certain radius. 

In the day of viral superstars and people essentially being “overnight celebrities” KM realizes the years of experience put into that which most people do not see. As he stated earlier -- “There is no exact process, just need to figure out what works best and repeat”- KM.
 

Do you ever put current events in the news in your music?

If I can relate to it then I will use it if not then I wont force it into my music. With all the media outlets in today’s times there is ALWAYS something going on, whether it’s a natural disaster, a police injustice or a celebrity crisis. I’m not a news outlet so I don’t report on all the time about what’s going on.  I talk more about what I’m going through, what challenges I am facing and how I am going to overcome them.

I try to stick to what is affecting me and if that subject is in the news then I will use it. I don’t go out searching for news to put in my music. I have more than enough on my plate, I have topics for days.

What's some mistakes you made early on in your career that you have learned from?

One can either hustle or get hustled. There a million and 1 “janky” promoters out here looking to make a fast buck, There are social media accounts with 100K followers that follow 500 K people and will send you endless bullssh*t package deals that will “get you the exposure” you want . You have to sift through these deals 9/10 are full of crap.  A lot of times you are basically paying for “bot” likes or automated likes on your post. This is not how KM wants to build his fanbase; he is going with an organic approach and connecting to REAL people one fan at a time.

Another mistake KM learned from is relying on others. If someone wants to be apart of a project you will know from their actions and energies early. If they drag out collaboration or making a beat for you the just walk away from it, it’s not worth it KM is not going to force anyone’s hand into jumping on a track with him. All in all just make sure you stay on your grind consistently and watch out for these sketchy site and ads.

 

Why do you feel no one from Charlotte has really "blew up" from the rap scene?

I don’t feel that way, Deniro Farrar has made it. That gives me hope that I have a chance in this big city. Everyone has a different definition of “Blew Up”. I just need to keep on the path and take advantage of the opportunities in front of me.

If one can do it so can I . .