The Rap Beat Creator Podcast Episode 4: 3 Essential Steps To Making Your Own Beats

Here's the link to this weeks Rap Beat Creator Podcast. Its called:

"3 Essential Steps To Making Your Own Beats...
...How You Can Make Beats That Make MONEY!!!

Click here to listen now!!!

I had a little fun with this one and I think you'll enjoy it.

For those of you who've requested to hear different beats, keep listening for This Week's Featured Beat segment during the podcast interlude. The Featured Beat is for sale for $29.99 until April 30th, 2009! If you want to get more info, hit me up at mello@free-hot-rap.com.

However, The Rap Beat Creator Podcast is absolutely FREE and you can listen to it or download it so you can listen to it later, right now by clicking the link below:

The Rap Beat Creator Podcast Episode 4

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Here's what people are saying about The Rap Beat Creator Podcast:

"I look forward to your next Rap Beat Creator Podcast." - Mike DoubleD
http://www.myspace.com/treesreachingdown

"Mello, this was very informative. It is good to hear how creative people work." - Eric G.

Enjoy and make sure to leave me comments about the Podcast.

Let's shoot for 10 to keep a good dialogue going.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com
www.MusicMarketingPromotions.com

P.S. In case the link doesn't open automatically in your media player you can copy & paste the link below in your browser:

http://www.free-hot-rap.com/rbcp_ep4.mp3

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The Rap Beat Creator Podcast Episode #2

Here is my second episode of the The Rap Beat Creator Podcast. Episode 2 deals with developing your songwriting creativity and 6 tips for fighting writer's block.

Here is the link to the podcast below. You can download it to your mp3 player or burn it on a cd and listen to it when ever you want.

Podcast: "Developing Your Songwriting Creativity & 6 Tips To Fight Writer's Block"

Don't forget to leave me some comments. I need at least 10.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com
www.MusicMarketingPromotions.com

P.S. I now have under 50 free audio books left on "How to Get Thousands of Dollars Worth of Free Hiphop Advertising". If you haven't claimed your free copy yet, click here to get it now before the price goes back up to $19.99!!!

$700 Billion or Bust!!! Make Beats Or Die Bitches!!!

With all this talk about politics (Obama & McCain), the economy (Big bank takes little bank), and the $700 billion bailout (Um, where's my cut?) , its nice to know that making beats is still a good source of income.

I came across this ad about how to make money selling your own beats and of course I just had to see what it was about (since that's what I preach and teach).

What I found was a great candidate for review at my main site over at www.RapBeatCreator.com.

The site was called LiveOffBeats.com.

This site was not focused on how to make your own beats but it was focused on how to make money off the beats you've already made. I read the sales letter on the web page and I said to myself, "my subscribers might be interested in this."


I checked out the free video that was posted and it was pretty good. So I signed up for the newsletter about 2 weeks ago and I've been getting all sorts of free music "placement" tips.

The producer and webmaster is named Postman and he really has the production game down pat plus the Internet marketing game too. The testimonials are really good and he even list some names you may know of people who've used his system and made money.

So for all those people who are cryin' about not having any money and are too broke to buy a 25 cent Little Debbie Oatmeal Pie, this site is for you.

You already know how I feel about educating your self about the music biz...

....and the bottom line in ANY business is about what? Making money!

Click on the link below and see for your self:

www.LiveOffBeats.com

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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Don't Be A Perfectionist!!!

Alot of people always ask what is the route to go when they start buying equipment. They want to wait until every 'i' is dotted and every 't' is crossed before they get started making beats.

The big phrase for this is "paralysis of analysis"... more commonly known as:

Procrastination

• Procrastination ultimately breeds a lot of excuses.
• Excuses are the tools of incompetence and builds monuments of nothingness.
• Therefore, there are no excuses!

Okay now that I got that off my chest...

...you don't have to have every piece of equipment in place before you can make your own beats.

You can get started with a simple beat machine. In fact, that's how I got started. Then I added another piece of equipment, then another. This is how you build a studio.

I don't know too many people who have built a studio right out the gate with everything in it they wanted at one time. It's not an overnight process.

How do you get started? Check out some books on music production. Ask other producers how they started. Make a list of the equipment you want and go for it.

If you don't start now then when. Remember, you don't have to be perfect. You just have to be good enough.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

How NOT To Make Money In The Music Business!

I get all kinds of email regularly asking me about free beats. Okay, I know that my original site was called www.Free-Hot-Rap.com, and I guess I should've saw it coming but damn!

Here's a little business lesson: the reason anybody or any business gives away anything free is to get something in return. At my site I offer free beats as an incentive to my visitors to give me their names and email addresses. Now, if I gave away more than the 7 free beats that are posted on my site, then I wouldn't be in business long would I? In fact, I don't know to many business that offer their product free forever. Many business use the 'free sample' technique. I has been used for years...way before there was ever such a thing called the Internet.

How does this apply to you and the music business?

For starters, sending out demos is giving the recipient a free sample. Most demos have 3 to 5 songs on them. More established artists use their whole album as their demo.

Let's relate this to social networking sites like MySpace.com. If you sign up as an artist on MySpace you get to upload several songs. You can choose to let the visitors of your page download your songs if you want to for free or you can place a link on your site where they can buy your song or album for money. Personally, I like to get paid for my hard work.

Its funny because many artists wonder why they never make a dime and it's because they don't understand the music business is a business. The sole purpose of a business is to make money. Its not so that the owners can have more time and freedom or be more flexible or give people jobs. Its to make MONEY!!!

The sole job of a business owner is to generate revenue and raise capital. Without these, the business will not exist long. I don't care if your selling wigets, CD's, beats, make your own beats services, dance lessons, cooking lessons, toilet tissue, candy bars, ham sandwiches, shoes, computers, etc. The bottom line is how much you've made at the end of the day.

I know this might sound harsh for some of you but its the truth. Anyone who is in business to do anything else is setting himself or herself up for failure.

Listen, I AM Hiphop and a true understanding of the kulture of Hiphop helps you realize what has been called "street entrepeneurship". Its a long term for hustlin'. If Russell Simmons didn't get paid for all his work with Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC, we wouldn't have heard of LL Cool J or even Kanye West. Same goes for Diddy. No Diddy, no Biggie Smalls, no Mary J. Blige, etc. The list goes on.

If you want to be a failure in the music business here is the recipe: Do everything for free. Spend time (and money) getting your songs recorded, put together a press kit, spend all kinds of time (and money) getting exposure for your group, give away your songs and albums for free, do free shows, and give away all the rights to your music. Did I leave anything out?

Now if you want to get money you must do the opposite. Spend some time learning about the music business and figure out ways you can make money in the business. And don't fall under the stupidity of the "Keepin' It Real" idiots. Keepin' it real is keeping your bills paid. Keepin' It real is feeding your kids. Keepin' it real is being able to buy the things you want to buy by earning money from your God-given skills and abilities. Keepin' it real is building enough wealth to last for several generations. If you want to make money, follow this formula. If not, follow the first one.

And as with all things you want to be good at, you must practice. Success is usually not an accident. If you want to be a better Hiphoppa then focus on your chosen craft, whether it be emceeing or street entrepeneurship. You may have to spend some time and money on it but if you don't focus on the end result then you won't get ahead in the game...and believe me it's all a game.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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The Source Magazine Picks 20 Greatest Producers

In 20 years, there have been some great Hiphop producers. For their 20th Anniversary, The Source magazine has named their top 20. I've put the list below. What do you think about this list? And why the hell isn't my name on it?! Or yours?! LOL!

Anyway, I can pretty much agree with the majority of the producers on this list. Who would you put on the list and who would you kick off? Here it is in alphabetical order:

1. Bomb Squad
2. DJ Paul and Juicy J
3. DJ Premier
4. DJ Quik
5. Dr. Dre
6. Erick Sermon
7. Jermaine Dupri
8. J Dilla
9. Kanye West
10. Lil Jon
11. Marley Marl
12. Mannie Fresh
13. Pete Rock
14. Puff Daddy & The Hitmen
15. RZA
16. Scott Storch
17. Swizz Beatz
18. The Neptunes
19. Timbaland
20. Wyclef Jean & Jerry Wonder

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
http://www.rapbeatcreator.com/

P.S. Our names should be on this list for the next twenty years. If you haven't check out Music Producer Pro then you might not get on the list. Click here to start making beats for only $39.00!





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The MF Doom Body Double Controversy - Is It True?

Wow! I don't know how many of you are familiar with my man MF Doom but it looks like he's catching some heat. It's been rumored that Doom has been using a body double or not even showing up at all for booked shows.

Now, Doom is my man hands down. I don't know what's going on as far as this body double business but he is a down to earth dude. The fans all see the "metal face" mask but all that aside I don't see Doom hiding anything.

Doom not only produced "Somethin's Gotta Give" on my High Risk album but he also helped me do some lawn work once and didn't ask for a penny. No joke. I put that on my daughter life. This is someone whose crashed at my crib before folks so I don't know about these allegations.

Like I said, I don't know what's going on. Dude wears a mask so it could be some clowns out there just gettin' money by using his name. I've seen Doom perform at clubs where there were only 20 people so why would he dodge a packed house? It doesn't make sense.

Check out the video below. ANYBODY could've done this.




Click the link below for the full story.

CunninLynguists Producer Calls Out MF Doom : NODFACTOR.COM

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Make Your Own Beats: To Beat Or To Blog? That Is The Question

Okay, so it's almost 3AM and I'm just sitting around. I'm kinda exhausted and I'm contemplating should I make a beat or post on my blog. Well, you're reading the results. Do you remember the post I put up a couple of months ago about the 3 essential things you need to make beats? It was The Will, The Way, and The Movement.

Well, I can tell you right now I'm having trouble with The Will and The Movement. I think I took the easy way out and just decided to blog. LOL. I'm such a lazy muthafucker sometimes. And I know my X-Board and Reasons both miss me but I'm just absent today.

Does this mean when you make your own beats you will get these slumps too? Probably so. Why? Because your HUMAN!!! Everyone is entitled to a break. Especially if you make beats using the computer or do any type of computer work for a long extended period of time. You need a break.

I just don't feel like making my own beats right now... Hey, at least I'm honest, right?

Tomorrow will be a different story. I'll holla...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Make Your Own Beats: Acres of Diamonds Right Under Your Nose

Man, I put together a heater a couple of days ago and I started thinking about my life. One of my co-workers at my day job who encourages me on different ideas that pop in my mind got me to thinkin' bout getting back into music the way I used to be back in the day.

I've tried to do so many other things and I have been marginally successful. I've had enough jobs to last a lifetime. I've even held a real estate license at one time. But the thing that I am most consistent at is the music business. I've been involved with this business in one way or another since 1988 but I always comeback to music.

One story that always guides me the "Acres of Diamonds" story. It's about an African farmer who owned a lot of property. He was facinated about stories of people finding diamonds in far off lands so he sold his property for little of nothing and went searching for untold riches. He searched and searched and finally he died without every finding 1 diamond.

Meanwhile the farmer who bought the property was walking along the farm one day and while he was on the riverbank of his land noticed a shiny stone. Being unfamiliar with the stone he took it his friend who was a rock expert. His friend told him it was a diamond asked him where he found this stone and he replied "my whole farm is full of them".

The moral of the story is don't be so quick to run off looking for wealth some other place. It is usually right up under your nose. Use what you have to get what you want. And like I said before, in my situation, I always keep coming back to music, no matter what!

Here is the beat that I made and it is for sale. It's been tagged so no one can steal it but I'll gladly take the tag line off for the right buyer. I'm open to all offers.

Click on the link below and it will open up your media player and begin to play:

http://www.free-hot-rap.com/WhereYouBeenBoy.mp3

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
http://www.rapbeatcreator.com/

P.S. If you haven't already done so and you think that making your own beats is your "Acres of Diamond" click here to check out Music Producer Pro.

Make Your Own Beats: The Death Of A Legend - Isaac Hayes

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008)

Aw man :-( In 2 days, back to back, we have lost 2 great entertainers. Isaac Hayes who is best know for his work on the movie Shaft passed away one day after one of the Kings of Comedy, Bernie Mac. He scored the movie and wrote the theme song as well. That work alone was so phenomenal, he won a 2 Grammys and an Oscar. Ironically, Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac worked together on an upcoming movie called "Soul Man". I strive to have a career as long and prosperous as Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac.

Isaac's career started back in the 1960's with STAX Records. He did much of the songwriting, arranging, and production for the labels artist.

The younger generation may remember him as the voice of Chef from the cartoon South Park. He was probably one of the more popular characters. Chef was always singing love songs and whenever he was asked for advice from the kids at the school, he would break out and sing a love ballad. Too classic!

From writing, singing, playing, producing, composing, and acting, Isaac Hayes was one of the greatest. He will surely be missed. The angels in Heaven have a new conductor. Rest In Peace Isaac Hayes.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Make Your Own Beats: I'm Back In Business Baby!!!

Whew!!! For a minute, I thought I would have to get a new computer. You know I'm a BIG advocate of making your own beats so when my EMU X-Board 25 keyboard wouldn't power up I was wiggin' out. I wanted to put a special audio message on the front of my website http://www.rapbeatcreator.com/. I knew it would help me get more subscribers so when it happened I was trippin'.

I thought it was just something I was doing wrong so I tried it again the next day. Luckily, I knew how to record my message without using the keyboard so I got it done. I checked the drivers and ran a virus scan but still no luck.

I suspected the USB port was the problem because my webcam wasn't working either. So I did a little research and I found out that I needed to get a USB PCI card to install in my computer. I shopped around online and got a couple of prices. Most were $30.00 and up. I even saw some for $100.00!!! So I checked eBay and baammm!!! I found one for $5.98 with free shipping so I ordered it on Thursday. It was in my mailbox on Saturday afternoon and in my computer on Saturday night.









When I hit the switch to the X-Board and the display lights came on, I knew I was back in business. So yeah, there will be more beats in the near future and I'm about to unleash the beast on these cats out here. Make your own beats or die!!! That's whassup!!!

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist

www.RapBeatCreator.com

Make Your Own Beats: Selling Beats vs. Leasing Beats

I've been thinking about the different business models in which you can sell beats online. There are several different ways that I've seen since I've been actively selling beats online.

There are membership sites where you can pay a one-time fee or monthly fee and have access to a catalog of beats. There are sites where you can buy royalty-free beats for different prices but. If you buy these beats from these sites you also don't have control over who else buys the beat because you're not the exclusive buyer. There are also sites where you can buy beats with full rights that you own straight out and don't have to share with anybody.

I think the best sites that I've seen combine several of these features in one. They are like hybrid sites. They combine being able to buy royalty-free beats and getting a beat custom made. I know one guy that makes over $15,000 a month using this model!

I told your about Base Jase a while ago who makes beats for MTV as well as sells beats online. His beats sell for different prices but once someone buys them, he takes the beat off his site and the buyer is the sole owner.

Both ways have advantages but I think ultimately to keep headaches down a person who is looking for beats should buy them straight out. The downside to leasing or buying beats royalty-free is that somebody else can buy the beat as well and the beat loses it originality.

Anyway these are just some thoughts I had. I hope you think about your business model when you are making your own beats. If you have any questions, hit me up! Peace...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Make Your Own Beats: Old Skool vs. New Skool

There is a big difference between the music today versus the music 20 years ago. The Hiphop Kulture was in its "Golden Era" back then and the music was alot more fun. It wasn't making as much money as it is today but it seemed a bit more pure.

Everyone was working to be different from the competition, not trying to emulate them. I mean Heavy D was different from N.W.A. Public Enemy was different from The 2 Live Crew. Big Daddy Kane was different from Run-DMC. And being in the true spirit of Hiphop, the artists strived to be different from each other. What was cool is that you could hear all these artist on the same radio playlist. There was balance.

Today I can't say that at all. Most mainstream rappers are consistent when it comes to talking about Ballin'. How much they are ballin? How much money they have? How many girls they have? Let's talk about my Phantom and my Bentley and how I got to be this way selling drugs, etc., etc. Yeah right!!! The only ones that sound different now are the underground emcees. There are some who still flex skills like Common and Lupe Fiasco but they are rare and they ain't selling records like the drug dealer/pimp types.

The music is different as well. Some of the music still bangs but since everybody found out that Soulja Boy made his break off of Fruity Loops & MySpace.com, people have been trying to copy that formula.

What???

There are still some producers that sample and there are still some who try to make their music have a signature sound. I applaud these producers for wanting to be different. Make your own beats. Make your own sound. That my friend is Hiphop. Peace...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Rapper/Producer Daz Dillinger's New Album and What He Thinks About Making Beats

Dogg Pound member Daz Dillinger is set to release his latest album, "Only On The Left Side" next Tuesday, August 12th. I've been a Daz fan before he was called Dillinger in The Chronic and he's been pretty consistent even though he doesn't get a whole lot of publicity.

I liked what he said about making beats though.

“I’m doing a lot of producing, I just don’t be giving my beats out,” he says. ” I can make more money with my beats than the person I give it to. Because I put the records out, I’m seeing the money come in, I’m getting the ringtone money, everything. I can make a song tonight and have it up on iTunes in 2 days.”

I keep telling you cats that making your own beats is the way to go. No, you don't have to be a Daz Dillinger but you do have to be proactive and make things happen for yourself. If you're the writer and producer, you get to keep 100% of your publishing royalties if you know what you're doing.

The traditional music business is dead. I like what he said about iTunes. People are looking for new joints to put on their iPods that not everybody has. People are tired of the same songs being played on the radio 20 times a day. There is a golden opportunity at hand and people like Daz Dillinger are ahead of the game. Peace...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Make Your Own Beats...Or Else!!!

Hey this is just a thought that I had. If CL Smooth would have been making beats, would his career have flourished as much or greater than Pete Rock's? We all know Pete Rock is sick on the beats and he can flow too. Not as good as CL but he held his own in the group and on his solo joints.

I don't know why Pete Rock and CL Smooth actually broke up. I've heard it was over, you guessed it...BEATS! There was a point in the 90's when Pete Rock was making beats for everybody. Pete was blowin' up and CL was getting blown off. That's just one example of someone who was the beat maker that thrived while others in the group fell by the wayside.

How about Teddy Riley and Guy. Boy, Aaron Hall sure could sing! I mean the ladies were on that dude back in the day even though some said he had a stuttering problem. Teddy was the man though. He coined the New Jack Swing era and made lots of money making beats for other artists besides Guy. I mean from Keith Sweat to Micheal Jackson he made a lot of beats. He produced from countless rap artists too.

Aaron Hall put out some solo albums but so what? I mean the albums were dope but Teddy was collecting checks...FAT CHECKS!!! All from making beats.

Am I advocating that if you are an artists you should take some time to learn how to make your own beats? Hell yeah that's what I'm saying. See you may not always be hot as an artist. And rappers are a dime a dozen. Producers though, producers stand the test of time. Look at Russell Simmons. He even produced a few of Run-DMC's early joints before he became the mogul that we all know. I'll bet he's still gettin' royalty checks too from the 80's.

With that said, I'm out. Tomorrow I'm going to discuss some preventive maintenance stuff to help you in your business as you make your own beats. Until then...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Cain't Get Right: The Rap Beat Creator Has A Brain Fart

For the last few days, I have done NOTHING productive...well at least it seems that way in my mind. I feel like I've been spinning my wheels. I have an old Dell laptop that I've been working with for a while and I've just been having all kinds of challenges dealing with this thing.

One day last week, I decided to pull out the Dell because my wife was using our desktop computer and I really wanted to do some "stuff" on it. We just moved back in late April and we are still getting situated in our new home. With something as important as a computer, I try to keep all my things together. Well, for the life of me, I couldn't find my power cord for the Dell which I haven't used in months.

I looked every place in our garage that I thought it could be. I looked in the den. I looked in the office. I looked in our bedroom. I even looked in the "junk" drawer in the kitchen.

All the while, I'm trippin' ' cause I know it's here in the house and it should be somewhere near the computer. Eventually, I postponed my search, frustrated as hell.

The story continues...

This past Sunday, my brother-in-law called me about setting up his computer for wireless networking. After I spoke with him for a while about it, I began my search again for the missing cord.

Maybe it's being anal but when I'm ready to work on the computer, I have to have at it with no delays. I decided to look in the hall closet and to my surprise it was there along with some other cords that my wife had collected when she was setting up our Playstation.

YES!!!! I was estatic. So I began setting up my wireless network and the Dell was working fine.

Then I had problems setting up the wireless network. Here I am trying to set up a network by taking shortcuts and I wasted several minutes all because thought I could just simply hook up some wires. WRONG!!!

When I moved, I switched to Comcast from AT&T to have the fasted connection possible. But I forgot that the software that comes with the router searches for the type of Internet connection you use. Duhhhhhh!!!

Well, by the time I figured that out, the Dell started to lockup so I started doing hard boots on it. In my "inpatientness", I bypassed the screen that said, "Windows was shutdown improperly an it is checking your files to make sure they are not damaged."

BIG MISTAKE!!!

I could have thrown the Dell across the room but it wasn't the computer's fault. It was my fault. And guess what. Now the computer won't boot up Windows and I spent Monday evening trying to figure it out.

This story has 2 morals.

• Lesson #1: You should definitely have a dedicated computer to operate your business if you have a family or more than one person in the household that uses the computer. Anything can happen such as computer crashes, viruses, or simply someone wanting to use the computer when you need it.
• Lesson #2: Don't force your computer to do silly things because you're impatient with it. I'm going to try to work on the Dell a bit more but since its so old, I may just by a new one.

The result of these few days of banging my head against the wall is that I didn't create any beats at all. I just beat my head up against the wall only producing a big knot on my head filled with frustration.

Holla...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
http://www.rapbeatcreator.com/

Beat Makers: Copyright Your Music or Get Caught Up in Some Bull****

You know, this music business is a funny business. Its a different business because we don't sell widgets. We sell songs which are also known as intellectual property. As with any kind of property you own you have to protect it. If you have a house, you get an alarm, a dog, or a gun. With songs you have to do the same.

There is an old saying: it's a thin line between famous and broke.

Alot of artists are so caught up in the glamour and glitz, fame and glory that they don't learn about copyrights and music publishing until their money is gone. By then its too late and that hit song that you made and thought you owned was really owned by someone else WHO KNEW about copyrighting the music.

I can site numerous examples of artists getting screwed out of their money because they didn't know about copyrights and publishing. They go hand in hand.

The other day I posted a link to an article about the late J. Dilla (R.I.P.) and how his estate was getting ripped off because people wanted to use his name and music for profit and didn't want to pay his estate.

That's garbage!!!

Our songs are our assets. They are what makes us money for years. They can make us money for generations if we protect them. I mean wouldn't you love to have control of James Brown's mega hit "I Feel Good"?

Imagine if he hadn't copyrighted it and exploited it...and somebody ELSE did!!!

Here's another old school, real life example from the Hiphop world. Back in the late 80's and early 90's, The D.O.C. was the man. He had several guess spots on N.W.A. records and his solo album was off the chain. Due to his youth, he didn't understand publishing and the infamous Eazy-E, traded him a gold chain for his publishing rights. Yep, you read that right. A GOLD CHAIN!!!

Now imagine how much money James Brown's song had made and what his life would've been like if he traded his rights for a freakin' gold chain back when he made "I Feel Good". We probably wouldnt've even heard of James at all.

I can't stress enough that the music business is a business and it requires constant education. With any business you want to start, you have to get education. Even if you wanted to own a McDonald's restaurant, you would have to go to Hamburger University...sounds funny but its true.

Fortunately, getting a good education about the music business is not as expensive as owning a Mickey D's but being uneducated will cost you more in the long run.

Here is another recent copyright issue I found on the Internet with Soulja Boy.

News: Possible proof that Soulja Boy has not infringed on copyrights

http://tripletimexl.com/news-possible-proof-that-soulja-boy-has-not-infringed-on-copyrights/

If you are serious, I hope you will take what I'm saying to you to the heart and head. I'd hate to see you lookin' broke as hell like MC Hammer.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
http://www.rapbeatcreator.com/

P.S. If you would like to get more info on copyrights and other legal documents such as producer agreements (my real beat makers will need these!!!) click here.