6 Things the Black Barbie Nicki Minaj Can Teach Emerging Artists About Success in the Music Industry
Check out our list of six things Nicki Minaj, the official Black Barbie, can teach emerging artists about success in the music industry.
Nicki Minaj was born on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved with her family to Queens, New York, when she was five years old. Nobody expected much out of Nicki Minaj. For her to end up a high-school dropout or a pregnant teenager would have been normal in her world. Minaj's father was a severe drug addict with a history of violence and even tried to kill her mom. Because of Nicki's rough upbringing, nobody expected her to go out in the world and become worth over 70 million dollars as an artist and actress.
Here Are 6 Things This Black Barbie Can Teach Emerging Artists About Success!
1. You Have To Be A Beast!
It may be hard to believe, but as of 2018, Nicki Minaj has never won a Grammy. Although she’s been nominated for over 400 different awards and titles since she hit the scene. You could say she hasn't won a Grammy because her music is ghetto trash, or just too fabulous for tradition. Say what you want about Nicki Minaj, but even Beyonce has appeared in her videos and that is worth more clout than any Grammy. Beyonce is not like Drake. She doesn't just collaborate with everyone under the sun. Beyonce has standards, high standards. The only way Beyonce was going to work with Nicki Minaj is if Nicki Minaj is a beast in the rap game.
"You could be the king, but watch the queen conquer." — Nicki Minaj
2. Have Wild Sex Appeal
"Anaconda" was one of Nicki Minaj's wildest and sexiest videos featuring an enormous and juicy butt and tons of sexual innuendos. The song samples "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot and almost seems to mock his butt fetish. None the less both Sir Mix A Lot and now Nicki Minaj are iconic butt symbols around the world.
You could say, “Anaconda" is the song that made Nicki Minaj's career. "Anaconda" was from her third studio album, "The Pinkprint". It was released on August 4, 2014 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard HOT 1OO, consequently becoming Nicki Minaj's highest charting single in the United States to date. The song also peaked within the top ten in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, proving sex sells.
“I stand for girls wanting to be sexy and dance, but also having a strong sense of themselves. If you got a big ol’ butt? Shake it! Who cares? That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be graduating from college.” – Nicki Minaj
3: Be An Underground Artist
Sometimes when you only have ten likes on YouTube, and 300 followers on Instagram, it can be discouraging. It's easy to think you will never be discovered when the market is already saturated and dominated by other artists. Here is the thing though, you don't have to have a million views on YouTube, you just have to have the right person see you. The reality is, it doesn't matter if 12,000 people like your YouTube channel if those people aren't in the business. After hustling her music, the right set of ears finally discovered Nicki Minaj. Dirty Money CEO Fendi, came across her MySpace page, loved what he heard, and signed her to his label. That connection led Minaj to Lil Wayne, who collaborated with her on a series of mixtapes, the first of which, "Playtime Is Over", was released in April 2007.
“People face difficulties, no matter who you are. I faced difficulties with a lot of things. I face opposition every day, but I didn’t kill myself and now, thank God, I’m here.” -Nicki Minaj
4. Be Ridiculous In Your Sound!
Nicki Minaj's rapping is distinctive for its fast flow and the use of weird accents, primarily cocky British accents. Many critics have said, Minaj's style is like Barbie doll rap. Minaj said: "What people don't know is that before I was doing that craziness I was doing me, I was just doing regular sounding rap that anyone could hear and identify with. But once I started doing all that weird shit—I'm not mad at it because it got everyone's attention." For Minaj, being ridiculous, comical and innovative, helped her standout in a saturated market. Don't do what everyone else is doing if you want to get noticed.
5. Be Flashy And Visually Psychedelic
Early in her career, Minaj was known for her colorful costumes and wigs. There is even a video where she is riding a gigantic unicorn and their is something oddly erotic about it. She's become an icon for style and a walking exaggeration of a black Barbie-doll, in personality and appearance. Nicki Minaj's fashion sense is very much addictive like a drug. A lot of people like psychedelics because of the colorful and crazy visuals it gives them. Though we don't know exactly where Nicki Minaj got her fashion sense, we could guess that fans love her for a similar reason they love drugs, watching her on stage or in her music videos is like taking a trip down the rabbit hole, very colorful, exciting, and crazy.
"Dressing up should be fun. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make a statement. You don’t know how something looks until you try it on". -Nicki Minaj
6. Change Your Moniker
Honestly, most celebrities don't go by their real name and Nicki Minaj, is no exception. Her real name is, Onika Tanya Maraj. In 2012, The Guardian asked her about the genesis of the name change. “Somebody changed my name,” she said. “One of the first production deals I signed, the guy wanted my name to be Minaj and I fought him tooth and nail. But he convinced me. I’ve always hated it.” Around close family, she added, she prefers not to go by her stage name, however. “My rule is, whatever you were calling me four years ago is what you should be calling me now, because I don’t like it when my family or close friends call me Nicki Minaj. To me I’m not Nicki Minaj when I’m with them.
5 Tips For How to Get a Music Blogger’s Attention
@maggietra is a Writer, Publicist, and the Director of @stimulateyoursoul. Here are her tips for how artists can get a music blogger's attention.
So you’ve made your music and now you’re ready to release it into the world. Scary right? The hard part is done, but the even more difficult task is yet to come. I see so often great music being lost into editor’s blogs because of the way that they approach them. Some artists’ simply just add a link, no hello, no how are you, no bio, nothing. Building a relationship and having a press kit are just a few things that will ensure that your music will at least be listened to. Having seen so many submissions over my years, I thought I’d share some key points on what you should be doing as an artist to get into blogs.
1. Build a relationship
Editors receive emails every single day, depending on how big the media is it could be up to hundreds a day that they have to go through. To ensure that your submission can be considered you will need to build a relationship with them. At least add one question to the email that you intend to send them, ask them how they are and do a little research on the editor. If they just attended a music festival, ask how it was, or perhaps ask them about their favourite food. It’s random, but it will get their attention and probably make them laugh a little. Be genuine, but remember to never be fake and over-do it. They don’t want someone to kiss their butt.
Read the full article here -- https://thecabportal.com/blog/5-tips-for-how-to-get-a-music-bloggers-attention
2017: A Messy Year In Review, Dopecausewesaid Edition
Yeah, 2017 has been an unforgettable roller-coaster of a year for us all. But with those shaky lows came unexpected highs, and we’re here to re-live them all for you...
Yeah, it’s been an unforgettable roller-coaster of a year for us all. But with those shaky lows came unexpected highs, and we’re here to re-live them all for you. These were the defining moments of the past year - which affected you the most?
1. The infamous 2016 presidential election that gave us a Flaming Cheeto for president, and gave all of society a ton of anxiety.
2. Trump generally and the rapid snowballing effect of white, male ignorance that has erased decades of civil rights history - "Handmaid’s Tale" feels closer than we thought…
3. But along with that ignorance, a lot of peoples’ bullshit is being called out, and women are taking back the night. The most resounding part of that would be the #metoo movement, which spawned a plethora of Hollywood bigwigs politicians being held accountable for their extremely creepy, harassing actions.
4. Taylor Swift making a musical comeback, but using absolutely none of her celebrity clout was used to make a political stance, or rep any form of activism. Basic.
5. We saw the bromper, which was a disturbing re-imagining of a romper for men.
6. We also saw Kylie Jenner get pregnant before turning 20, with Travis Scott as her baby daddy. Can’t wait for their Rob & Chyna spin-off to come out.
7. On that note, the Rob & Chyna breakup was as intense as it was hilarious. A slow train-wreck that we had the privilege of watching on E! and in Rob’s social media meltdowns.
8. Gal Gadot being cast as Wonder Woman, and the polarizing reactions on either side. Some were happy a fierce Israeli ex-army babe was heading the movie, while others were not impressed by the powerful Wonder Woman being played by a twig.
9. That poor dude getting assaulted by airline staff, and every airline’s thirsty attempts to bolster their PR after said incident.
10. The Oscars mixup when "LaLa Land" was called out for Best Movie, even the LaLa actors themselves were like…”really?”. Fortunately, they fixed the blunder relatively quickly, and "Moonlight" was given it’s well-deserved award. Kind of a metaphor for society this year, but we’re still waiting for "Moonlight" to come out on top.
11. That insane credit report hack on Equifax, amongst a bunch of other crazy hacks. But this one was pretty bad.
12. The game-changer “Get Out” which was a horror movie showing the micro-horrors that black people experience every day, in America. The film is pretty scary, but what’s scarier? Being a minority in this environment.
13. "Handmaid’s Tale", duh. Basically “Get Out” for women in 2017. Here, the country gets taken over by martial law and this “religion” which places women back centuries, imprisoning them for the purpose of birthing, and other horrifying things for women's rights. Get your red dresses and white bonnets ready, girls!
14. The color Millennial pink, which everyone was rocking in their manicures, hair, and style statements. But which should also be aptly re-named to Pepto Bismol Pink, don’t you think?
15. "HUMBLE." by Kendrick, and every other song on that album. But this song specifically is a message we’d like to direct towards anyone who’s thinking about bringing their larger than life ego into 2018, mostly Donald Trump.
16. Less socially conscious, "Bodak Yellow" by Cardi B…who wasn’t bumping this in their car for most of 2017? Even though her other tracks on the mixtape were underrated, "Bodak Yellow" had undeniable swag, and everyone was trying a cover.
17. The thousands of ridiculous but sort of dope flute/violin/instrumental covers that “Mask Off” spawned. But the track was fire, and if we knew flute or violin we would probably be jamming out to Future as well.
18. It was a year for the Carters - Beyoncé had twins (and released that strange but somehow beautiful flower crown photoshoot) and her husband released "4:44", a ferocious comeback for him after claiming retirement.
Dopecausewesaid's Hopscotch Music Fest 2017 Video and Pictorial Recap
DCWS's Melina Twyman was live on the scene during last week's @hopscotchfest for epic performances from @solangeknowles, @bigboi, @runjewels, @rapsody, @tei_shi_ and more...
Dopecausewesaid was live on the scene during last week's Hopscotch Music Fest in downtown Raleigh. Our Art Director Melina Twyman aka Sleepy Melina was in and out of music venues taking pics and capturing video footage of incredible performances from the likes of Solange, Big Boi, Run the Jewels, Rapsody, Future Islands, Tei Shi, G Yamazawa, and more.
Enjoy our recap video (shot/edited by Melina) and photos and be sure to check out Hopscotch Music Fest's social media streams (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) and website for updates and news about next's year event, which guarantees to be even more epic. Also, check out Melina's brand new website Sleepycarolina.com, which features the music of innovative female artists in the genres of Pop, Hip-Hop, Alternative, Rock, and Electronic from around the world.
6 Songs that were Clearly Inspired by Nirvana’s Trademark Sound
Some call Kurt Cobain the John Lennon of Generation X, and musically inclined people wouldn’t disagree. They both had a problem with authority...
Some call Kurt Cobain the John Lennon of Generation X, and musically inclined people wouldn’t disagree. They both had a problem with authority but were very gracious to their fans. They both spit nonsense and genius, interlaced perfectly. They both played with the idea of sonic resonance as music and ambient noise, feedback, and chaos as part of the musical methodology. So it was one genius (Lennon) who helped drive another genius (Cobain) to find his own niche, and he did. Problem is, since the disbandment of Nirvana and the suicide of Kurt Cobain, a bunch of other artists have since taken to wearing their Nirvana inspiration on their sleeve. As you will see in some cases below, it can work, and in other cases, it fails. It all falls down to who is trying too hard and who has that same genuine pathos as Kurt (and Nirvana as a whole) did.
Here are six songs you MIGHT think are Nirvana songs but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Vines: Get Free
As far as sound-alike bands go Nirvana wise, The Vines nailed it with Get free, their very first single. From the repeated GET FREE hook shouted over and over to the raucous guitar that clambers over the whole song, it is chaotic noise made anthemic by a band who tried the Nirvana sound and wouldn’t you know, it kind of fit them well. I mean, listen to that scream he has and close your eyes and it is VERY Kurt Cobain (think a song like Tourettes).
Sadly, the lead singer of this band was diagnosed with schizophrenia and the whole band just kind of faded into the background as a result to the news.
Which kinda sucks cuz the Vines not only sound like Nirvana, but sound like GOOD Nirvana, which is rare.
Now on the other end of the spectrum…
Seether: Remedy (and Every Song Ever by Them)
I will make it clear, I respect what Seether does, and the lead singer does emulate the FUCK out of Kurt Cobain (and makes no attempt to hide that, which is okay) but the problem is, here it feels contrived. While The Vines just feel like they are making riotous punk metal, Seether feels like they sat down in the studio and TRIED to make Nirvana songs, which in turn, is a bit try-hard for my liking.
Now granted, lead singer’s rasp in JUST LIKE KURT’S, and they have played some Nirvana covers where, if you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t even know the difference. But reality is, there needs to be some originality injected into the band because even if they have that Nirvana sound, they do not wear it nearly as well as Nirvana, and Nirvana weren’t even trying to be Nirvana.
They just WERE.
Jez Dior: Heroin
What, you didn’t think any hip hop would make the list? Then you tripping. Kurt Cobain's inspiration is spread far and wide like summertime pollen, and anyone growing up in the nineties were affected by that. Even rapper Jez Dior (who is the shit and more of you need to know about his music). Dude even calls his music “Grunge Rap” and blames it all on the fact that his Dad raised him listening to Nirvana and his Mom raised him listening to hip hop, so his music is an amalgamation of being raised that way.
The song Heroin nails that mix perfectly, even using that chord progression at the intro that is VERY similar to a particular Nirvana song I won’t mention because I love Jez’s music and don’t want dude getting sued.
Also, I won’t lie, it is nice to see Cobain’s reach is as far as Pennywise's is (this joke is only funny if you see the new It and see Pennywise reach his arm 100 feet out of the sewer, spoiler alert).
Also, calling the song Heroin was a clear shout-out to Kurt, too, let’s keep this shit real. The man had a problem.
Hayden: When This is Over
I have been in love with this band (singer, songwriter) for YEARS now. I actually discovered Hayden’s music randomly at the end of the 90’s and have been listening since for the exact reason listed here.
Nirvana had many sounds, but two that stood out were the overly mellow, acoustic joints and the songs that rocked so hard they cracked the foundation of your house.
While most bands and acts listed above have taken from Nirvana’s “HARD” sound, Hayden did the opposite. He focused more on the acoustic, indie sound Nirvana had with songs like Polly. The end result is a band that sings incredibly dark songs that sound like haunted lullabies that will totally remind you of the feeling you got when you listened to songs like Something in the Way by Nirvana.
Side note, this song features both sounds with a slow, depressing build up to a scream chorus that will give you chills when you realize it is about the TRUE news story of the mother who tied her kids to their car seats and drove them into a river to drown back in the 90’s.
Careful, it is devastating stuff, just like Kurt’s sad music was.
Silverchair: Freak
It is well-known that when Silverchair won a radio contest in the 90’s and became famous (in their fucking teens by the way) that they admitted Nirvana was a huge inspiration. And though you can hear that sound in the first album a lot, with the song Freak later on in their career, they nailed the sound both lyrically and sonically.
That opening line is SO Kurt I bet even Kurt laughed from beyond the grave when he first heard it.
You want proof:
No more maybe’s, baby's got rabies.
There ya go. Nirvana songs often blurred the absurd and surreal with the tense and real, and that surreality is on display in Freak big time.
The crunching, simple chords don’t hurt to sell that sound, either.
Kid Cudi: Troubled Boy
What, you thought no hip hop would be on the...oh, I already said that. Well, truth is, Kid Cudi is much more than a hip hop artist, and this song is not hip hop. Dude makes EVERY kind of music, and makes it well. And Cudi himself makes no allusions to how much he was inspired by Kurt Cobain and Nirvana.
Though there are some GREAT examples of that sound on his WZRD side project album with producer Dot Da Genius, I believe when WE hear that inspiration most is on the song Troubled Boy off his Satellite Flight album (though Speedin’ Bullet to Heaven has some Nirvana-esque songs as well).
But Troubled Boy just captures the genuine pathos of a lonely man who feels unwanted by the world and goes into his music to both escape AND hide away from the very world that he feels so unwelcomed in. It also falls back on that sparse, haunting Nirvana sound (acoustic, Kurt by himself) that seemed to often be the polar opposite of the spastic, caffeinated music we were used to by the band. A great track, but as depressing as some of Nirvana’s best, which is why it makes the list.
Okay, so what did we miss? Inevitably we missed some other Nirvana sound-alikes. Hit us up in the comments and let us know. Maybe we will write a follow-up based on YOUR suggestions!
The Definition of DOPE is coming soon
DOPECAUSEWESAID will be releasing an early Christmas gift to all our supporters and music lovers on December 22nd. "The Definition of DOPE" is a compilation album featuring the best rap artists who have appeared on our website since we began in July 2014. Comprised of 24 songs and an Intro by celebrity radio host Nikki Nikole, this compilation guarantees to satisfy every rap fan.
This project is sponsored by Southern Snack Shack, The Undergrowth Foundation, Mid'East Entertainment, Artije Photography, and BeFirstClass Entertainment.