You might remember my feature on Detroit’s V Count Macula and his visually-stunning video for “Smooth Wizardz.”
Well, the man has come back with a follow-up to his debut with “So Damn Busy,” conceived and directed by V Count and his brother. I won’t spend a lot of time writing. Let’s just get to the video, shall we?
I get this tweet from one of my good friends:
Instantly, my life has been changed. The momentum for this blog build a little more. It is packaging like you see in the video below that fortifies my belief that artists need to make collectable goods. It only took 15 seconds for me to find my wallet and make a pre-sale purchase. I am a fan of Jake One and I dig some Freeway stuff, but if not for the creative shelf-worthy packaging, I would have passed or waited for a friend to send me a CD rip of Stimulus Package.
Now none of this would not be happening if not for forward-thinking independent labels like Rhymesayers Entertainment were not on the job. This particular packaging was designed by Brent Rollins, who has been deemed by Jeff Chang to be the best graphic designer in the hip hop space for the past decade. Rhymesayers fans may remember the unique packaging for Atmosphere’s last album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold.
Mind you, both Atmosphere and Freeway have seen success on a career level, so they can afford to put that kind of money into their projects. It is probably going to be a stretch to see a lot of the smaller acts having packaging as lavish as Stimulus Package, but that does not mean you should be lazy on your physical goods you plan to sell.
Make sure cop that pre-sale at Fifth Element Online or Amazon (affiliate link – I make money if you use this) for Stimulus Package
The world may make fun of Vanilla Ice, but he was ahead of his time with the epic first line of his biggest hit “Ice Ice Baby.” In true academic fashion though, a deeper analysis of this statement may show that the phrasing is arranged in the wrong order, at least it may not be the most effective method to getting things accomplished. Before one can really collaborate, you must be open to listening first. How else could one really produce a collaborative work otherwise? The likelihood that the work will be anything of merit is not very high.
One of the goals for Detroit CYDI (the hip hop group that I manage) this year is to do get involved in more collaborative projects. While for the average music artist, collaboration would just mean working another musician or vocalist. As their manager, I will be looking to help them with that, along with seeking opportunities with visual artists, lifestyle brands and other parties that would prove to be mutually beneficial.
It is always best to listen first before going to work.
