So glad to be back....was MIA 8 weeks for Air Force basic training....using the air force to get college paid for and work as a backup if music fails....the money also helps fund my music so it's all good! I'm currently in San Angelo, Texas for tech school learning my job as an Intelligence Operations Apprentice - basically that CIA classified stuff but for the air force....shoutouts to my ULA fam, friends, and those who support my music....new music coming soon!!!
Here's a pic that's recent - http://yfrog.com/ehd5dj
-Manny
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
New For You
Faybo - La La La Boom (ft. Tyga)
Download Here: http://limelinx.com/files/bce4a862da39f5551623d620bc6105a2
faybopost
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Bei Maejor is too dope...
peep this...Detroit's own Bei Maejor, Sony Artist/Producer decided to do the "Ryan Leslie Experience", and video the creative process....only difference is Bei is using toys to make the beat....
-Manny
-Manny
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Chris Brown - 12 Strands
this is dope.....a trailer he put out for a mini-movie, and one of his singles...
-Manny
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Diggy Simmons - Made You Look (Freestyle)
this shit goes pretty hard.....big ups to the bro Diggy Simmons.
-Manny
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Preparing for graduation
Identify Your Goals - When you set out to promote your music, don't try to cover too much ground at once. Look at the way larger artists are promoted - they have specific campaigns that promote specific things, like a new album or a tour. Choose one thing to promote, like:
A single
A show
A website
Once you know what to promote, you will be able to make clear goals for yourself, i.e. if you want to promote your website, then your goal is to bring traffic to the site. With these goals in mind, you'll find it easier to come up with promotion ideas, and you'll be better able to judge the success of your promotions.
Target the Right Audience - With your promotional goal in mind, figure out who the right audience for your campaign is. If you have a gig coming up, then the right audience for your promotion are the local print publications and radio stations in the town in which your show is happening. If you have a limited edition single coming out, your primary audience is your band mailing list, plus the media. Going for the right audience is especially important if you're on a budget. Don't waste time and money letting town X knowing about an upcoming show in town Y or a folk magazine about your new hip hop album.
Have a Promo Package - Just like when you send a demo to a label , to self promote your music, you need a good promo package. Your package should have:
A press release detailing your news
A short (one page) band bio
A CD (a demo recording is ok, or an advance copy of an upcoming release)
A package of any press coverage you have had so far - press coverage begets press coverage
Your contact information (make sure to include an email address - people may hesitate to call you)
A color photo, or a link to a site where a photo can be downloaded. The press is more likely to run a photo if they don't have to chase it.
Find Your Niche - The sad truth is, every writer, radio station, website, or fan for that matter, you are trying to reach is likely being bombarded with info from other music hopefuls. You a reason to stand out. Try to find something that will make people more curious about you - give them a reason to want to know more. Being elusive worked wonders for Belle & Sebastian at the start of their career and people write about Marilyn Manson for being, well, Marilyn Manson. You don't have to devise a huge, calculated persona, but giving people a reason to check out your show or your CD before the others can only help.
Bribe 'Em - Another way to stand out from the crowd is plain old free stuff. Even press people and label bosses love getting something for nothing, and you'll whip your fans into a frenzy (and get new fans) by giving stuff away. Some ideas:
Put some money behind the bar at a show and give free drink passes to all the industry people who come to check you out.
Give people on your mailing list an exclusive download once a month (be it a new song or an alternate version of a song)
At gigs, raffle (for free) mix CDs made by the band - everyone who signs up to your mailing list at the show gets entered in the drawing.
Branding - Get your name out there. Make up some stickers, badges, posters, lighters or anything else you can think of that include your band's name. Then, leave the stuff anywhere you can. Pass them out at your favorite clubs, leave them on the record shop counter, poster the light posts - go for it. Soon, your name will be familiar to people even if they don't know why, and when they see your name in the paper advertising an upcoming show, they'll think "hey...I know that name, I wonder what that's all about.."
Keep Track of Your Contacts - As you go through all of these steps, chances are that you are going to pick up a lot of new contacts along the way. Some of these contacts will be industry people and some will be fans. Never lose track of a contact. Keep a database on your computer for the industry people you have met and another database of fan contacts. These databases should be your first port of call for your next promotional campaign - and these databases should always be growing. Don't write anyone off, even if you don't get much feedback from them. You never know who is going to give you the break you need.
Tips:
Know When to Act Small - This step ties in with targeting the right audience and identifying your goals - you can save a lot of time spinning your wheels by keeping the small stuff small. While it's always useful to keep other people up to date with what's happening in your career, that guy from Rolling Stone doesn't really need to know every time your band is playing a half hour set at the local club, especially if the local press really hasn't given you much coverage yet. When you're getting started, the easiest place to start a buzz is your local area. Build up the small stuff to get to the bigger stuff.
But Know When to Act Large - Sometimes, a larger campaign really is in order. Go full speed ahead when you have something big brewing, like:
A new album
A tour
An important piece of news, like an award or a new record deal
This kind of news warrants contacting both the media and people you want to work with, like labels, agents, managers and so on.
Find the RIGHT Niche - As mentioned, finding your niche is helpful in getting noticed. There is one caveat however - make sure you get noticed for the right reasons. You certainly will get some attention for bad, unprofessional behavior, but the problem is that your music won't be what everyone is talking about - and isn't that what you really want to be recognized for? Don't do yourself the disservice of self promoting a bad rep for yourself. Make sure you get noticed for your talent instead.
Also, don't be fake. If you're not sure what your niche is yet, don't push it. Stay true to yourself and your music.
Grow your Database - In addition to keeping tracks of the contacts you have, don't be afraid to help your database grow by adding some "dream" contacts to your list. Is there an agent you want to take notice of you? Then include them on your press release mailing list or promo mailing list when you have big news to share. Let them know you're still working and still building your career - pretty soon, they may be knocking on your door.
Take a Deep Breath - For many people, the idea of self promoting their music to their fans is easy, but the idea of calling up the press is downright terrifying. Relax. Here's the truth - some people you call will be nice, some people won't be. Some people will never return your calls or emails. Some will. You shouldn't take any of it personally. You definitely shouldn't be afraid to try. Covering bands is the job of the music media - they expect to hear from you. Don't be discouraged by someone who is rude, or someone who is polite, but still says "no". Don't write them off, either. Next time, you may hear "yes."
A single
A show
A website
Once you know what to promote, you will be able to make clear goals for yourself, i.e. if you want to promote your website, then your goal is to bring traffic to the site. With these goals in mind, you'll find it easier to come up with promotion ideas, and you'll be better able to judge the success of your promotions.
Target the Right Audience - With your promotional goal in mind, figure out who the right audience for your campaign is. If you have a gig coming up, then the right audience for your promotion are the local print publications and radio stations in the town in which your show is happening. If you have a limited edition single coming out, your primary audience is your band mailing list, plus the media. Going for the right audience is especially important if you're on a budget. Don't waste time and money letting town X knowing about an upcoming show in town Y or a folk magazine about your new hip hop album.
Have a Promo Package - Just like when you send a demo to a label , to self promote your music, you need a good promo package. Your package should have:
A press release detailing your news
A short (one page) band bio
A CD (a demo recording is ok, or an advance copy of an upcoming release)
A package of any press coverage you have had so far - press coverage begets press coverage
Your contact information (make sure to include an email address - people may hesitate to call you)
A color photo, or a link to a site where a photo can be downloaded. The press is more likely to run a photo if they don't have to chase it.
Find Your Niche - The sad truth is, every writer, radio station, website, or fan for that matter, you are trying to reach is likely being bombarded with info from other music hopefuls. You a reason to stand out. Try to find something that will make people more curious about you - give them a reason to want to know more. Being elusive worked wonders for Belle & Sebastian at the start of their career and people write about Marilyn Manson for being, well, Marilyn Manson. You don't have to devise a huge, calculated persona, but giving people a reason to check out your show or your CD before the others can only help.
Bribe 'Em - Another way to stand out from the crowd is plain old free stuff. Even press people and label bosses love getting something for nothing, and you'll whip your fans into a frenzy (and get new fans) by giving stuff away. Some ideas:
Put some money behind the bar at a show and give free drink passes to all the industry people who come to check you out.
Give people on your mailing list an exclusive download once a month (be it a new song or an alternate version of a song)
At gigs, raffle (for free) mix CDs made by the band - everyone who signs up to your mailing list at the show gets entered in the drawing.
Branding - Get your name out there. Make up some stickers, badges, posters, lighters or anything else you can think of that include your band's name. Then, leave the stuff anywhere you can. Pass them out at your favorite clubs, leave them on the record shop counter, poster the light posts - go for it. Soon, your name will be familiar to people even if they don't know why, and when they see your name in the paper advertising an upcoming show, they'll think "hey...I know that name, I wonder what that's all about.."
Keep Track of Your Contacts - As you go through all of these steps, chances are that you are going to pick up a lot of new contacts along the way. Some of these contacts will be industry people and some will be fans. Never lose track of a contact. Keep a database on your computer for the industry people you have met and another database of fan contacts. These databases should be your first port of call for your next promotional campaign - and these databases should always be growing. Don't write anyone off, even if you don't get much feedback from them. You never know who is going to give you the break you need.
Tips:
Know When to Act Small - This step ties in with targeting the right audience and identifying your goals - you can save a lot of time spinning your wheels by keeping the small stuff small. While it's always useful to keep other people up to date with what's happening in your career, that guy from Rolling Stone doesn't really need to know every time your band is playing a half hour set at the local club, especially if the local press really hasn't given you much coverage yet. When you're getting started, the easiest place to start a buzz is your local area. Build up the small stuff to get to the bigger stuff.
But Know When to Act Large - Sometimes, a larger campaign really is in order. Go full speed ahead when you have something big brewing, like:
A new album
A tour
An important piece of news, like an award or a new record deal
This kind of news warrants contacting both the media and people you want to work with, like labels, agents, managers and so on.
Find the RIGHT Niche - As mentioned, finding your niche is helpful in getting noticed. There is one caveat however - make sure you get noticed for the right reasons. You certainly will get some attention for bad, unprofessional behavior, but the problem is that your music won't be what everyone is talking about - and isn't that what you really want to be recognized for? Don't do yourself the disservice of self promoting a bad rep for yourself. Make sure you get noticed for your talent instead.
Also, don't be fake. If you're not sure what your niche is yet, don't push it. Stay true to yourself and your music.
Grow your Database - In addition to keeping tracks of the contacts you have, don't be afraid to help your database grow by adding some "dream" contacts to your list. Is there an agent you want to take notice of you? Then include them on your press release mailing list or promo mailing list when you have big news to share. Let them know you're still working and still building your career - pretty soon, they may be knocking on your door.
Take a Deep Breath - For many people, the idea of self promoting their music to their fans is easy, but the idea of calling up the press is downright terrifying. Relax. Here's the truth - some people you call will be nice, some people won't be. Some people will never return your calls or emails. Some will. You shouldn't take any of it personally. You definitely shouldn't be afraid to try. Covering bands is the job of the music media - they expect to hear from you. Don't be discouraged by someone who is rude, or someone who is polite, but still says "no". Don't write them off, either. Next time, you may hear "yes."
Monday, March 1, 2010
Real Nigga Code Of Conduct
This here is a little note I made on facebook.
Ive always felt like its some shit niggas should know that you just dont do, but I guess not everybody feel that way this is my shit I feel what a real nigga abides by digg?
I. Thou shalt not put a female over your brethern, nor put your brethern over a female. Someone real should have the ability to balance
II. Thou shalt not slander another man's name when that man is not present. A real nigga will confront you to your face by his lonesome no need for the peanut gang.
III. Thou shall stay true to his word. A real nigga would not step on his words and if he could not stick to his word he would not have made the commitment (promise)
IV. Thou shall never jeopardize his fidelity to a commitment (relationship) Real niggas who are living by the term "Real" would be considerate of the other half's feeling and would not do wrong by them.
V. Thou shall never become involved with a brethern's past , (ex-girlfriend) If the word "Love" is involved quote unquote, or the situation between the two lasted longer than a 6 month period and whom was the Main product attention. She is deemed untouchable, failure to do so is a case of Bitchassness and could provoke an ass-beating, slander to thy name, or loss of a friendship
VI. Thou shalt not forget where he has come from. Real niggas know who has been ridin with you from the start. Real nigga can weed out the fake niggas the ones that ride with you for what you got from the niggas who was wit you when shit got real.
VII. Thou shalt never keep information from thy brethern that could be life changing. Good or bad a real niggas will always keep it 100 with his niggas. You should always have yo peoples back.
VIII. Thou shall honor friends life decision. If you gone ride for your niggas ride for yo niggas.
IX. Thou shalt never proclaim ones self as perfect. A real nigga wont call his self flawless, and has broken the code before but to be a real nigga is all about what you do after you break it.
X. Thou Shall honor the Code at All times! A real nigga would commend ME! for writing some real talk haha
I feel as if you claim you follow the code but your lifestyle says differently I deem you. "Fake" if you feel as if this is some bullshit...writie yo own bitch and tag me in it haha
Ive always felt like its some shit niggas should know that you just dont do, but I guess not everybody feel that way this is my shit I feel what a real nigga abides by digg?
I. Thou shalt not put a female over your brethern, nor put your brethern over a female. Someone real should have the ability to balance
II. Thou shalt not slander another man's name when that man is not present. A real nigga will confront you to your face by his lonesome no need for the peanut gang.
III. Thou shall stay true to his word. A real nigga would not step on his words and if he could not stick to his word he would not have made the commitment (promise)
IV. Thou shall never jeopardize his fidelity to a commitment (relationship) Real niggas who are living by the term "Real" would be considerate of the other half's feeling and would not do wrong by them.
V. Thou shall never become involved with a brethern's past , (ex-girlfriend) If the word "Love" is involved quote unquote, or the situation between the two lasted longer than a 6 month period and whom was the Main product attention. She is deemed untouchable, failure to do so is a case of Bitchassness and could provoke an ass-beating, slander to thy name, or loss of a friendship
VI. Thou shalt not forget where he has come from. Real niggas know who has been ridin with you from the start. Real nigga can weed out the fake niggas the ones that ride with you for what you got from the niggas who was wit you when shit got real.
VII. Thou shalt never keep information from thy brethern that could be life changing. Good or bad a real niggas will always keep it 100 with his niggas. You should always have yo peoples back.
VIII. Thou shall honor friends life decision. If you gone ride for your niggas ride for yo niggas.
IX. Thou shalt never proclaim ones self as perfect. A real nigga wont call his self flawless, and has broken the code before but to be a real nigga is all about what you do after you break it.
X. Thou Shall honor the Code at All times! A real nigga would commend ME! for writing some real talk haha
I feel as if you claim you follow the code but your lifestyle says differently I deem you. "Fake" if you feel as if this is some bullshit...writie yo own bitch and tag me in it haha
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
24 Hour Karate School Snippet
Soo.. the mixtape is postponed to March 30th :( but listen to the snippet and decide for yourself if it's worth the wait... most likely you will rule "yes".
Monday, February 15, 2010
Dom Kennedy
I just recently heard about this dude.. and he is legit. Someone's steppn it up for the West Coast I see. Some personal favs are: I Apologize ft. Poly; Of All Time; It was Beautiful; Everybody knows Us.
The Academy Would Like To Welcome.....
On the behalf of UrbanLifeAcademy, as well as myself, I'd like to welcome Aaron "Astro" Harubin to the Academy.
He's a part of the group Dynasty that consists of him & Fayaven "Faybo" Barbee Jr. show love and check him out at these sites...
www.myspace.com/astromusic
www.twiiter.com/Astro_Dynasty
-Manny
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Erykah's come back to us!!
Trippy video but real cool. I love and will always adore this woman's work. Shout out to my dude Paul for putting me on to this.
24 HOUR KARATE SCHOOL TEASER from Creative Control on Vimeo.
The mixtape drops tomorrow make sure ya get it!!!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Hell of a Month
So its been a grip since a citypost took place, the whole loss of the macbook has put a damper on my activity soo i figured i'd hop on of these lab computers and lend my wonderful insight to the followers. Umm for the art goers i suggest u check out this guy right here, legit graffiti art by SCAM.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
3D- Sorry
peep my boys Nate Calloway, John Houston, & J Drew Sheard....they just got signed to Star Trak under Pharrell.....i designed Nate's myspace page...check him out at www.myspace.com/natecallowaymusic - show love!!!!
-Manny
-Manny
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tyler Daniel - On To The Next One.
Here's my first official video, dancing to Jay-Z's "On To The Next One" feat. Swizz Beatz. There will be more videos to come. I'm gonna try to have one every week. Show love !!!!
-Tyler
-Tyler
Thursday, January 21, 2010
I'm Gone Make a Million and one Dollars
I phucks wit Big Sean, this one of his better vids i've seen him wit on the real,, well done!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Extreme Dopeness
I've been keepin tabs on some sneaker ad techniques lately, and I have to say Adidas put out some dope ones as of late,, paying homage to an American classic, I phucks wit it.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
low key for a reason.
i been MIA for a min. low key. listening to music right now, and this song been on repeat...its by my boy Crucial...he was on my track Say You Will (The Seven Story Remix) which is on the player up above at the top of the blog. check this song out.
-Manny
-Manny
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Pray for Haiti
Around 5 p.m. today an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale hit Haiti. As walls crumbled and screams to the heavens vibrated through the air, this Earthquake engulfed southern Haiti (Port-au-Prince) and created a 10 mile radius of destruction. It was described by Raymond Joseph, the ambassador, as a "catastrophe of major proportions". So please pray for them and the recovery of their country.
SOTS
After days of climbing, the Summit on the Summit team finally reached the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The mission was to raise awareness about having clean drinking water for the billions of people around the world. I love it when people can do something amazing such as this for the greater good of mankind. Congrats to Jessica Biel, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold and the other climbers for a successful climb and message.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Epic Track
XV- is a smart rapper with one of my fav rap quotes ever,, he delivered on this one no doubt. hit the link to download!
XV ft. Freddie Gibbs & Shawn Chrystopher- Me, You (REMIX)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Real Recognizes Real
A friend/former roomate Miles Tsang who makes some dope art! respect this guy n his originality check his page! its legit!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Parkour Motion Reel Vid
It was done by a Singapore student nicknamed Saggyarmpit on Vimeo.
*domilen*
parkour motion reel from saggyarmpit on Vimeo.
*domilen*
Dopeness and Inspiration
Outta chicago i found out about them from another blog/ raw musical talent right here.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Understar 101: Follow Up!!!!
Me & Faybo also coincidentally discussed the idea of a EP to promote the Understar line, as well as the site & all of us as artists. We all need to go IN!!!!!!! this shit has major potential, and with all the connects we have, and networking, we out in there. I can make sure some sites back us, as well as launching it out to people via twitter, myspace, facebook, etc. This is OUR year!! Let's GOOOOO!!!!!
-Manny
-Manny
LISTEN BIG NEWS FROM THE ACADEMY!!
So me n my fellow academy members have been discussing a new project codenamed "Understar 101" a 7-8 song EP we're gonna drop as a crew putting all of our musical minds together in promotion of my Understar Clothing Line. The EP is gonna have a soulful feel with an Academy twist, there's gonna be new tracks including pretty much every member of the crew and we plan on having it available for download as well as including a free physical copy with special edition album album art with the purchase of any Understar merchandise!! sweet deal ya digg? So be on the look out the first track is officially dropping tonight with yours truly Shep City and the Don Tone P. both here and Facebook! pay attention we makin moves!!!!!
-City-
real.relatable.raw.
this song is.....man just take a listen. BY THE WAY MY BOY LAB OX PRODUCED IT....EXPECT WORK FROM ME & HIM SOON!!!!! HE'S ONE OF ROCNATION'S MAIN PRODUCERS!!!!! MAKING BIG MOVES!!!!!
-Manny
Monday, January 4, 2010
iDigg...Do you?
I swear this song right here is true inspiration
and the definition of "change" in music.
Check it out.
>
-Faybo-
City Boi's Track wit the cuz n my main man Ben J
The first Single off the Before the Glory Mixtape// Coming Soon!!
-City-
If only I could travel and take pics like this
Scott Stulberg is a gifted photographer with images ranging from the operas of Australia to the natives of Africa, truly beautiful stuff check it out!
-City-
-City-
Now Playing: Make You Mine - Diggy Simmons feat. Lil' Twist & Lil' Gavin
this song has been in my head for the last hour. Young Diggy went IN on this one. Gavin & Twist def. complimented the song as well. Take a listen.
-Fresh
Why yes,, I am legit.
A while ago I got an opportunity to take some photos for a clothing boutique in Chicago called Jugrnaut. Fresh place. Check it. Wear it. Love it. They spelled my name wrong, but its all good. CLICK THE HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!
*DomiLen*
Sunday, January 3, 2010
City Reporting Live!
I'm glad to be here lets get this started with the Urban Life Academy/ Anomaly Visions Webisode! holler at them TPU boi's!
-City-
-City-
2010: New Beginnings.
Welcome to UrbanLifeAcademy.
It's a new year, clean slate. That means time for new beginnings, good times, and another successful year.
At this time, let us take this time out to propose a toast to 2010, and what seems like a promising future for all of us.
Happy 2010.
-Manny
It's a new year, clean slate. That means time for new beginnings, good times, and another successful year.
At this time, let us take this time out to propose a toast to 2010, and what seems like a promising future for all of us.
Happy 2010.
-Manny
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