Grade A Muzik has been on Alabama's hip-hop scene for awhile. As a producer, engineer, and mixer he's worked with many of Alabama's top artists. And as the man behind the scenes at Grade A Muzik, he's had the chance to interview many of them as well. In addition, he's an artist himself. With all this going on, Grade A definitely has an ear to the streets and his eyes on the scene. So in our recent interview, we made sure to ask him for his thoughts on what's going on in Alabama's hip-hop community. Read on to find out what he had to say...
Grade A Muzik does a lot of talking about Alabama’s hip-hop movement, but what does he think it will take to get this movement moving?
THE FIRST THING HE acknowledges is that we have the basics: “the music and the talent [are] there.” But the business acumen is not. And he attributes that to a lack of music business education. “Not knowing how to work and not knowing how to have everything set up properly to where you can make money, that’s the biggest thing” that Alabama’s artists have going against them. “It’s plenty of times I know moves should have been made that would have helped Alabama overall, but because we weren’t on our business all the way, it fell through.”
Grade A feels that one way we can help ourselves out on the business end is to increase the quantity - and quality - of the people who play supporting roles to artists - producers, managers, promoters, lawyers, etc. These are the people who help cultivate artists. These are the people who help them look, think and act their best. And these are the people who help them to realize their potential. “We need more people behind the scenes. We need more stars in that area as opposed to on the stage or in the booth.”
"If local music brought more revenue in for the
stations then they probably would play it more"
Additionally, he says we need people who understand how to market Alabama’s hip-hop scene to the outside world in such a way that others understand that we’re not all country bumpkins. “We need people that’s just geniuses in [marketing] to help put that shit out there right, so when [the fans] get it, they gon’ wanna get more, and keep buying it, and fall in love with it.”
BESIDES BAD BUSINESS, A lack of patience and unrealistic expectations can kill our movement too, in particular when it’s time to negotiate. So don’t get ahead of yourself. “[Don’t] expect the million dollar deal” right off the bat, he says. But he’s not telling you to just take any old deal that comes your way. He’s just saying that you have to be willing to compromise. You have to know where you stand, and unfortunately for many new artists, that’s at or close to the bottom. “You gotta work your way up in the industry. We’re coming into the game. They ain’t just gon’ give us [something]. We gotta work our way up.”
Radio is another area where patience can be too short and expectations too high. “Everybody gotta understand the business. They’re doing what’s helping pay the bills. If local music brought more revenue in for the stations then they probably would play it more.”
Sound-quality is also a huge factor in whether or not a radio station will play your music. Grade A feels that while radio stations would like to play local music, they can’t because the sound is not radio quality. While he acknowledges that radio could do more, he also feels that they’re doing a pretty good job. “They’re probably doing as much as they can right now. I feel like the better the music gets, [the more] they’re going to have to support it because [there’ll] be a demand for it.
ANOTHER THING TO TAKE into consideration is whether or not we really have or even want a Alabama hip-hop movement. “What are we trying to accomplish?” asks Grade A. “Are we trying to put this out there like a movement [with] all these different cities in Alabama fucking with each other or is it just gon’ be [individual cities] like Huntsville…or the Gump jumping off?”
One indicator of a good movement is whether or not the artists are supportive of each other. In order to have a movement, everyone has to have everyone else’s back. According to Grade A, local artists are supportive of each other on the inside, but on the outside, it’s all about competition, so “it’s gon’ get grimy. It’s gon’ get dirty sometimes,” he says. While competition is good, there is such a thing as having too much of a good thing. If artists don’t start showing more love for each other, any movement we have might just come to a complete stop.
"I'm always gon' push for an Alabama movement
'cause I'm a fan. This is where I'm from.
I love my state."
Another indicator of a good movement is whether people from outside are getting pulled into it. Are people from elsewhere aware of it? Are they following it? And are they getting involved with it? I ask Grade A if he feels that Alabama gets respect or recognition from people outside of the state, and he gives me both a “yes” and a “no”.
Hip-Hop As A Whole?
"It's just transitioning. Just like rock & roll music did at one point. It goes through different phases and styles. It's always gon' be hip-hop at the core. It's not gon' be a big thing like when it first came out. Of course it's gon' die down from that. It can't be like that forever. But of course it's gon' be hip-hop. It's always gon' be lovely."
While individual artists get respect, Alabama as a whole does not. “There’ve been tons of producers and artists that [have] gone outside and they’re impacting the game, so I know we got the respect on a certain level.” But unfortunately, most people from the outside aren’t interested in Alabama’s movement - and as for the rest? Alabama isn’t even on their radar right now. So basically, “they ain’t studying us like that,” he says.
But none of that matters for Grade A. “I’m always gon’ push for an Alabama movement cause I’m a fan. This is where I’m from. I love my state, and I wanna see ‘em do good,” he tells me. Regardless of whether or not there will be a movement “it’s always gon be individuals succeeding and making moves. But as a whole, I’d love to see that shit happen where everybody fucking with each other. That’s a big thing. We could capitalize on that,” he says, envisioning a future where everybody could make money – artists, producers, DJ’s, radio personalities, magazines, and anyone else involved with the movement.
BUT THAT'S ALL IN the future. First, we have to get to that place. First, we have to be discovered. And ironically, Grade A feels that Alabama’s biggest asset is the fact that it hasn’t yet been discovered. “We’re uncharted territory,” he says. “We’ve got to be exposed. And when we do get fully exposed, I feel like everybody’s gon’ love it.”
In fact, he believes that the very newness of our sound is what’s going to make the rest of the world fall in love with Alabama. That’s what will take Alabama to the top. And that’s what will keep Alabama at the top. “When they get a hold of us, it’s going to be so new and so fresh and so different to them that we’re going to be around for awhile,” he says. “They ain’t gon’ know what to do with themselves.”
