These days, the average rap career has a shelf life of about 5 years, but the Hip Hop Theater Festival, now in its 8th year, is an organization that has been steadily building its profile as the spot to see cutting edge artistic work and is supporting the very artists that are expanding the definition of Hip Hop culture beyond what the average Joe sees on BET, and proving that Hip Hop is timeless and far from dead. As any true Hip Hop head will tell you, Hip Hop is far more than rap music. Your purists will point out there are only five elements of Hip Hop (I got a special a prize for whoever names all five in the comments), others will even say that Hip Hop is so much more than five things, that it has grown so big it is undefinable; there are tentacles stretching into every facet of popular culture. The Hip Hop Theater Festival proves that authentic Hip Hop can and will be on stage and it will be put there by the very artists who made it. (more…)

Breaking into any business is hard, but the music business is particularly difficult offering a set of unique challenges. It’s an insular field with many gatekeepers who guard the gates carefully. It’s one of the few industries where nepotism runs almost unchecked, and what you know isn’t as important as who you know. Fortunately, there are some enterprising minds who are working to open the gates to up and coming talents, both behind the scenes and on stage. iStandard Inc. has earned a reputation for seeking out the newest producing talent through their website and producer panels and showcases in New York, Lads Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, Philly and Chi-town, and they’re now partnering with Miami-based DBHH Management to produce the first annual Beats on the Beach conference this October in Miami Beach, an event we here at Alumnah are proud to support. 

I recently had the opportunity to chat with organizers J Hatch and Don Di Nappoli about their work and what attendees can expect at the first annual Beats on the Beach Conference and why it’s important to climb every rung on the ladder to success. (more…)