by Mayuyuka

After Silas' exploration of rappers creating their own platforms and TNG's informative pieces on how to be a successful rapper from the ground up. I penned this piece as a fleshed-out rant regarding the risks associated with using a hackneyed approach when methods that's were once unique are employed by up-and-coming rappers. We've explored the sheer power of branding in building a following before, so this is not a "how-to"; it's an "are-you-sure-you've-thought-that-through"?

Guerilla marketing is a really creative way to reach new customers. It involves utilising unconventional ways of attracting the public's attention and offering the audience a unique experience along with that of the product or service. Without getting technical, let's consider an artist a brand and their music a product that entertains. Enticing fans through airtime bundles, cash prizes, meet and greets or the sheer quality of your previous work as an artist are always viable options to get your name trending on social media. There are plenty of organic ways to go viral and generate interest in what you're offering.

Word of mouth still remains a very key aspect of extending an artist's reach. Only now, the power of the mouth is augmented by social media outlets like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter. Force-feeding the twitter streets seems to be a really popular go-to nowadays and can come off as a little crass... especially if it's not part of a more nuanced marketing strategy employed by a rapper.

Promo twitter seems to be largely effective, if the right influencers are punting your song (and they should get their proper dues for doing so please). A Twitter dependent marketing strategy is hard to gauge in terms of success though, because the music is usually offered for free. So unless you as an artist push the audience to your paying platforms and bank the cents... a successful campaign is relatively hard to measure.

A rapper thus has to cede a lot of their destiny into the hands of their promoters, who will try and influence their respective audiences to follow the rapper and download their song. It thus becomes a numbers game... solely about increasing reach. But what happens when these influencers lose the audience's trust? What happens if promotion on twitter becomes the sole reserve of all those who couldn't trend organically? What happens if your brand is inadvertently associated with undesirable 'partners'?. These are mostly rhetorical question to consider, with the general answer being: have a Plan B. The area of who an artist is associated with on Twitter is murky. From getting hacked, to fan accounts being able to peddle information despite not being official mouthpieces, then fans poking and prodding other artists in search of their next serving of beef... an artist's name can get dragged through the most with or without their knowledge. In light of this; the next question to consider is whether this form of promotion is sustainable for your particular brand.

Your possible fans might feel the need to download your work out of curiosity, or a sense of FOMO but... it has to be backed up by you delivering on your promise. My belief in my trusted influencers doesn't reduce the need for a quality product from an artist they're representing. I trust them... not necessarily the artist yet. The ultimate moment of truth is when your prospective fans first listen to your song after reading how it's “a banger, a smash, lit" AND being inundated by fire flame emojis on their TL. If the music doesn't add up to any of these adjectives... you could've possibly lost a potential fan. And... congratulations you've played yourself (Dj Khaled Voice)!

Although most rappers feel as though having haters is a sign of progress: there is now sufficient research that suggests that even non-talented or unsuccessful people have haters too. - Source: The Free Mixtape Center For Struggle Rappers 2015 Annual Report

It simply isn't a barometer for how well you're coming along.The power of these haters though, is that if they feel duped, they will remember your brand as one that over-promised and under-delivered. They will remember forever, and they will share this insight. And if Twitter has shown us anything... it's easier to trend when your ' haters' unite against you. That is why it is essential that the product match the amount of effort made to push it. The music has to be good, even better than before Twitter; because next week I'll be fanboying over a new track my favourite influencer is pushing. The fact is Promo Twitter is a nifty tool worth exploiting, and with the percentages of unemployed youth across the continent it provides artists, listeners and promoters tangible benefits... honestly anything that alleviates the youth's struggle is a bonus.

Just one thing though... as a rapper consider whether your product is worth the love it will inevitably get online through these campaigns. Is it good enough to be remembered when next week's track floats down our TLs? And also remember: the online hype is half the job; you still have to convert the new curious ears into active supporters of your artistry. And pay your promoters please!