Press Links
Some thoughts on press and a belated list of links
Way back on TAPE 5 (2020), I released a song called “Sitting All Day” that includes the following lines:
Unpack my dumb raps in a think piece
Then thumbtack the tweet so engagement’ll increase…
Please? I don’t know how to get press.
I tell myself that I couldn’t even care less
But still hope a rap blogger follows back.
Hard to say if I’m bad at writing emails or raps.
The rap game is CROWDED, and releasing music into the void can be incredibly demoralizing if what you’re aiming for is attention. To get a stranger to check out your music is a minor miracle—to get one to write, talk about, or share it to some sort of audience is probably closer to an impossibility. That’s why I do my best to not forget how those early days felt whenever my music gets even the slightest morsel of publicity.
As the song continues, I go on to say:
It’s still art for art’s sake.
I’m down to rap pro bono at your DIY art space
After a poet but before a contortionist
Who made an off-color joke about knowing how farts taste.
I’m confident my intentions have been primarily pure. I rap because I love rapping, and I’m still very down to rhyme at your weird ass show for free. With that said though, anyone releasing music publicly must be looking for at least a tiny bit of recognition—and now that I finally put something out that seems to be getting it, it’s frankly a little surreal.
Anywho, I’ve been meaning to send out an email highlighting the press BLIP has received since its release a few months ago. Luckily for me, the recent inclusion of the album on CRATE 808’s midyear awards show felt like a sign to finally get my act together. So if you want to hear, read, or watch more about BLIP, take your pick of the links below.
Of course, shoutout to The Expert for partnering with me and pushing me to make something worth engaging with, and shoutout to Danny and Boaz at Rucksack Records for making the press process easier than ever.
Video
Secret House Against: BLIP Album Review
Spectrum Pulse: BLIP Album Review
Writing
Bandcamp: The Best Hip-Hop on Bandcamp, March 2024
Caltrops Press: Raps + Crafts #24
Caltrops gave me a cool opportunity to write about my own writing process
Hip-Hop Golden Age: March 2024 Round-Up
No Frills Reviews: Hip-Hop Highlights March 2024 | Midyear Review Hidden Gems
Audio
Bandcamp Radio: Hip-Hop Show
An interview with Stoney Creation for Bandcamp Radio
Crate 808: Hip-Hop Midyear Awards 2024 (spotify / apple)
Marathon mid-year show with a BLIP discussion around 4:04:00
Dad Bod Rap Pod: Draft Picks (spotify / apple)
A conversation with DBRP host and BLIP liner notes author Nate LeBlanc
Free Music Empire: State of the Game (spotify / apple)
Wide-ranging chat with DanO and K (from April) in which I claim Jaylen Brown is worth every penny
The Next Movement: 6 Feet Deep (spotify / apple)
Interview with Rob & E followed by a deep dive into 6 Feet Deep by Gravediggaz
TheRealHip-Hop.com Podcast: Episode 75 (spotify / apple)
NAHreally solo interview with Sherron Shabazz
Reel Notes with CineMasai: Season 4 Episode 9 (spotify / apple)
We go deep on movies, making beats, and a lot more with Dylan Green
I hope I didn’t miss anything! Huge shoutout to everyone who took the time to write, talk, or even think about BLIP—it means a lot.
Still don’t have BLIP on vinyl? There are limited copies of the album available on Get On Down (US) and HHV (EU).