With a strong base of talented artists and even more talented producers, the Toronto hip-hop scene is said to be the next city to grace the stage and assume the lead for the most popular genre of music. But even with its heavy foundation of talent and the eye of the rap world waiting for Toronto to take that crucial step, the proposed role as leaders will never come to fruition unless Toronto gets its business right. And making that move is proving more difficult than some may think.
Talent Not the Issue
There is no doubt that Toronto has vaulted into the conscious of the hip-hop mainstream. With the contributions of producers like T-Minus- whose banged out beats for the likes of Nikki Minaj (Moment For Life), DJ Khaled (I'm On One)- coupled with K’Nanns international success, and JD Era's recent signing to Raekwon's H20 Label, Toronto can be proud of some of its recent accomplishments. But to be thought of as the next hot bed for hip-hop music, there are still several steps the megacity must take before it can own up to such heavy claims.
First, they must be able to sustain their own artists. Entertainment venues must be willing to stage shows for local rappers; and here's the catch, they must be willing to pay these artists to perform at these events. Artists that have made a significant name for themselves in the local scene, and have the resume of consistent quality product, awards, radio spins, and a strong online presence to back it up, deserve to be paid a sum that reflects their achievements.
Before anyone gets paid, however, artists must demonstrate that they have everything together. Having a couple of videos on YouTube or posted on Toronto Rappers, with songs that haven't made the slightest penetration into any market, does not and cannot warrant any kind of payment from any venue. Artists must have a team strong enough to market them correctly and create opportunities for the artists to gain significant attention in the form of views, radio spins, street presence, and any other type of awareness they can possibly generate. Producers must have a team capable of putting put them in rooms with people that can give life to their production. It doesn't matter how many friends leave positive comments or "like" your videos, or tell you how hot your drum patterns are. What about being able to say how many units your single has sold digitally. That would be a lot more impressive than the amount of twitter followers you gained last week. Awareness must reach a significant audience for any artist to demand compensation for their work.
Making Music Without a Mic
This has become the most difficult group to locate. Where are all the managers? Where are all the business models that are built to effectively develop, produce, promote and market artists (and producers) to a wider audience? Who is taking meetings with these venues and label execs on behalf of their artist? Who is making sure these artists and producers have their publishing or their distribution channels secure? Blame cannot be placed on a venue, or a label, or any other type of investor that doesn't choose to take a chance on a product that will not generate any income. That's just not good business.
Talent alone will not launch Toronto into the realm of cities that have been praised for their contributions to hip-hop music. It will take a much larger effort from those players that affect the game without a mic to come together with the artists and entertainment industry as a whole to make Toronto hip hop autonomous. The candle has been lit, but whether it continues to burn will depend on the collective business sense of those holding it.
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