Yung Blaza plans a takeover weekend

Get ready for the weekend of the year! Yung Blaza released this flyer for a pool party at 901 Place Apartments, 901 Forty Niner Dr., Charlotte Aug. 16.

Yung Blaza has been conducting secret meetings over the last few weeks to plan a fan appreciation weekend in Charlotte, NC.

He has been seen with big names in Charlotte — including PME, who promote for nightclubs like Cameo, and owners at clubs Label and Level, to only name a few.

Blaza said he will release full information later this week.

For now, plan accordingly and stay tuned!

Yung Blaza shuts down Manhattan, NY

Yung Blaza performing at Smash Studios
in Manhattan, New York.

Yung Blaza performed at Smash Studios in Manhattan, New York Wednesday night and shut the club down!

Fans from all over the city vibed as Blaza performed hit single "Beat the Odds." Those in attendance included Def Jam Recordings director of marketing Lawrence McGriff.

"He was by far the best performance of the night," McGriff said.

Next tour stop is Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Details coming soon.

In-house EP Review: Yung Blaza’s “No Pressure”

Yung Blaza's EP "No Pressure" is available now!

No pressure? That’s only true in Yung Blaza’s world.

He released a 14-song EP Thursday, May 22, with the most creative, effortless songs of his career.

The EP's title is “No Pressure,” which perfectly describes his whirlwind life of women, weed and stunting and a search for fulfillment and success. His mental battle over record deals and industry opportunities is expressed effortlessly in dark punch lines and sharp analogies. The album, from front to end, tells how Blaza keeps cool in some of the most stressful times in his life.

Blaza’s albums are historically diverse and unique, and fans can expect nothing less from this latest body of work.

The tape’s lineup includes club-bangers like “HowUGonAcK,” a four-minute twerk session for clubrats worldwide. The song, produced by 5 Star Beatz, was released exclusively on Yung Blaza’s website.

The EP leaves Blaza’s trail of conceit on flashy beats from some of the best commercial and underground producers in the music industry. You can gauge Blaza's mack side with “Sleep” featuring Wayne Draper, produced by I.D. Labs Beats, and “What She Like,” produced by Five Star Beats.

Purps from 808 Mafia, producer of Future’s “Karate Chop,” doctored Blaza’s “Won by Default.” Rapper Wale’s producer Flawless Tracks (Best Kept Secret) produced “MisMatch.” Both songs cater to those who got it like that. Leave your windows down while you run in the store on this one.

Despite his unique way to keep cool on most of “No Pressure,” Blaza makes clear his feelings about the music industry and the growing pains of life. The album centers on the idea that Blaza lives life with no pressure. His album features a song called “Beat the Odds,” where Blaza talks about his come up with music, and life in general, despite things that went sour in the past—Five Star Beats produced that song, as well. 

His EP draws to an end with “Rap Game Stressful,” produced by D’Artizt, where he talks about past struggles with getting his music into the limelight.

Blaza described his inspiration behind "No Pressure":

“It's my favorite. To me it’s the most fun album. I titled it ‘No Pressure’ because my past mix tapes had themes and concepts and I had songs with themes and concepts and with this album, I just wanted to make songs that people wanted to hear. Life is stressful and I wanted to make something easy-going and boastful-like. I didn't wanted people to have to think about the concept or the lyrics. I didn’t want to worry about if people got my concept or lyrics. It's just a chill album for people to enjoy.”

“I feel like a lot of things are pressuring me in life, and music is pretty much my stress reliever. I am always putting everyday life in my music, and this is pretty much how I been feeling about life right now.”

Yung Blaza has performed a few times over the past few weeks, but fans heard little from him before he released the project. His laid-back approach definitely gives off the no pressure vibe, but fans worldwide are loving his heat!

 Tracklist: "No Pressure" Yung Blaza

1. Won by Default (prod. by 808 Mafia)

2. Dreams of White Slaves (prod. by Chemist)

3. Beat the Odds (prod. by Five Star Beats)

4. HowUGonAck? (prod. by Five Star Beats)

5. Sleep f. Wayne Draper (prod. by I.D. Labs)

6. MisMatch (prod. by Flawless Tracks)

7. What She Like ( prod. by Five Star Beats)

8. Sense of Pride (prod. by Lexi Banks)

9. R-N-B f. E-Plus (prod. by Ayodlo)

10. Fashion Show (prod. by Ayodlo)

11. Neiman Marcus f. E-Plus and Wayne Draper (prod. by Lexi Banks)

12. No! Bitch (prod. by 808 Mafia)

13. Rap Game Stressful (prod. by D' Artizt)

14. No Pressure (prod. by DNA Productions)

Stream or download your copy of the EP. Explicit content is implied.

Yung Blaza to perform at TP Entertainment Bike and Car Show!

Blaza will be performing live at TP Entertainment's Car and Bike Show on July 20 at the Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC.

The event will feature some of best independent talent in the Queen City all competing for a grand price in a day long festival of food, drinks and the best decked out wheels on the east coast!

Tickets are $10. Come have fun with us and support your favorite artist! 

For more information visit the event website or contact us at nbcmgcarolina@yahoo.com.

Trial and Error: Being an independent artist

T.I. started his career as an indepent artist before signing to LaFace Records.
Now, he's back to doing his own thing. HEAD OF THE FAMILY!!
Photo courtesy of sandrarose.com.

Being an independent artist is a lot of  work according to T.I., who described his recent ventures in the independent market during this video with midweststars.com.

If you aren't T.I., or another rapper worth $46 million or more, then you might find the rap game confusing and overwhelming.

I see too many artists struggling with motivation and branding, so I did a little research that I hope will encourage you as much as it is encouraging me as a publicist.

The key is taking steps one day at a time. Little things really do add up.

You should submit your music to someone new everyday, create a goal of how many shows to do in a month and continuously build relationships with fans and industry professionals.

Most importantly, change your views of the finish line: believe it and see that it exists for yourself: 

Stop Worrying, Start Doing:
Stop thinking about what you can't do and find something you can. You can't make things happen by sitting around hoping. Get serious about your music goals and work towards them. Realize that everything may not work as you expect, but those are lessons for later trials. Furthermore, stop worrying about making money. I know, it sounds crazy, but as an independent artist starting in the game, you must focus on investing in it first to grow your fans. If your music is good, then the money will come.

Use Google:
There are hundreds of sites that list advice, tips and tricks to growing your fan base and tactics for booking shows. I found this article, "10 Things Every Musician Should Know to Help Their Career" by simply googling "independent artists."

Sell Something!
Don't discredit your music by giving it out free, even if it's only the Itunes $.99 download. This opens doors for promotional giveaways and, finally, some income! Awesome and easy right?

Use Social Media
Socialize with your friends of course, but also establish some credit as a business person and artist. Don't bombard your followers with your music and videos. Instead, build relationships with them so that *they* will know who *you* are. Think about it. People listen to music from artists they know personally or through the grapevine. Building relationships increases the probability of new listeners who will share your music. You should always be conscious of your brand. Don't offend your target audience or discredit your music--or other's music for that matter, you don't want to look like a hater.

*Its also important to establish your followers. Your timeline shouldn't consist of only video vixens and the comedy of the week, but also credible people in the music industry: DJ's, producers, magazine editors and other rappers.*

Keep your music and image prepared
You never know when the opportunity will come to promote yourself. With this new age of technology, you should always have your songs and press kit available to send of upon request via your email or hard drive.

Perform!
This is a source of promotion and revenue. Don't know how to book shows? That's fine. There are a variety of show booking websites to choose from. Some are free, some cost money. It's all about using your resources guys! One of the websites for booking shows that is growing the fastest right now is myafton.com. Another really good one is reverbnation.com.

Need more advice? Great! I did the hard work for you. Here are some links to some more great articles that talk about being an independent artist:

10 great tips to help you fail as a hip hop artist
8 Tips for Booking Shows
Tips for increasing your fanbase

And you can always contact me, too. I may not know everything there is to know, but I'm sure we can figure it out together. ;)

Sincerely,
Danielle Hairston
NBCMG Management
Email: nbcmgcarolina@yahoo.com

Artist Spotlight: Beretta Star

"I'm also the most motivated,
all the odds are against me.
So I'll prove everyone wrong."

We recently got to catch up with NBC's R&B singer Beretta Star. She talks about her music and her life below:

How would you describe yourself and your music?

I would describe my music as emotional yet aggressive, R&B with a strong edge. I write love songs but I have an angry side because I've been through a lot. Whatever I can't convey strongly enough in words, I sing or rap it. I'm an individual. My music is real and all me. No gimmick, just me.

When did you first realize that you could sing? How did you grow and develop your craft?

I've always 'sang,' which is so cliche'. Anyone can 'sing,' but I first realized I was good at it when I was around 8. I was playing with my next-door-neighbor's daughter singing S.W.V. Her mother overheard me and had me sing for everyone she could find. I grew my craft from writing constantly no matter my mood, happy or sad, and writing about what was around me.

Describe your position in NBCMG and what it's like to work with other artists in the group.

I am the feminine touch to all these crazy dudes! I bring diversity. The girl next door can relate to me and boys like that I can spit a bar or 2. I love working the with guys. They motivate me to stay on my job, match their work or do better.

Who are some of your musical influences? 

My musical influences are people who make good music. I'm really into writing, so I admire Ester Dean, Priscilla Rene, Ne-Yo and Ryan Leslie. I love a lot of 90's music, anybody who does what they do well.

What puts you in the mood to make songs?

What puts me in the mood to write is interesting or strong situations. I write about my bad and good relationships and my friends' relationships. What could be, what should be, those types of things.

What is the biggest obstacle you've faced so far on your journey to stardom?

My biggest obstacle is myself. I'm a perfectionist. I question everything I do. My life has been so crazy and because of that I have some doubts. Because I'm also the most motivated, all the odds are against me. So I'll prove everyone wrong.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

My biggest accomplishment is never losing site of all my goals and everything I want to do.

What is your favorite song that you've written and why?

I thought long and hard and I think every song is my favorite on certain days.  Some come from special places, but they are all my favorites. It really depends. Right now it's this song called Love Flu. I love it because, who can't understand being sick of loving someone? You want to stop but you can't. When I wrote it I was thinking about the irony of doing something even though you know it's no good for you. That's my favorite right now.

What can we expect from Beretta Star in the future?

You can expect great music from me. All I want to do is make great music. I'm working on my first solo tape entitled, The L.I.A.R., which stands for Love Is Always Real. Up until now I've been writing and doing features for other artists.

Check out this track she features on with Yung Blaza:

Yung Blaza remake: J-Zay's "Open Letter"

Blaza gets a few off on Hov's "Open Letter." What can we say? Y'all gone learn today!