The Black Mecca of the South, Atlanta, has produced some of the most notable entertainers in the business. The business of music, in general, has withheld a certain prestige and respect when you think of what the city has given to the world. But as the saying goes “behind every great man, there’s a great woman”. And in the case of this spotlight article, our woman has definitely been the backbone and defining factor to many of our favorite artists in the music industry.  From TLC, Usher, Outkast, Toni Braxton, etc, she’s been that key person that helped mold their careers and build their brands. She’s a force to be reckoned with. Without Ms. Shanti “Shoestring” Das, these artists may not have put a major stamp on this industry or even become icons. 

But before becoming this great woman, Shanti had to endure several struggles. As a woman in this male-dominated industry, she speaks on maintaining dignity and respect in her new book The Hip Hop Professional: A Woman’s Guide To Climbing The Ladder Of Success In The Entertainment Business. In the book, she details her road from falling in love with hip hop during her younger years in the S.W.A.T.S (Southwest ATL) to becoming the executive vice president at Motown in New York.  If you want to see first hand what it took to get to the top, look at Shanti. Her perserverance and love for the culture echoed through her work ethic. This is why she’s highly respected by her peers such as L.A. Reid, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Dr. Cornel West, Andre 3000, and many others.

What was your inspiration?

Actually, I did a panel back in march at …University and a friend of mine suggested that I write a book.  She said “oh, you do all these different panels and you mentor a lot of people, it would be great to actually have a book telling your story”. I didn’t really think that I could be an author although I had dreamed of being an author one day.  You know it’s just, you’re never sure what you can do or can’t do, but um…She encouraged me to do it and I started writing that night and I wrote all night before I flew up to Princeton (?) that next day for the panel.  Once I got there I actually met Dr. Kunar West and read him some of the excerpts from the book and he said “you should really finish it” and he encouraged me and he said people definitely needed to hear my story because there are a lot of people that want to work in the industry but it’s not necessarily the easiest industry to break into.  I finished the book in like 3 days, it took me 3 or 4 months to pull everything together  – to get a proper editor, do the proper photo clearances, add a little bit of meat to each chapter, but for the most part it was pretty much written and outlined in like 3 days. 

Was there any point in your career that you would consider your most memorable? What about that time made it the most memorable?

I think the most memorable point in my career was really when I first started – being able to work with the caliber of artists that I worked with.  I was very fortunate to get hired out of college at Laface Records.  … Outkast and Toni Braxton.  Soon after that touring with Usher and TLC. And of course it took a minute for those guys to get to platinum success, They were an amazing group of artists to work with.  Being able to work under the tutelage of LA Reid and Babyface was incredible.  And so, back then, I think the industry was really thriving in the 90’s, labels we making a lot of money, we were able to be really creative in terms of our marketing efforts and things we were able to do in the marketplace.  So, it was just a really good time.  I think that’s probably the most memorable time in my career; because there were incredible perks and a lot of hard work to be put in but, you got to really reap some great benefits out of it as well. 

You mentioned some of the artists that you have worked with, who did you love working with the most and would love to work with again?

I gotta say that it was really special working with Usher.  He was such a hard worker, so creative; didn’t settle for mediocrity.  I mean Usher always wanted to do everything very grand and that is something that I learned about him early on.  Even when he was sitting down coming up with promotional ideas he always wanted to make everything really big and over the top.  I just respected his vision for not wanting to settle, to always think out of the box, to do things first.  And again, he gave his career two hundred percent which made you  want to work that much harder for him.  So, I would definitely love to work with Usher again at some point. 

What steps would you advise anyone who wants to get into the industry to take?

Particularly for aspiring artists, I’ll start there first.  You have to look at all that is going on – on the internet.  There’s so much change in terms of how labels sign artists now.  Back in the day you could send your demo tape in and if the label was interested they would fly you up and you’d do a showcase…. They want to do a deal, that’s an investment.  Well nowadays, labels aren’t making as much money as they used to so they’re a little bit more particular about who they sign and so opportunities that are out there.. .getting exposure prior to being signed… these artists need to take advantage of that.  Networking sites like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook with the fanpages, even Myspace.  Set up your own profile, start building up your fan base. Labels like to see artists that already have a buzz in there hometown, or in their particular marketplace so that they know that they’re not just taking a chance on somebody.  But to hear somebody unsigned has sold x amount of records in their town, already performing at the clubs, local dj’s know about them, they can walk up in the club and get right in,  They want people that are out there getting attraction, getting the heat so that they can build their own unique fan base as part of them getting signed.  So, I would tell the aspiring artists to take advantage of all that.  Look at Justin Bieber, he had all those various videos up on youtube and finally he got noticed.  Look at how Lil’ Wayne, he was signed to a label, but before he dropped The Carter he kept himself visible on the internet and he jumped on all of these songs, whether they were remixes that he did or remixes from other labels.  You just gotta put your self out there and be as visible as possible.

Now, for aspiring marketers and people that want to work on the business side of the industry, I would encourage, especially if you are still in college to intern.  A lot companies hire former interns.  Continue to go to conventions, local conventions or national conventions.  There are not as many conventions as there used to be but there are still events that happen in the market place.  The Recording Academy.  They sign up and coming writers and producers.  They’ll do events in the marketplace.  Even if you don’t want to be an artist and want to work on the business side it’s still cool to attend some of those kinds of seminars that involve artists, writers and producers because it’s still an opportunity for you to to network.  That is the key…networking with as many like people as possible.  I really encourage that.

Regarding marketing for an artist, what is that ‘spark’ that executives are looking for that can make them a superstar?  What is that thing?

The “it” factor is what I like to call it.  You either got it or you don’t.  It’s hard, to me it is not something that is tangible, it’s just something that exists.  For instance if you walk into a room …a person that commands the attention of  a room even just when they walk in.  It’s the swagger, it’ the style, it’s the confidence, all that wrapped up into one.  You don’t want to sign an artist that walks in and they’re all shy and not ready to perform.  It’s people that go in there and really win over the room instantly as soon as they walk in.  To me that’s that it factor, you either have it or you don’t.  I’ve seen artists signed in the past where they had a little bit in some areas and not too much in the others and you put’em through artist development and try to work it, work it, work it and you can go into a studio now and record a song, but it doesn’t mean you’ll be a superstar. It means that you can be a mediocre artist and come out with an ok record, but the longevity in terms of being a superstar isn’t necessarily there.  And that’s why we were so blown away with Usher and TLC back then because they had that it factor.  We didn’t have to teach them to have swag, we didn’t have to teach them how to dress.  Of course we get stylists to enhance there ideas, but they knew exactly how they wanted to look and what they wanted to do.  So, that’s that it factor to me.

 Speaking of someone with that “it” factor, and with all the focus being put on Nicki Minaj…What were your thoughts on the recent documentary “My Mic Sounds Nice”, that aired on BET? Do you think the comments made about the female artists in the industry were accurate? And do you think Nicki will be that key player in rejuvenating the female presence in music?

I thought it was a well out together documentary. I liked the fact that they went way back to the Roxanne Shante days, you know, Monie Love, MC Lyte and all those folks; and highlighted some of the people that actually were pioneers of female hip hop. And I think pretty much everything was true in terms of how they talked about in the 90s when hip hop started to flourish and make a lot of money. It was a really special time, I think, for the female MCs because you had so many that were selling records and doing well and touring, like Foxy Brown and Lil Kim. So yeah, I pretty much thought it was an accurate account of the current state of the female MC as well as shedding light on what happened in the past.

I like the fact that they were able to spotlight some of the new and up and coming acts that we didn’t really know about. You know Nicki Minaj is doing well right now and I think, one – she’s talented, but it didn’t hurt being a part of that camp. And I know some people feel like why should I have to be a part of a camp to get noticed?  I just think overall when people think hip hop a lot of times they automatically think about the male MC.  The female MC, back in the day, spoke from a more conscious perspective and we don’t really see as much of that anymore. I would like to see some of that coming back into the forefront of what the female MC has to say.

if you look at somebody like a MC Lyte and Queen Latifah… when you think about building businesses and going from rapper to mogul, kind of like how Will Smith did as a male artist. Queen Latifah has been able to do that and part of the reason she’s been able to do it is because of her imaging. I’m not saying you can’t have racy and aggressive lyrics as a female MC, but you need that balance so that you can be able to walk into some of these corporations and build some opportunities and brands and go into movies, films, and television.

Look at like Foxy Brown and Lil Kim…they weren’t able to necessarily cross that bridge from being MCs to really being a business mogul. I think part of that has to do with imaging. So I would like to see some more balanced MCs. I think Nicki Minaj…some of her outfits and stuff are a little racy, but I do thinks she’s talented. I like the fact that she’s animated like Missy Elliott and I do hope she’s able to cross that bridge. But just from a pure lyrical standpoint, I think she’s really talented. I don’t think she’s the end all be all, but I think she is helping to pave the way and open up the doors for society accepting the female MC again.

I also agree with what one of the executives said that sometimes it’s expensive to be in the business of the female MC. Because you got to have the brand squad…cause you got to make sure you got the hair, the style, the makeup.  Labels aren’t making as much money as they used to so they’re going to look at that. I think if they had to compare it side by side, putting out a male MC versus a female MC , sometimes, it might be about the dollar, the bottom line.

If you get somebody that’s just that talented, like Nicki and start putting her on everybody’s stuff …it still shows that there’s a desire out there for females in hip hop. ‘Cause now everybody wants her on their song. Look at all the male artists that have Nicki on their song as well.

I also agree with what one of the executives said that sometimes it’s expensive to be in the business of the female MC. Because you got to have the brand squad…cause you got to make sure you got the hair, the style, the makeup.  Labels aren’t making as much money as they used to so they’re going to look at that. I think if they had to compare it side by side, putting out a male MC versus a female MC , sometimes, it might be about the dollar, the bottom line.

If you get somebody that’s just that talented, like Nicki and start putting her on everybody’s stuff …it still shows that there’s a desire out there for females in hip hop. ‘Cause now everybody wants her on their song. Look at all the male artists that have Nicki on their song as well.

Of course money is always that #1 discussed topic.  How can artists and labels work together to keep things open and honest especially when it comes to finances and contract agreements to prevent the financial mishaps that often times occur with these artists that get in the business??

 

We live in a reality world…a reality tv show world where there’s like this overnight sensation. Everybody just wants to be a star! Everybody wants to go from 0 to 10. They don’t wanna take the baby steps…they don’t want to go through steps 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 until they get there. It’s like everybody just wants to have that overnight success.  But, you still got to do your homework!  Become more knowledgeable about the business. Know what you’re getting into so that you can ask for the right deal for yourself. 

 

Honestly, I think a lot of the responsibility does fall on the artist, because if you have a good manager and a good lawyer…it’s all about having the right representation and people around you that you can trust- who can go in and have a conversation with the label and they can fight for the best deal possible for you. Point blank, I see a lot of artists who get into situations where they sign these deals cause they’re just so hungry to get a label deal.  They’ll go and get their homeboy to represent them or somebody who was referred, but they didn’t necessarily go and do their homework to see if this was a good lawyer…if this was a good accountant…if this was a good manager. 

You can’t just go off of a quick referral. Artists need to take control of their business. Because this is a business first! Don’t be so green and so hungry and jump at any opportunity. Do your homework! Make sure that you’re not signing your life away!  Labels obviously are going to try to pick the best deal possible for the label. Not saying that they don’t have the artist’s interest at heart, but at the same time it’s a business. So you’re going to go after what proves to be more lucrative for your company. So, with the labels you need to make sure that you’ve got the right lawyer in there negotiating and re-negotiating and making sure and that’ll say guess what, I’m not going to sign this deal until it makes sense for all parties involved.  Artists need to make sure they have the right folks representing them. I see it happen too often where they don’t have the right folks representing them.  

Everybody just wants a deal! Sometimes artists jump at the first opportunity to sign a contract. NO!  You want to go out and build up enough buzz on yourself in the marketplace to where there’s a demand. Maybe you’ll get in a situation where there are a couple of labels that want you. Then it turns into somewhat of a bidding war. But guess what? At least now the labels now know that they’ve got to give you the best deal possible. Which means what? Up in the dollars!

And, make sure you’re not signing all of your touring and merchandise away. Now days labels like to sign these 360 deals where they want a piece of everything and I can’t say that I don’t blame the labels because the marketplace has changed and the business model has changed overall within the music industry. Labels don’t make as much money as they used to just from royalties on the sales from cds. So, they need other ways to supplement all of the other income that used to come in from an artist. So yeah, they’re going to want a little bit of everything, but it’s up to the artist to make sure that they negotiate the right percentage of that.

That’s some great advice!

What’s your present career status?  Are you still in the business?

I resigned from Motown in November 09’.  I’ve now started my own consulting firm which is PressReset.Me.  Basically it was just me pressing my own reset button and my company offers entertainment marketing consulting as well as life mentoring. I’m helping people that want to re-start their careers and just need advice on not being afraid to step out there and take that leap of faith.  Right now I have clients that I’m doing marketing for.  Also, I have a showcase called ATL Live on the Park and we have been going strong since May of this year. We do it once a month and it’s a live music showcase and we focus on established and emerging artists. So we give artists an opportunity to have a platform in the city of Atlanta, to perform in front of a music industry crowd as well as urban business professionals.  So I’m excited about that! And then just really doing a lot with my book and starting to speak at colleges and talking to concerned college students or pre-professionals that want to work in the industry.

As far as the monthly showcases…are tickets sold for that or is it invitation only?

No, it’s open to the public. We have a fan page on Facebook. We’re going to have a website up soon, but for now we’re just doing everything through Facebook.  Also artists can submit material to be considered to perform at the ATL Live Show. They submit material at ATLLiveonthePark@gmail.com. The website for my book is www.thehiphopprofessional.com and on the site you can purchase a book and also book me to speak at your school or event.

 

Thanks Shanti for the interview!