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Monday, November 10, 2014

Guest Revisited (Dima "The White Russian")


In October of 2013, I was fortunate to be able to interview Uni-Fi Records co-owner Dima "The White Russian." We touched on topics ranging from the origin of the name of his independent record label to his daily routine as co-owner of three different companies, father, husband, and many other titles. 

Last we spoke, Dima mentioned a few moves on the horizon for the label. Of these moves, few are as important to the team as the release of the Uni-Fi's Vol. 1 mixtape on October 9 of this year, a day before the team headed to Atlanta to perform at the A3C music festival. 

A few days later, on October 13, The Source, a major outlet and promotional vehicle in the world of Rap and Hip Hop publications, posted a press release-themed write up of the mixtape onto their site. It's available to stream or as a free download on AudioMack, but for the sake of convenience, it will be included at the bottom of this blog entry. 

The mixtape features national rappers Action Bronson and Riff Raff, regional rappers Mally and Chris Crack, and local rappers Proph, Haz Solo, Webster X, Ray Nitti, and Colin Plant. 

The Uni-Fi team did not slack on the creation and execution of this mixtape. Though it has taken some time to complete, I'd argue that very few worthwhile pieces of art are created overnight. I can imagine the path of conception-to-creation-to-completion being taxing and arduous, but once the journey is finished it should make everything else worth it. 

Speaking of journeys, hopefully this mixtape is the first step of many good moves for Uni-Fi Records and its team. We at Qwik Interviews wish them nothing but the best of luck in the future! Feel free to peruse through the tracklist of the mixtape provided in the widget below.






Warning: Explicit Content


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Mastery Journal - Business Plan Development (Assigned School Work)

Graphic by Shibam Sarbswa
I began my education at Full Sail University in March of 2013 in the Entertainment Business Master's Degree program. I was told by a friend (who happened to graduate from the same program at the same school) prior to enrolling, that I would need to have a business in mind because the program was geared more towards preparing students to consider becoming entrepreneurs than it was preparing them to join the workforce at an existing company in the entertainment industry. This statement is merely an opinion of my friend's and should be treated as such. I feel that the program does a great job in preparing students to enter the entertainment field, regardless if the student is anticipating embarking on entrepreneurial endeavors or not. 

Having said that, my current course is named Business Plan Development and is the 11th class out of 12 across the Entertainment Business Master's Degree linear class spectrum. In other words, I'm graduating very soon and need to utilize what I've learned in order to apply it to my final assignment; my very own business plan.

I've wrestled with various entrepreneurial ideas along my way at Full Sail. Many of these business ideas filled roles in various markets but weren't trades that I could imagine investing everything into for the foreseeable future. Many more of these ideas were the opposite in that I could imagine investing everything into for the foreseeable future but couldn't fill roles in any markets that are accessible to me.

Graphic by Feisty Ash
I've developed something that I can invest with my spare time while working towards paying off my student loans. This development will help me transition my LLC into my full time investment while saying farewell to my lifetime of working for someone else.

While I'm not at liberty to currently disclose my venture, I will spend some time addressing how valuable my current course is to my future endeavors.

My original goals for this course were to obtain a better understanding of the pieces that makeup the Business Plan puzzle and to develop a better understanding of what it is that I want to create with my education; a future of entrepreneurship or continuing to work for someone else. I find this class extremely valuable as it's surpassed all expectations and is one of the (if not thee) most important courses in this degree. 

I've learned an exuberant amount of information and resources necessary for creating a complete and attractive business plan for the sake of securing potential investors. I've not only learned about business plans in this class, I've learned much more about business itself. I've completed over 50 college courses over the past 10 years, and this class is one of the most important to my future and professional career.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Business Planning (Assigned School Work)


Thurman, Rich. 2013. SmallBusinessCommunity.org
            According to the CPA Corporation, a business plan is, "a formal document which describes the business, details the goals of the business, and describes how those goals will be attained as well as the risk factors that may present problems." Business plans are essential in the world of business. In most cases, the single factor that determines the longevity and success of a particular business depends entirely on its planning. These statements should be clear, concise, and updated regularly. I’ve gathered additional information about this topic that I'd like to present, regarding two individuals who are thought to be experts in this field, Guy Kawasaki and Tim Berry.  
            According to his official website, Guy Kawasaki is the “chief evangelist of Canva, a graphics-design online service, and an executive fellow at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley.” His previous employers are Google and Apple. According to Visser (2014), Kawasaki views the “executive summary as the most important part of a business plan. You should spend eighty percent of your effort on writing a great executive summary and twenty percent on the rest of the plan” (¶9). It’s been said that investors typically view the executive summary first. Due to this, it is imperative that businesses capture the attention of the investors with the executive summary in order to lure them into having any remote interest in reviewing the rest of the business plan. Kawasaki has written twelve books, including How to Write a Business Plan, in which Tim Berry was hired to be his business plan expert.
2014. The 3 Bottom Lines.com
            According to entrepreneur.com, Tim Berry is the “chairman of Palo Alto Software, which produces business-planning software. He founded Bplans.com, is co-founder of HavePresence.com, wrote The Plan-As-You-Go Business Plan,” and has been regarded by some as the Obi-wan Kenobi of business planning. Berry has found much success in the way that he disseminates his expertise. He is paid to speak at conferences, seminars, schools, and businesses to share his knowledge of business planning. Essentially, he’s created a business plan about business planning (I appreciate the irony and ingenuity in that) that includes what he calls the PRRR cycle (plan-run-review-revise). 
            A business plan is basically a résumé that is handed to potential investors of a business. These two men have extensive knowledge in that field and can assist you in writing you own. Focus on your executive summary and always plan, run, review, and revise. I know I will.

References


CPA Corporation. 2014. How to make a business plan. The 3 Bottom Lines.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from http://www.the3bottomlines.com/how-to-write-a-business-plan/

Guy Kawasaki.com. 2014. About section. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from http://www.guykawasaki.com/about/

Thurman, Rich. 2013. What is a business plan? Small Business Community.org. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from http://smallbusinesscommunity.org/tag/business-plan/

Tim Berry.com. 2014. About section. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from http://timberry.com/business-plan-expert/

Visser, Casandra. 2014. Making a business plan: what 10 experts have to say about creating a winning plan. Entrepreneur Magazine. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from http://www.entrepreneurmag.co.za/advice/business-plans/business-plan-advice/making-a-business-plan-what-10-experts-have-to-say-about-creating-a-winning-plan/

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Marketing Reflections: Google Analytics (Assigned School Work)



via Google website
            According to Oxford Dictionaries, the word analytics is both the, “systematic computational analysis of data or statistics,” as well as the, “information resulting from the systematic analysis of data or statistics.” In other words, analytics are the data and statistics that are gathered by a computational analysis as well as being the human analysis of the gathered information. To me, analytics are simply the gathering of specific information from the past to allow people in the present to be able to measure, analyze, and therefore predict the future based on trends and tendencies.

            My original goal in this course was, and is, to develop a greater understanding of digital marketing and its benefits. I’ve learned many things these past couple weeks, but none has piqued my interest more than analytics. Within the first week, we were required to add analytic capabilities to our blog sites using Google Analytics. We can now track valuable information from these sites about visitors, keywords used in search engines, and much more. We’ve also uploaded sitemaps to our blogs, using Google Webmaster, in order to index pages on our blog sites across search engines. Essentially, these tools assist websites with search engine optimization (SEO). According to Stokes (2008), SEO is the “practice of optimizing a website to achieve the highest possible ranking on the search engine results pages” (¶2). I look forward to learning more about these areas during the final two weeks of class.

            I have already implemented these tools within my own blog site and will continue to measure and analyze the data and statistics that I receive from it, in order to make educated decisions from the analytics. Once completed, I plan to apply these tools to my business website, as well. These tools are available for free and can be found online. If you have a website for business, then I highly recommend getting started with Google Analytics today.


Works Cited: 

“Analytics.” Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved on September 14, 2014 from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/analytics

Stokes, R. (2013). eMarketing: The essential guide to marketing in a digital world (5th ed.). (p. 231). eBook. Quirk Education.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

XV (@XtotheV)


Photo by Shane McCauley
I first met Warner Bros. recording artist XV at the Austin, TX festival known as South by Southwest in March of 2012. He had just finished an electrifying performance and was making his way through the crowd when I was able to stop him for a moment in order to inquire about the possibility of taking a picture with me. You see, a friend of mine put me onto his music not more than two months earlier, when he played me XV's most recent mixtape release (at the time) titled, Zero Heroes. I was absolutely impressed by his creativity, lyrics, hooks, concepts, and ear for selecting exceptional beats for this project, so I felt compelled to stop him to inform him of my appreciation of his work. I have since caught up with most of his catalog and have only become an even bigger fan of his music through doing so.  

Two years later, XV was in town to perform for the students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus when I was fortunate to be able to catch up with him beforehand. 



For those who don't know you, who are you? 


XV: I am XV, rapper from Wichita, Kansas; created on the planet Squaria and I've been making music since the age of 15. 

What is the origin of your alias? 


XV: When I was turning 15, I realized that I wanted to do music for a living. When I realized this, I took into account how young I was because of how many people laughed in my face when I did this. I wanted to make sure that I made it a moment for myself so I named myself the age I was when I started rapping. I had the idea that when I got older, I would always be able to say, "I got my rap name from the age I started rapping." For instance, let's say when I'm thirty years old, and I'm huge, people will be able to say, "Oh yeah, 'cuz he's been going at it for 15 years now." I knew this wasn't going to be easy once I heard my first laugh. [laughs]

Which song of yours are you most proud of? 


XV: Due to the fact that I was scared to release it too early, I would say "Pictures on my Wall." I wrote that song so fast that it was beyond my lyrics. I felt like I actually had something to say and that's a very powerful feeling for a rapper, especially when you've been writing songs your whole life. I wrote it so fast. It wasn't a hard thing to tackle, and I love what I related to with that song. I wasn't about to put it out on Zero Heroes (ZH), you know, I was saving that record for so many different reasons. Now that it's out, I'm glad that I did put it out. I don't regret putting it out because it was a part of that entire ZH project and it was a part of me relating to the world that I have now. I'm still holding onto The Kid with the Green Backpack (TKWTGB), which is filled with songs that I love, but that was the main song that I was willing to let go because I knew it was already completed. I'd say that it was my favorite because it was a complete song and I was holding on to it. I had a really big idea for a feature on it, and I'm still doing that for the album, so you'll be able to hear the rest of the story through this other version when the time comes.

Which project or mixtape are you're most proud of? 


XV: I would say The Square in the Circle. I went through a lot in my life during that time and for me to have tackled that album… people don't even understand, when I made that album I had lost one of my kids and me and my chick (we've have been together for ten years) were going through some crazy shit. It's a lot of that. You don't notice the metaphors of it, but the escapism that that album is about, is me escaping from that reality. It wasn't the reality of my childhood. It was a reality of the "right now." A lot of my other projects are "moving forward" projects, and that was a very "in the now" project that I made without anybody telling me to make a new project. I wasn't XV yet. I was still trying to get on and that project could've been a project where I would've been like, "I'm trying to get on with this project," and I wasn't. I was like, "I'm going to do something different with this project." Square in the Circle is the reason why we have "Squarians" right now. So without that, we're just calling ourselves the "Everybody's Nobodies." 

Speaking of, what is a Squarian? 


XV: I look at it as somebody who knows and accepts that they don't fit into that circle that life tries to throw you in. After becoming aware, they accept the fact that they're supposed to be doing something bigger and that their purpose is something bigger. That's what Squarian is all about and that's what the Square in the Circle project was all about. The Squarian fanbase came from people understanding that that's what my music is all about. So, Squarian is my fanbase. Squarian is my sound. Squarian is what I am and I feel that everybody at one point, is a Squarian. It's just happening to the fact that you are accepting of being a Squarian. That's the hard part. It's not about being a square. It's about being a Squarian 'cuz a Squarian is equal on all sides, like a square. You're an equally balanced person. You're an equal opportunity person. Everything about you is equal on all sides. Me? I'm ill with the flow, I'm ill with the beats, I'm ill with the business, and I'm ill with just being myself. That's just me being equal on all four sides and I feel like that's what a Squarian really is.  

What have you been working on recently? 


XV: I've been working on the final phase of the album. The final phase of The Kid with the Green Backpack has really been tying together all of these songs I've been writing for five years. So I've been working on that and just finishing up all of the writing and guest features for that. I'm also planning a real big summer. A huge summer for my season. My birthday's in summer, so it's going to be my season.  

Run us through a typical day of yours… 


XV: I take my son to school then I start my shit. After that, I normally just work on music at the beginning of my day. Right now, I've just been in the Bat Cave (the lab) everyday. I'm in the lab literally from 8:00 in the morning 'til 8:00 at night. Then I watch all my shows and figure out what I'm going to tackle tomorrow. I'm in the studio everyday. That's the thing about me, I'm never not in the studio unless I'm on the road. Either I'm in the studio making a beat, or I'm in the studio on my drawing board, or I'm in the studio writing or making a tracklist… I'm always doing something in the studio because that's my Bat Cave and if I'm not in there it's because I'm out here being Batman. [laughs] 

Run us through a typical day of yours five years ago… 


XV: Man, five years ago was almost around the time when I was trying to get my record deal, so I was making Everybody's Nobody. I was playing a lot of video games because they were relaxing to me. It's a nostalgic reason. I was making a lot of projects, including Square in the Circle, based off of me playing video games. Everyday I would wake up and play video games. That's how you got "Mirror's Edge." A lot of the songs that I created back in the day were from me playing video games, including "Nevermind." I was playing Rock Band one day and heard the sample. The video games were treatments because that's where the ideas were coming from. So yeah, five years ago I was waking up, sending emails out to 2DopeBoyz, Nahright, Rap Radar, and others just hoping that they would put some of my music up. 

What inspires you to create music? What motivates you? 


XV: What motivates me to create music is a new message.  The main thing with me is knowing that there's a possibility to acquire a new listener every day. You know what I mean? I mean, like, even with someone being born. There's a new opportunity every day and I'm a very opportunistic person. I want people to hear my message. I want people to see what you can do if you just persevere no matter where you're from. I don't want to give people the idea of false hope in something that isn't possible. I want to give people a belief in, a hope in, work paying off. I feel that every new song I make needs to continue carrying that message. That's why I never stop making music. That's why I'm always in the lab because that song could be made today. That song could be made tomorrow, you know? 

Is there any advice that you'd like to offer to any producers who are interested in working with you? 


XV: Try to find the sound that's going to take that artist, including me, to the next level. Don't give them something that you know they've already accepted. Don't give them something that they know they already want. You wouldn't do that to no girl in a relationship. You wouldn't do that to no job. You wouldn't do that to nobody else, you know? I don't know why people use that technique with rappers. Producers need to come original and do something that is unique and would take them to the next level. Not something that you think is going to take the game to the next level, but that person to the next level. There's always a sound for that. I feel like that's what makes music move forward and that's why music is at a stand-still so much, because many producers aren't willing to make that sound that's going to make music move forward. So give me that because I definitely want to be someone who makes music move forward. Let me be that person. That's what a producer is supposed to do, produce that. 

Is there any advice that you'd care to offer to any rappers who are interested in working with you? 


XV: Create your own lane. Create a following and a fan base that identifies with your personality and with you 'cuz you're not the only you out there. I feel like that could help a Squarian like me because you're allowing me into your world just as I'm allowing you into my world. That's how we all could merge. I feel like so many people are still apart and there's really no unity in the music scene, especially the Rap [music] scene. I feel like if you create something that will not only bring unity to that, but bring it to that Squarian brand, because there's no team right now that's bringing that. You know, something that I feel is new or original, as Squarians. You know, Odd Future has that unity and they've created that. Create something like that of your own and come visit Squaria. That's what I would fuck with. 

Is there any advice you'd be willing to share with those who aspire to work in the music industry? 


XV: Follow the "L7" motto, that's "Love Life, be Loyal, and Live Long Like a Legend." Get into this game to create something that's going to stand the test of time. Don't get into this game to create something for "the now." Don't get into this game because it sounds good right now. Get into this game for the 10-year goal, the 15-year goal, the 30-year goal because that's what OutKast got into it for. That's what Biggie would've been here for. That's what Tupac would've been here for. Those are people who inspire us. That one hit on the radio didn't inspire anything but a cheap trick. So do something that's going to move music forward. 


Lightning Round - (random ass questions, seeking short answers)



Favorite food at favorite restaurant? 

XV: McDonald's cheeseburgers, for sure

Favorite drink? 

XV: Root Beer

Favorite TV show? 

XV: South Park 

Favorite movie? 

XV: The Dark Knight 

Favorite cartoon growing up? 

XV: Doug 

Favorite video game? 

XV: Mass Effect

Other than Hip Hop, which music genre(s) do you enjoy listening to? 

XV: Jazz, original soundtracks, Rock, and Electronic 

Favorite Smashing Pumpkins song? 

XV: Zero 

Name an album that you're embarrassed to liking, owning, and listening to. 

XV: Trinidad James EP 

Shockers or Jayhawks? 

XV: Jayhawks 

Tupac or Biggie? 

XV: Tupac

Favorite Professional Wrestler? 

XV: Triple H

Marvel or DC? 

XV: Marvel 

Favorite Super Hero? 

XV: The Punisher

Favorite Villain? 

XV: The Joker

Favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? 

XV: Donatello 

What's the first thing you'd do if you had the money? 

XV: Go to Rome 

Will The Kid with the Green Backpack be released before or after Astronaut Dreams? 

XV: Before… the order goes Kid with the Green Backpack, Astronaut Dreams, then 2015

Lastly, what's something about you that many people aren't aware of? 

XV: I was horrible in school.


I would like to take this moment to thank XV for his time and willingness to make this interview possible. 

To hear more from XV you can follow this link to stream his videos on YouTube. You can also find, follow, and tweet XV on Twitter using the widget below. 





Thank you for your time, XV, and thank you to my readers.

-QW

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Becoming Hard to Watch Hard Knocks (Assigned School Work)



            Partnering with the National Football League (NFL), the premium cable television network Home Box Office (HBO), is currently in the process of airing its ninth season of the popular reality sports documentary known as “Hard Knocks.” Debuting in 2001, the show follows one NFL team per preseason throughout its preparation for the upcoming season. The show includes footage of front office operations, training camp, scrimmages, and preseason games.
            To present elements of the people for the viewers to identify with, the show follows a more personal route of four-to-eight players, coaches, and staff members of the roster, by attempting to capture an idea of what life is like for an NFL player, coach, or staff member when they’re not at work. This can be a wise decision, if the candidates are selected carefully. More often than not, the candidates that are selected are nauseating at best. Somewhere, somebody thought it was a good idea to invest more camera time into these candidates. In my own opinion, there isn’t a tolerable person in the entire lineup this season.
            HBO is documenting the Atlanta Falcons franchise this year. According to Ledbetter (2014), the first episode of the season attracted just over 3 million viewers (¶1). Apparently, not all teams are eligible to be filmed by the show. There are certain rules or credentials that would make an NFL franchise ineligible for being selected for an upcoming season of Hard Knocks. I should replace the word “selected” with the word “chosen,” as the chosen team really has no choice and would be forced to participate or force serious consequences from the league. According to Graziano & Weinfuss (2013), certain teams would be exempt from being forced to participate, those with new coaches, those that reached the playoffs in one of the previous two seasons, and those who have appeared on “Hard Knocks” within the preceding 10 years” (¶2). Of the nine years that HBO has broadcasted this series, seven NFL teams have been chosen, including both the Dallas Cowboys (2002, 2008) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2009, 2013) twice.
            While the entire idea behind HBO’s “Hard Knocks” is a golden egg, the network’s executives must keep it from turning into a goose egg by focusing more on capturing the “documentary” side of things and less on staging the “reality show” side of it all. A “shutout” is what a zero equates to in the NFL, and unless the show cares to focus more on the original concept, then I’m going to shutout HBO’s “Hard Knocks” from my viewing schedule.
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Works Cited

Graziano, D. & Weinfuss, J. (2013). Nfl owners ok ‘hard knocks’ rule. ESPN. Retrieved on August 26, 2014 from http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9791975/owners-ok-nfl-pick-hard-knocks-team

Ledbetter, D. O. (2014). Falcons a ratings hit for hbo. The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved on August 26, 2014 from http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/falcons-pulling-down-ratings-for-hbo/ng2W6/

NFL Hard Knocks: About the show. HBO.com. Retrieved on August 26, 2014 from http://www.hbo.com/hard-knocks/about#/

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Under Armour No Longer The Underdog If Durant Deal Is Approved (Assigned School Work)



Kevin Durant, photo courtesy of NBA.com
            In a market ruled by Goliaths, a David has emerged. The athletic apparel company known as Under Armour could be on the brink of carving out a much larger share of the athletic footwear market, if the rumor of the lucrative offer sent to Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant were to develop into the truth. If this were to emerge as a fact, traditional fans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) may be stunned to learn that the reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the league isn’t inking a deal with a typical athletic footwear giant like Nike or Adidas, but instead choosing to sign with an underdog in the market; much like himself being casted in the shadow of league-megastar LeBron James. That shadow, however, is quickly fading as records show that Kevin Durant’s shoe sales are on pace to pass “King James” very, very soon.
            According to Stock (2014), “Last year U.S. sales of Nike’s Durant line of sneakers rose fivefold, according to bar-code data collected by Princeton Retail Analysis, which tracks the sports apparel industry. If Durant posts a similar jump this year, his shoe sales will surpass those of James” (¶3). Many believe his success to be driven by leading the league in points for five straight seasons (Warren, 2014, ¶8). Others feel it is a combination of many factors like his humble personality, natural-born talent, and his excellence in execution when he’s in his element on the court.
            Unfortunately for Nike, Durant’s seven-year, $60 million deal is expiring soon. In that time, Nike has released six versions of specialized “KD” shoes. Under Armour has relatively recently executed a deal with Golden State Warrior star Stephen Curry. The partnership has recently released the first edition of “SC” shoes since the deal was struck last October. Durant can expect the apparel company to do the same with their partnership if a deal is struck. According to Isola (2014), this deal could be worth up to $320 million over a 10-year period. To put that into perspective, LeBron James’ current deal with Nike brings him around $20 million per year, this would be a cool $12 million more per year. To rationalize this amount, let’s have a look at the sales of the four top selling sneakers in the NBA, from 2011-2013. 
            We can expect a company like Under Armor to be extremely aware of these trends and numbers displayed on the graph. According to Rovell (2013), Under Armour’s key attributes in players they are interested to have on their team are, “young, underdog, and next” (¶2)and Thunder forward Kevin Durant. They are also both very humble athletes who always display sportsmanship when they play the game. They are very well respected as players and are even more respected as people.
. These are qualities that describe Warriors guard Stephen Curry
            According to Rovell (2013), Under Armour’s market share currently sits at 0.35 percent of the U.S. basketball retail market, according to SportsOneSource. Nike, which includes the Jordan and Converse brands, owns 92.6 percent of the U.S. retail market” (¶7). Both Under Armour and Nike can expect to see their numbers fluctuate accordingly if Durant decides to sign that astronomical contract. Only time will tell.

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Works Cited:

Isola, F. (2014). Kevin durant could sign with under armour for $30 million a year, a deal that could help push nba mvp to wizards. New York Daily News. Retrieved on August 19, 2014 from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/kevin-durant-earn-30m-year-armour-article-1.1891586

Rovell, D. (2013). Stephen curry joins under armour. ESPN. Retrieved on August 19, 2014 from http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9752857/stephen-curry-golden-state-warriors-signs-armour

Stock, K. (2014). Durant’s sneaker stats approach lebron’s. Businessweek. Retrieved on August 19, 2014 from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-07/durants-sneaker-stats-approach-lebrons