How Not To Do a Song With PackFM

Posted 4 years, 9 months, 4 weeks, 1 day, 16 hours, 32 minutes ago by PackFM

The Convo

producer #543918: yo
packFM: ?

If you are not my fam, and have never spoken to me before, do NOT address me with “yo”. I dont even like it when my close friends do that shit. Strike one

producer #543918: this is producer #543918 from finland

And?

packFM: sup
producer #543918: not much, im currently working on my 2nd compilation album and wondering is there any chance you could rip one of my beats for it ?

Thanks for the background information on who you are and what sort of project this is. Ok so we got producer #543918 2nd compilation album (mixtape). Can I rip one of producer #543918’s beats?? HELL YES! (no)

packFM: is there a budget for it?
producer #543918: i got nice lineup for it already but i’m still lookin for a couple of more emcees to be on it

packFM: I hear u
producer #543918: if you got time check this: http://www.producer#543918.com/whatup/
producer #543918: i uploaded an instrumental you might like

I could have sworn I asked a question

packFM: yea I’ll check, but I have a full plate right now, so I really don’t have time to do free songs like that, not tryna make it all about $, but I have to prioritize now a day

producer #543918: ***** ******, ********, *****, ******* *****, ******* *****, *****, ******, *******, ****, just to name some of the emcees on it

******* ***** and ******* *****!!?!?!? well shit why didnt he just say so in the first place?? I LOVE ******* ***** and ******* *****!!! (no)

(I blocked the names out because i dont want to be totally disrespectful to the rappers, i actually know 2 of them personally, but the rest of the names looked like my tile rack in a game of scrabble.)

The Reasoning

What pisses me off is this, why do “producers” and “DJ’s” think rappers should be so eager to work for free?. I can’t tell you how many emails I get from people asking me to do songs for their “compilation” for “exposure”. Exposure is good, but so is being compensated for your work. Some of them have the nerve to say “we’ll give you 100 CD’s in return and you can sell them for as much as you want.” Let me get this straight, you want me to go to a studio and use time and money to record a song for YOUR project, for FREE and then as payment you want me to push them for you too??? What kind of crack are they smoking, it must be that good shit.

It all started with Tony Touch and his 50 MC’s mixtapes. When all the DJ’s were putting out tapes with the same songs from the same “hot” artists, Tony Touch started getting exclusive freestyles from rappers so that his stood out. Then to keep up other DJ’s followed, and then once every DJ started having exclusive freestyles, to stand out they started getting exclusive songs. The difference was, Tony Touch PAID the people on his CDs. DJ’s now think that you owe THEM. Some cats have the nerve to charge rappers to be on the CD. Picture me paying $500 to be on a cd that costs 45¢ to make, man I’d rather fuck Rosie O’Donnell (get more exposure for it too).

Bottom line is this:
I don’t make disposable music, every song I do is to serve a purpose. So if you want me to do a track for you, make it worth my time and effort, ESPECIALLY if you do not know me personally. I do favors for my fam all day, but if you aint fam, business is business.

Fuck a mixtape

Category: General

18 comments

tony said on Jul 19, 2007:

“I could have sworn I asked a question” HAHAHAHHAHA

artistDOMINGO said on Jul 19, 2007:

I couldnt have said it better myself!!..FREE is not in my vocabulary either and I do lower my beat prices to cracjhead proportions ro try and help the “lil guys” and they still wanna “COLLAB”…I WILL “COLLAB” WHENI GOT TO THE ATM TO TAKE OUT THE $$ YOU SENT ME FOR THE BEAT I WILL “COLLAB” WITH THE ATM….THATS THE ONLY WAY ITS GONNA HAPPEN……….Well Said PACK!!

phaydie said on Jul 19, 2007:

Do it for the love!

93 Til Infinity!

omgomgomg

Autopsy IV said on Jul 19, 2007:

Damn. That’s Foul.

Hell I even try and compensate my friends for doing the graphics on my web site….I can not imagine having the gall to ask a stranger to produce something for me, for free.

Nova said on Jul 19, 2007:

Hey, I’m a producer, and this shit even pisses ME off.

DWilli said on Jul 19, 2007:

@ Domingo

(Looks at recent myspace bulletins from the dude)

Word.

kontrast said on Jul 20, 2007:

anybody trying to haggle a domingo beat down to free from the insane prices he already offers, must be- like pack said, smoking crack

destructuralized said on Jul 20, 2007:

haha, just kidding.

cameron said on Jul 20, 2007:

man i feel ya wut u sayin tru and ppl these days just wanna take advantage of a brotha! i mean get real business is business at da end of da day so why should us as producers have to compensate for others? CRAZY WORLD!

Elaquent said on Jul 20, 2007:

lol its the same deal for producers

“yo Elaquent, i love your beats, send me some beats to rip! but yo im havin trouble paying for my rent, so i cant pay you for it, but i promise to pay you a fraction of whatever sales my mixtape gets!”

LOL well spoken pack

man, some dude even DISSED me on a record cuz i didnt want to give him a free beat……the hiphop game i tell ya..

lord G said on Jul 20, 2007:

It goes both ways though. You know how many emcee’s expect to get free beats for a mixtape or an album, just to get you (the producer) “exposure” The funny thing is, I think emcee’s need producers and dj’s more than vice versa. You never hear someone bumping an acapella tape (does that even exist.), But cats bump instrumental cd’s all the time.

Terminill said on Jul 20, 2007:

Ya’ll both need to come to an understanding that if neither of you are on the radio or selling platinum units then you both have something to gain. If the beat is wack, that’s one thing to do it for money, but if the song came out hot why not put it out on both of your albums. You still got a free beat from a producer in the end and might have developed a relationship that could go who knows where.

I understand both points of view because I’ve tried to put out a project like the producer wanted, offering free beats for the artist to use as they please and I was going to put out the song on my album – only to get nowhere with MC’s. But damn, once somebody gets a little bit of fame they act like they were never in that position of being hungry and just wanting exposure.

Tonedeff said on Jul 20, 2007:

Ya’ll both need to come to an understanding that if neither of you are on the radio or selling platinum units then you both have something to gain.

Oh word? Fuck…I guess I should return this Bentley.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that we know where we are on the totem pole. There’s really no need to start projecting “reality” on us here.

If the beat is wack, that’s one thing to do it for money, but if the song came out hot why not put it out on both of your albums.

If the shit is hot, it DOES end up on the albums. Which is why we still work with some outside producers from time to time. BUT we have a staff of 5-inhouse producers: Kno, Deacon, Domingo, Elite & myself. We’re a self-contained unit for the most part, so our need for outside work is very small.

But damn, once somebody gets a little bit of fame they act like they were never in that position of being hungry and just wanting exposure.

That has NOTHING to do with anything.

It’s a double-edged sword… when you’re getting beat CDs thrown in your face at every show you do, and every day online, you have to draw a line somewhere. Otherwise, you’ll never have a second to breathe and nothing will ever get done…and all you’ll have to show for it is a song with 89 plays on MySpace.com.

Hollerate.

artistKno said on Jul 20, 2007:

“But damn, once somebody gets a little bit of fame they act like they were never in that position of being hungry and just wanting exposure.”

Sorry , never once in my career have I not compensated someone for their work or even suggested it. Those that go from “being hungry and just wanting exposure” to a “bit of fame” do so based on good business practice and tact, and expecting people to not want compensation for their work, especially when they have an established fanbase that you stand to gain from, is bad business and lacks tact.

There are literally 900,000 ‘rap artists’ (producers and rappers) on MySpace alone. If every person who thought working with Pack was a good business decision or was a good artistic decision, and Pack was expected to honor every one of those requests…when would he have time to eat food, piss urine and breathe air?

This is quite possibly the silliest thing I’ve read all day. No offense.

Joe Dumars said on Jul 21, 2007:

It’s obvious that this particular producer had no negotiation skills to approach Pack FM. Most producers are shut in’s anyway. Why would we expect them to know how to deal with people in a business situation? This guys mistake was that he did not hire a production manager to negotiate the entire ordeal.

artistPackFM said on Jul 21, 2007:

But damn, once somebody gets a little bit of fame they act like they were never in that position of being hungry and just wanting exposure.

this has nothing to do with fame tho. it has to do with somebody who i do not know nor have i ever heard of coming at me expecting me to just hop on his shit just because.

perfect example is this: recdently dj js1 sent me an email very similar saying he was finishing a new album and he had a song he need a few more mc’s on etc. and i knocked it out no problem. not because of fame, or what i could gain from it. i did it because me and js1 have a WORKING RELATIONSHIP. the same way js used his only day off tour to knock out the scratches for my album. like i said

I do favors for my fam all day, but if you aint fam, business is business.

if fuckin dj clue would have stepped to me with the same shit i would ask him whats the budget. this has NOTHING to do with “a lil fame”

Big True said on Jul 24, 2007:

DAMN RIGHT IT WAS A TRAGEDY!!!!

Could you repeat the question?

lol This is a business people. Kiss my ass with that “Do it for the love,” Bullshit. Cus as soon as ya ass becomes popular you gonna start selling those same beats you tried to give away. Dont get mad at QN5 for being a fuckin RECORD LABEL THAT SELLS MUSIC. Tha fuck you think they are here for? They dont make dough by selling shaved pubic hair….

The next person that reads this and gets offended, go sleding face first during winter across the George Washington Bridge during rushhour… For real… Right in the middle lane…

Ezra said on Mar 08, 2009:

I don’t know if my last reply was accepted or whatever so I’ll repost it…

I know this is old but I just gotta say my piece, now i’m not sure about ya’ll but I believe that unless it’s an album like Feed the Children or something Charitable like that then the artist should get paid.

I mean c’mon if they…

Used up their time to do the track…PAY ‘EM

Paid thier money for the studio and or beat for the track…PAY ‘EM

One of the most important (as of now a days)…

Paid to put GAS in THEIR CAR for your track…PAY ‘EM

Bottom line is…

If you want Artists and or Producers to respect you…PAY ‘EM

If you want them to like you…PAY ‘EM

If you want them to (and this is the most important) do MORE business with you, then Phuchin’…PAY ‘EM

There I said my piece.

and i’m out.
——-

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