When people hear hit songs like “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, they don’t really think about what went on behind-the-scenes to make it happen. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down an interview with the songs producer, DJ Mustard, where he reveals how being consistent with his output and humble in his approach were the keys to getting the opportunity that changed his career trajectory.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 344,…

Many artists complain about not getting the opportunities they think they deserve, but don’t understand the role that public perception plays in this or how to change it. Simply put, the people around them don’t see them as they see themselves. In this episode, we do a case study on bay area rapper LaRussel and break how he was able to change how people view him and create opportunities for himself.  Super Duty Tough Work…

Instead of doing our normal New Years episode where we look forward, we decided to pause for a second and talk about the goals we accomplished in 2024. We also play calls from listeners about their biggest wins of 2024.  Episode 342 of Super Duty Tough Work is Our Biggest 2024 Wins and is out everywhere now:

Blueprint returns to the United States after his month-long excursion to Southeast Asia to talk about his adventures and answer fan questions about it.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 341, Asia Tour Recap:

Although make money from your art is one of the best feelings in the world, along the way you will realize that you have probably missed out on just as much as you have made for various reasons. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the top reasons artists miss out money and give the solutions for each.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 339, How Artists Miss Out on Money, out now:

While have a twenty year career in the music industry is a blessing, it’s not without its drawbacks. One of those is the constant changing of technology and how that impacts your ability to store and archive your oldest material. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the challenges of keeping their catalog intact and give advice for artists who may want to avoid some of the problems they’re dealing with.  Hit the link…

In this week’s episode, Blueprint and Illogic review brand new albums from Shrapknel, Common & Pete Rock, Slum Village, and Ghostface Killah.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 336 of Super Duty Tough Work, Album Reviews, out now:

 While many artists tell themselves that being involved in art after the age of 40 doesn’t make sense because believe they can never make a living from it, there are many studies suggesting that it is actually worth it whether you make money or not. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss the physical, mental, and social benefits of being involved in art as you get older.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 335…

Earlier this month, Redman and Method Man made news by saying this would be their last time playing the Hot 97 Summer fest because they felt the generation gap was too wide. While some younger fans were offended by their comments, other older hip-hop fans understood what they meant. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down what went wrong and why it’s little more complicated than it seems. Hit the link to watch/listen to…

After finishing his first tour in six years, The Falling Down tour, Blueprint returns to the podcast to reflect on how touring has changed and to share some of his biggest lessons from getting back on the road.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 333, The Biggest Lessons from the Falling Down Tour: 

Last week, Spotify’s CEO landed himself in hot water for saying that the cost of creating content is “close to zero.” In response, many artists and creatives, called him out on it. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down some of the real costs of creating content that nobody speaks about and why it’s nowhere near close to zero.  Hit the link to listen to episode 332 of the Super Duty Tough Work podcast,…

Once you reach a certain number of releases in your catalog, people tend to judge you by those projects and how successful they were. But most artists know that they had several projects that they never released because they were too scared to share them. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down three projects that they never released due to fear but wish they would have.  Hit the link to watch/listen to Super Duty…

Since we speak about the pros and cons of making sample-based music on this show quite often, it’s only right that we invite a producer on the show who has been on both sides. Aside for producing tracks for Conway, Murs, Ras Kass, and Brother Ali, Texas producer Rob Viktum is a composer and sound designer who makes samples that are used by other producers. In this episode, we speak to him about his start…

The long-awaited return of album reviews by the Super Duty Tough Work crew. In this episode, they review recent albums from Dibiase & Raz Fresco, Planet Asia & Midaz the Beast, Blockhead, and Larry June & The Alchemist.  Hit the link to watch/listen to 327 of the Super Duty Tough Work podcast, Album Reviews:

Over the last couple of months, Hip-hop fans have been talking about how the brand new documentary about hip-hop group Little Brother, “May the Lord Watch.” The documentary tells the story of Little Brother and goes deep into what broke the group up and what brought them back together. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic review the film and break down six big lessons that every artist should take away from it.  Hit the link…