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…

A recent story surfaced about a Japanese ambient musician who spent two years creating and uploading one album a day for two years straight.  In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic dive into why his album-a-day approach worked and break down four lessons that any artist can apply.  Hit the link on our profile to watch/listen to episode 325 of Super Duty Tough Work, “Are You Creating Enough?”:

Although many people were happy to see the Grammys pay tribute to hip-hop turn 50 years old, not all artists were on the same page. Most notably, hip-hop pioneer and icon KRS-ONE was very public about why I turned down his invitation to participate in the tribute, sparking debates in hip-hop circles worldwide. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic debate whether or not KRS-ONE made the right decision to boycott the event.  Hit the link…

If there is one factor that influences every facet of American life, it’s inflation.  Things that were once cheap become expensive and things that were already expensive become even more expensive.  These increasing costs impact artists and force them to evaluate what they’re charging for their art.  In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic dive deep into why so many artists struggle with raising their prices.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 322 of Super…

With Blueprint and Illogic both putting the finishing touches on their next set of albums to be released next year, they’ve been knee deep in the post-production process. This week, they talk about how they evaluate songs their on the fence about and the process the follow to fix a song that isn’t quite working.  Hit the link to watch/listen to episode 321 of Super Duty Tough Work, How to Fix a Broken Song, out…

Rapper Juicy J made news this week when he pointed out that sales of rap music have dropped 40% in the last year, calling for a meeting of the minds to fix it. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why they think rap music sales are in a slump and their solutions for how to fix it.  Hit the link to watch Super Duty Tough Work episode 320, Why Rap Sales Are Down…

As lifetime artists, we know that there are a lot of unfair and unrealistic expectations that unnecessarily add pressure to the creative process. In this week’s episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down what these unrealistic expectations are and why it’s ok if you don’t participate in them.  Hit the link to watch episode 319 of the Super Duty Tough Work podcast, A Message to Artists:

The popularity of music streaming services has created a situation where the average music listener can consume as much music as they want without paying anything for it.  As a result, sales of physical music aren’t what they used to be.  However, despite the abundance of free music, fans still buy music.  In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why fans still buy music even though they don’t have to anymore.  Hit the link…

A few weeks ago, the internet was buzzing about two new challengers to twitter, Threads and Spill.  And while there were millions of people who signed up for the new apps, there were others who stayed where they were at because it just felt like too much.  It begs the question: are there too many social media platforms for artists to maintain nowadays? We dive deep into that exact question in this week’s episode.  Hit…

Although conversations about what artists need to do to be successful happen all the time, very rarely do they speak about the role that money (or the lack thereof) plays in an artists career.  This creates a situation where talking about money has largely become taboo, but we think it’s more important than ever to be honest about it.  In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down ten things artists consistently get wrong about money…

Over the last year, we’ve discussed Blueprint’s decision to get a driving job due to the fallout from covid shutting down the music industry, but things took a big turn this week when he announced that he had purchased his own semi-truck. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss everything that went into his decision to purchase his own truck and become an owner-operator. And how that decision will ultimately give him more freedom to…

A recent survey found that 75% of artists lose money on their music releases. And while those numbers are pretty discouraging, you don’t have to be among the majority that lose money this way. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down eight strategies that will help you stop losing money on your releases.  Hit the link to watch/listen to Super Duty Tough Work episode 314, WHY MOST ALBUMS LOSE MONEY: