What's Next For Duval hip hop??

After grieving silently about the loss of Paten Locke, one of the first questions I had was: who is in the lineup to take his place? I’m still asking that. Outside of some possible contenders, I still wonder who would be in the right stance to be that godfather. Nothing has come yet. 

Albums and albums and more albums are releasing, but is there a proper treatment to the releases? Proper = release party, videos, interviews, etc. I see artists releasing songs and albums, but are they getting covered through the proper media channels (and social media is a tip of that, so we really can’t consider social media to be a definite channel...unless you’re truly popping in these streets). Are the local radio and TV stations highlighting these albums and artists? Is that a thing to do in 2021? For Jacksonville, Florida…it better be…or another *cough* a digital…marketing plan needs to be formulated…like now. 

Here are a few things I feel need more presence in Duval hip hop:

1. Educational factor. I see some artists being trailed into institutions and organizations to enlighten people, but we don’t have our own institutions or organizations. We barely have a website that focuses on Hip Hop and the people involved. Remember the Duval County Luv site? It was similar to what Okayplayer had. There isn’t anyone that truly walks the light of how effective an artist can be here and it surely isn’t an educator that presents theories and practices to the community. It’s already bad that hip hop is only about bragging on things that aren’t tangible, women, drugs, guns, and more. There are other components that add to hip hop, but we need more teachers and people to illustrate such.

   
   

2. Pride. I feel that the pride that surrounds hip hop is focused solely on the “wrong” things. There's a vast amount of cliques here, which is ok, but these cliques don’t intertwine with each other. Especially when it comes to the bigger picture. I also feel as if the artists are content with the “Duval celebrity” title. Let me tell you...ain’t nothing good about that. Nothing comes from it. No pension, no longevity, and hell...not even any acknowledgments or awards. All you’ll get is your name plastered on a Duval’s top 10 emcees...which is made by a consumer...not curated by someone of calibur. Also, this type of acknowledgment doesn’t grant you a sufficient tour or a historic placement in a museum. To enlighten the “bigger picture” comment, can you get insurance and a 401K from this? This brings me to my third point...

   
   

3. Resources. Outside of a club, where can we go to have a thorough listening event? Is there an official hub for emcees to utilize for high standard recording sessions? Is there traffic that comes in Duval that can be an asset to the growth of a hip hop artist? Even with clubs, you have to go through an arm and three legs to book it. I will say that some of the business moves to handle it is warranted, but no one is educating them of the process, so it leaves hip hop artists in the dark. Lastly, it gives the idea that people have to move to be successful. Now...part of that feeling stays lingering in my brain, but...adding some resources for one to grow here COULD pause moving until it’s figured out. If we don’t know how to go about the business of things, as well as using valued resources, then how do we expect to do that elsewhere? 

There is more that can be added to this, but I wanted to share what was on my mind, at the moment. Share what you think would be a building block to making Duval hip hop richer. I would love to have conversations about this, but it takes an open mind and willingness to make it occur. Until then, keep making great music and don’t let releasing an album be the last stop. It’s WORK to be done. 

-Mr. Al Pete