A Lovely Day: Rap Coalition’s CEO Talks about the Bright Side of Economic Education for Hiphop Artists

Article by Nicole "Nikol" Hodges
Photo of Wendy Day by Ernesto Pontillo (Gala Graffix)

Wendy Day is a Hiphop activist and educator: plain and simple. As the CEO and Founder of Rap Coalition in New York City, Day has found a way to couple the pulse, passion and energy of Hiphop music with a mission to educate and empower Hiphop artists to control their creative works.

NH: Can you give us a snapshot of Rap Coalition?

WD: Rap Coalition is an artist advocacy organization dedicated to informing, educating, protecting, and unifying urban artists (rappers, producers, reggae artists, and R&B artists). We seem to be the only not-for-profit organization in the urban music industry that is focusing on the artists' needs and going to bat, one-on-one, with record labels, production companies, and managers to break unfairly exploitative deals… Rap Coalition is funded completely by myself with money I make consulting independent labels or structuring distribution deals. Rap Coalition never charges artists for its services.

NH: In your mission statement for the organization, you state that you offer educational programs and forums for artists about the music industry. Can you highlight some of these programs?

WD: Sure! Rap Coalition, since our inception in 1992, has put a very strong emphasis on education, knowledge and the sharing of information. The music industry is built on the concept of getting artists to sign deals for as little money as possible, for as long a term as possible. An artist's goal should be to get as much benefit as possible, for as short a term as possible, but most artists don't know what's fair and acceptable…We decided early on to find out how the industry really works, and then share this information, for free, with those who need it. Knowledge is power. And that's just what we've done for the past ten years. We have offered monthly panel discussions in New York since 1994; we have monthly columns in many publications read by artists (and fans), and since 1993, we've been organizing at least one panel (if not all the panels) at almost every urban music conference in existence. We have teamed with many universities around the country for free speaking engagements, and I personally have been the keynote speaker at many events around the US (and even in Europe) for free. In 2003, I am even taking my monthly panel series on the road (first year I'll be able to afford to do this) to cities like Houston, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Raleigh and Miami.

NH: With so many major record companies losing millions of dollars to Internet businesses, how is Rap Coalition preparing artists for the technological revolution we are currently experiencing?

WD: I don't believe labels are losing millions of dollars to downloading, but that is a topic for a whole other discussion. The music BUSINESS is our main focus and the technology advances in the music business affect artists, and therefore Rap Coalition is on it. The bulk of the deals we've structured, in fact all but one (Slick Rick, which Def Jam insists on owning), have carved out the artists' right to own their own web name and control their own Internet presence. The Internet plays an important part, and is increasing in importance at a dramatic speed, and fortunately, we are able to keep up with it through sharing knowledge and information on how artists can capitalize on it. We also lead through example, and own five (soon to be six) websites for artists where they can access information for free.

NH: Representation of wealth plays a big part in the Hiphop image for many artists. Have you touched on material culture as it relates to creating wealth with artists you represent?

WD: First let me say, I do not subscribe to KRS-1's doctrine that Hip Hop is all one word, so you will see me refer to it with two words, and capitalized because it is a proper noun, as it was originally used. I think we have enough revisionist history in America.

Image is everything in Hip Hop and in this industry, so materialism is an area where I tread lightly, but do tread. Because I understand how materialism destroys and controls people of color in America, I feel it my responsibility to share this knowledge with artists while I do understand the pathology that allows artists to use materialism in selling units and building an image that fans will appreciate. Some artists are enlightened, and some are not. I choose not to do this publicly for the most part, but pull artists aside on a one-on-one basis to discuss it where they will be most likely to hear me to open dialog and discussion.

I share with artists some stories about my past where I've made hundreds of thousands of dollars (before the music industry) and pissed it all away with nothing to show for my hard work today; then I share with them how I learned, and the difference it has made in my life… I was able to dump half a million dollars of my own money into Rap Coalition in 1992 to get it off the ground, and now don't have to answer to anyone but myself. Talk about freedom!

I discuss with artists, also, the damage they are doing to young minds to constantly supply images of materialism, violence, sex and drugs. I never try to change anyone, but just offer a view that may differ from his or her own.

NH: Many artists, Hiphop or otherwise, don't speak the financial language of Wall Street. How do you teach financial language to rap artists who may not conceptualize wealth in the terms "compound interest" and "mutual fund"?

WD: I only teach financial language to those who want to learn the terms. Most do not. One thing translates directly: if you invest a chunk of your money today, it doubles in size every few years. I spend more time making artists think, as opposed to speaking about specific investments. "What are you going to do when your fans stop buying your albums and move on to the next hot thing?" goes a lot further in my world than "what's the S&P trading at this hour?" One viewing of VH1's “Behind the Scenes” on Hammer is far more effective than three days of wealth seminars.

NH: What are a few basic tips of advice you would give to new artists who are about to shop a demo or want to get into the recording industry?

WD: Artists need to find the best record deal possible for them, or if they have any entrepreneurial skills, put the record out themselves. It means a difference to you (the artist) usually between $8 a CD yourself and 80 cents per CD from a major label, after you pay back everything they spent to make and promote your record. Artists need to keep 100% of their publishing (that's where the money is) or sell a portion of it, but knowing and understanding its value.

The best advice I can give is that "shopping a demo" doesn't work. Maybe it did in the early 90s, but I personally don't know any artist who got signed from a demo since 1992 when I started in this business. Labels are looking to reduce their risk, so they are signing either artists affiliated with a platinum recording act (Eminem, Busta, Cash Money, Murder Inc, etc.) or an artist who has sold units regionally and has proven there is a viable market for his or her music.

The second best advice I can give is: learn the business. Just like you wouldn't step onto a basketball court against Michael Jordan without learning how to play ball or what his strengths and weaknesses are, you shouldn't step into the music business without knowing who the players are and what's fair and acceptable.

NH: Can you suggest any books or websites besides your own (www. rapcoalition.org) that may lead artists in the right direction?

WD: There are two great books, and they have similar names: Donald Passman's Everything You Need to Know about the Music Business and Kashif's All You Need to Know about the Music Business. I, personally, read everything I can get my hands on about the music business. I read Billboard Magazine weekly, all the rap magazines and every book that comes out about music, no matter what the genre is. I especially like the clandestine ones like Frederic Dannen's Hit Men so I can see where artists have gotten jerked in the past so I can learn for the future. There aren't a lot of websites yet devoted to helping artists because most sites are profit driven (like the labels). There's no profit in altruism. In addition to www.rapcoalition.org, check out www.rapcointelpro.com, www.slavesnomore.com and soon to come: www.buildmorewealth.com.

* Wendy Day participated in the Hiphop Archive’s Hiphop Community Activism and Education Roundtable at Harvard University on September 28, 2002. For more information about Wendy Day and Rap Coalition visit www.rapcoalition.org. I suggest the following sites for consultation about basic economic empowerment for everyone: www.armchairmillionaire.com, www.investopedia.com, www.cyberinvest.com and www.sharebuilder.com.


Contact: Nicole Hodges hodges@hiphoparchive.org