Super Duty Tough Work Podcast

After being on tour for five weeks on the Out Cold Tour, Blueprint returns to the podcast to sit down with Illogic and talk about how the tour went and what the biggest lessons were. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, NPR published a new story that describes a new trend of hip-hop artists like Earl Sweatshirt releasing shorter albums. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss the article and why we think that this new trend of shorter albums is happening and is here to stay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, news surfaced that the largest streaming platform Spotify had just purchased whosampled.com, a website famous for exposing uncleared samples. In this week's episode, Blueprint does a deep dive into what this move could mean for hip-hop artists moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Blueprint does a complete breakdown of his 50-city Vessel tour that he just wrapped up and answers the questions of Illogic as well as those submitted by listeners of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many artists find the music industry to be one of the most annoying places to work due to the way people inside of it conduct business. While many of their complaints are valid, some of these problems are created because they don't know how the music industry works. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the unspoken rules that have to be understood if you want to have any success in the music industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down their history and experience with DJing and how much their time behind the turntables has helped them become better artists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The music streaming platform Spotify has become a very polarizing entity in the music industry, with music fans loving it and many artists complaining about the unfair financial deal. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why Spotify is the best and worst thing to ever happen to music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After realizing that they have both fallen off their fitness routines, Blueprint and Illogic decide it's time to get back in shape. In this episode, they issue their annual 90-Days of Discipline challenge and invite their listeners to participate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people who have attended concerts in the last couple of years have noticed that the prices have increased. In this episode, we break down a study by Berklee Music Business Journal that breaks down exactly why ticket prices have increased so much and the answers may surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week an djbooth.com posted an interview with hip-hop group Little Brother where rapper Big Pooh had a lot of negative things to say about the current state of touring. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down their issues and debate whether they're legitimate or not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the toughest traits to cultivate in life is grit, which according to author Angela Duckworth is the combination of passion and perseverance. As artists who have been releasing music for over twenty years, Blueprint and Illogic break down how having enough grit to stay in the game helped them with their recent endeavors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent study that was released that examined the suicide rates among all professions, and found that people working in the music industry had some of the highest rates. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the report and take a deep dive into the issue of mental health in the music industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we sit down with long-time friend of the show and dope MC, Brother Ali. In this week's episode, Blueprint and Brother Ali have an open honest conversation about Brother Ali's decision to depart from Rhymesayers and how he went about building his team to help him release his own music and the hard lessons he's learned along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most important relationships an artist has is with their producer, yet the current trend in the music industry is to always work with multiple producers on a project. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why it's so important for an artist to have a produce they can trust in their corner and how to build and maintain that trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it ever too late to pursue a career in the arts? In this week's episode, Blueprint interviews his friend, former rhyme partner, and illustrator Southside Frank what it was like being in art school at 40 years old. The two friends and collaborators break down what went into his decision, how his life has changed since graduating, and his advice for anyone else thinking about doing it.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Blueprint's Southeast Asia tour in full-swing, we figured it would be a good time to discuss how the tour came together and how he was able to tour in a place most artists rarely go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As artists, coming up with great ideas is fairly common. But why is it that so few of the ideas we come up with get executed? In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why so many great creative ideas never come to fruition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode, Blueprint and Illogic review brand new albums from Shrapknel, Common & Pete Rock, Slum Village, and Ghostface Killah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, we discuss the physical, mental, and social benefits of being involved in art as you get older. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 in music and his journey into being sampled by other artists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once upon a time, you couldn't go to any live event without seeing flyers all over the place. But nowadays the majority of people rely exclusively on online promotion like facebook events. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down how this change has created a huge opportunity for artists who want to employ this strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everybody can talk about success, but not many can talk about dealing with failure. This week Blueprint discusses the events that led him to shut down his trucking company to focus on music again and how he's been dealing with the feeling of failure associated with not achieving his end goal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 approach worked and break down four lessons that any artist can apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the new year comes time to reflect on the previous year and make plans for the next. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down what they did wrong in 2023 and how they plan on fixing it in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 we think rap music sales are in a slump and our solutions for how to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 and the impact it has on their career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last year, we've discussed Blueprint's decision to get a regular 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 put more into his art again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With this season's NBA playoffs being more wild and unpredictable than ever, there has been a lot of action but more importantly, a lot of lessons. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic, break down five big lessons that artists could learn from the NBA playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The long-awaited results show for Blueprint and Illogic's latest fitness challenge. Did they reach their goals? Tune in and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last six months we've been bombarded with stories about the positive impact AI can have on our lives, with very little conversations about the downsides of it. Things have changed a bit over the last few weeks as stories started to surface about the music and film industry's fight against the rapid adoption of AI. This week, Blueprint and Illogic break down three stories about different segments of the entertainment industry whose fight against AI appears to be a clear sign of trouble ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On your journey to be the best version of yourself, there comes a time when it seems like the more money you make, the less healthy you are. This is what we like to call The Money Health Paradox. In this week's episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the four different levels of the Money Health Paradox and give advice on how to avoid it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices