1-2-25
(Happy New Year)

Happy 2025 Eveyone!

Even tho our calendar system is messed up. Why are we on a 12 month cycle? Orignal Chinese calendar was 10 month. There are only 10 numbers 0-9. No computer can compute past a 9. The meter goes back to 0 and a 1 gets put in the tens spot. But we are stuck on multiples on 6. 60 seconds and minutes. 24 Hours. 12 Months. We measure in 12 inches (pause) when the rest of the world in on metrics. God gave us 10 fingers to count for a reason.

Hope everyone had a good holiday season. Wether you celebrate this or that, its all really a winter soltice celebration. No mention of Dec. 25th in the Bible.

2025 I got a lot in store. A lot of original songs, mixtapes, mixes, live shows, videos, and more. I haven't done a blog post in a while. When you don't hear from me, is when I'm really the busiest. Plus I talk thru my music and mixes. This is just a place where I can get out some of my extra thoughts and keep you updated.

No Intro 6 mixtape almost done. Plenty of new original songs too. I already made a new beat this morning and I feel like I got a sound I'm happy with. I'm callin it futuristic oldschool. Every producer has a sound, and instead of trying to make a beat like this, or make a beat like that, to instead just make the beat based on how you feel and most important is if it sounds good. I never want to make a beat or rap where people hear it and say it sounds like anyone but me. Sometimes different takes time to set in for people to comprehend. Other times it connects immediately. It depends, but either way, music is always changed by something new. Everyone has a silimar sound in each era until something completely different is released, and everyone chases that as the new sound. If you're following a current trend, you're really behind.

I got some new beats as well as old beats I've been goin' thru. Some were ehhh, some need to be completed, but some were like whoa, how did I not use these. I also have a lot of old released and unreleased songs I'm puttin' out. I'm gettin' better at mixing and mastering so I can finally have them sound how I want. Sometimes things take time, but there's no such thing as a failed experiment. Sometimes you have to put things out to relize how to fix it and how to get better.

The most important thing as an artist, is to get material out. I want to find a good balance of releasing music consistently,  but not rushing it. Don't sit on the songs, but also don't just throw it out there. Sometimes I work on so much new material I forget to put out the older stuff. Or I put out new songs just to realize I could have taken a couple more days for another mix. But its cool. I have no problem saying my mistakes where most people won't even recognize their own faults. It's like a  DJ saying they don't make mistakes. Then you haven't Dj'd much. The best NBA player misses shots. What you should remember is the shots made. Most people don't think that way tho.

Anyway... Even the best artists have more people who don't like them then people who do. They probly had 10 million people not want to buy their album, to sell 1 mil. The biggest goal is exposure. Pause. People can't buy or support want they don't know. I promote on the streets. I'm not into "social media", I've used it but usually end up gettin' rid of it as I see it as a distraction. Every picture posted on there, is a picture or song  I could have posted on here. Plus this is my world. If you don't like it, then no problem.

And chances are, you didn't know about me from social media. Most likely you seen me perform here or there, heard a song I passed out, maybe on the radio, or whatever, but street promotion is the number one way to promote. Nobody wants to click a link of someone they don't already know. If I pass out a flyer, they may not take it, they may not care, but you seen me either way and I'm out here. Passin out CDs works. Not everyone wants to buy music, but if you give a sample at least they have someting to actuallly hear you. CDs are good because they're not as easy to ignore when you actually have one. They mite throw it away, but most likely they will at least give a listen once. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day its gonna be sittin there... A post gets read and its done, an email or text gets deleted without being read.

If instagram and all that is working for you then don't let me tell you to stop. But I'm into building a site that I can own. If we all stopped using labels and websites owned by other companies we could actually control the music industry. The artists. And the fans. The labels are nothing but banks loaning money to promote a video of an image they want. Same with movies, TV, sports, everything. If we don't play for them or watch them, they will not be able to survive. I can make music without a label. Labels can't exist without a musician.

So I'm puttin out a bunch of free music to get the people interested. "Nothing sells music like music" was an old 50 Cent quote. That's what made any rapper succesful, was the underground. You think any artists blew up overnite? That's an illusion. You never seen them before in your life, then next day they're all over the TV, so to you, they came into existance overnite. Guarantee, that wasn't the first song they made.

Even if you want to get signed, why would I or anyone sign an artist that has no sales. You can't sell a mill if you never sold a thousand. If you never sold 100, if you never sold 10. A penny makes, a dimes, makes a dollar, and so on. A mil is a thousand 1 thousand times.

They want someone already making good music, and promoting and doing shows, and selling units and merchandise and all that. At that point, why would anyone want to be signed? So they can take a cut? So they can take complete ownership? More work for less money. People are obsessed with the idea of fame, but fame doesn't pay bills.

So get it while its free. Eventually I want to charge for at least some of the music. Maybe a free version and a payed deluxe version with bonus songs. Or maybe mixtapes free and albums pay. I don't want to ever deny people the music because I know how it is and you can't buy everything out there. A lot of times I'd download versions just to end up buying it I liked it so much and wanted the full quality CD.

People got an idea nowdays where we don't have to pay for music. Ok. Then what about your streaming service subcription, or the internet and cable bill, the new headphones, the sound system in your car? Concert tickets? They'll pay anyone and everyone except the independent artist directly. Why? Because nowdays everyone is a rapper or wants to be one, so to support another independent rapper is seen as supporting the competition. That's bullshit to me, but I know its true.

So I'ma leave it at that 4 now... And I'll be back in some form. Check out the newest 4Ril 4TheRadio NYE mix if you haven't. Bout to do a new one here soon. Check out 32 Beats aka 1 Mil Bars where I rapped on over 30 oldschool beats. Phil4Ril.Com the mixtape is out. Some original songs Cruzin, Goin' To The Top are out.

Ummmm happy new year. Even tho we're still in winter, the end of the year. Makes no sense, but whatever. Cheers. I didn't even drink on NYE. Figured its just another trick played on us to get us starting the new year groggy. Stay up late and drink and wake up on the first feeling like shit. Na, I feel great. Every day to me is like a new year. No resolutions except to keep goin'. Forward that it. You can make action, but it doesn't always mean you're moving in the right direction.