>BTW since when is 300,000
>a tiny budget? Sell
>units then you can blow
>dough in the studio.


most records cost 800,000-1.5

all of my records have.

well except for organix. and by the sound quality it's quite easy to tell that it was indeed a cheap album.

but no record that is really compeating in the marketplace is doing so for a cheap price.


studio time- most studios run you a few g's. so let's go to a "cheap one" ($1000....and if u lucky to find this? u r the shiznit!)

rental- either you get an advance to buy shit ahead of time or you rent shit. most cats do both. i do both. but i'll go the "cheap" route and rent. this is how studios come up. they charge you for everything from food bill, long distance, keyboards, drums, etc. so if a jazzie record gets made we need a vintage fender rhodes ($180) a triton ($130) a 2000xl ($150) drum rental, cause i aint luggin my shit down there ($300). outboard gear aint neccessary, but round here, if you aint racking up sales you better be a critic darling, and critics love creativity and mind expanding sounds so throw in some eventide units, moogerfoogers, et al ($800)

talent- i love the world but i have bills too. and if i'm drumming on your shit that's cash. and if i produce? that's more cash, and engineering? fahgetahboutit! but i love the jazzies so i cut em a break. ($3000).....

but there are other cats too...

soulquarian expenses (cats who play on some okay favorites. favor prices) ($9000)

someone got to produce this jawn right? timberland costs about ($200,000) so there is your whole budget right there. but this is favors for jazzies so im sure they can get a cat for like ($15,000)

mixing a song. (rome wasn't built in a day. and unless you doin a "? vs. scratch" skit a song takes 3 days to track. let alone mix! so we have to rent studio, engineer, and gear. lot's of time flying background vocals in. mixing engineers are more expensive than tracking engineer (bob, russ the dragon, et al) ($6000)

pay off radio to play it ($100,000)

promote it ($30,000)

video?!?!? (90,000...good video? $300,000)


that was just one song.

multiply that by songs on an album

300,000 aint shit!







the source mic ratings 1990-2001


@@@@@
-edutainment (funny in the annivrsery issue they left this out...but i have the ice cube issue when they first started rating albums)
-people's instintive travels and the paths of rhythm
-amerikkka's most wanted
-let the rhythm hit em
-all for one
-de la soul is dead
-the low end theory
-illmatic
-life after death
-aquemini
-niggaz4life* (not reveiwed but in summer issue 92 they mentioned it as a 5mic classic)

@@@@1/2
-sex and violence
-buisiness as usual
-business never personal
-whut thee album
-breaking atoms
-death certifacate
-buhloone mindstate
-the chronic
-enter the 36 chambers
-southernplayerlisticadillacmusic
-ready to die
-the infamous
-only built 4 cuban links
-illadelph halflife
-hell on earth
-bow down
-i am
-murder muzick
-life story
-classic limited edition vol 1
-guerilla warfare
-in my lifetime vol.3
-la rock familia
-ecleftic:two sides to a story
-moment of truth
-supreame clientel
-last of a dying breed
-the truth

the gag mics-
fear of a black planet-@@@1/2
da shinin-@@@
stankonia-@@@@
lootpack-@@1/2
ressurection-@@@1/2
the beatnuts-@@@1/2**
mos def and talib kweli are black star-@@@1/2
the love movement-@@@1/2
fantastic vol 2-@@@1/2
midnight maurauders- @@@@

*-source never reviewed, but mentioned in summer issue that it was a 5 mic classic.

**-the only record to change a rating after printing. in the next issue they printed (in fine print that it was a @@@@ mic album)

check the resume

organix-93
(from the ground up)-94
do you want more?!!???!-95
illadelph halflife-96
things fall apart-99
(the legendary)-99
the roots come alive-99
phrenology-2002
the tipping point-2004
(the roots present...) 2004
homegrown: the beginne