Super Duty Tough Work Podcast

In sports, the "rookie wall" refers to the plateau that a first year player hits after showing a lot of promise. Whenever we take on a new endeavor, hitting the rookie wall is almost inevitable. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down how to recognize the point where our performances slip and we start to regress so that we can push through it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For people who have been a fan of the show for many years, you remember the original hood tales. This episode is simply that--Blueprint telling a story about a wild winter storm. Enjoy... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter how long you've been doing something or how skilled you are, there comes a time when you lose your rhythm and fall out of it. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic speak about why people lose their creative rhythm and how to get it back! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone who has spent any time in or around the music industry knows how difficult it is for artists to break through. For every one artists that finds success, thousands fail. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down eight dynamics that are specific to the music industry that make it difficult for artists to break through. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the pandemic, Bandcamp Fridays became a great way for artists to promote their work and for fans to support artists. But while it helped provide a much needed boost to artists, it wasn't without it's challenges and pitfalls. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic talk about the unspoken downside of Bandcamp Fridays that has many artists concerned and burned out. Link to article: https://ra.co/news/76829 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what your profession or passion is, there comes a point where you look at your peers and think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. These comparison's lead to undervaluing what we're doing and blindly following their lead. In this week's episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss greener grass syndrome and the questions you should be asking yourself whenever you start to feel that way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the majority of the world views natural talent as a guarantee for success, being in the music industry has shown us otherwise. After seeing dozens of naturally talented artists fail to reach their goals, we know that it takes much more to be successful. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the gift and curse of being naturally talented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As lifetime fans (and sometimes critics) of Nas, we were both excited when he dropped his brand new album "Magic" on Christmas Eve. The project was his third consecutive with producer Hit-Boy and forced us to admit that the Nas and Hit-Boy pairing has been a huge success. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic use interview clips from Nas and Hit-Boy to break down exactly why their collaboration has been so successful thus far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While most rappers would love to be able to live exclusively off their art, the vast majority will not have the financial success to make it work. Yet many have no desire to get a "regular" job. In this episode, we break down why so many rappers are reluctant to take on a job that would help stabilize their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New years eve edition of The Artist Advice Hour live stream where Blueprint answers questions, takes phone calls, and interviews Curly Castro and Tino. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Often times, we place blame on the student when they fail to learn the material presented to them. But what if the problem is the teacher? In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the different types of bad teachers and what made their style of teaching fail to connect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last few years, Spotify has published their year-end wrap up, where fans see which artists they've listened to the most and artists see how many fans are listening to them. And while this is cause for celebration for one set of artists, it has created anxiety and anger in others. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why artists are so mad about Spotify's year end wrap up lists and how to stop it from happening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

One of the biggest casualties of the pandemic has been the music industry. Between venues closing, tours being cancelled, and vinyl manufacturing times being delayed, every artist has felt the effects. In this episode, Blueprint breaks down what he saw that made him decide to get his CDL and shares some funny stories and lessons about the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Memphis rapper Young Dolf was killed this week, it reminded us of the huge violence problem that exists in certain segments of hip-hop. In short, too many rappers are losing their lives too soon. This week, we break down ten reasons why this is happening and our ideas on how to fix it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every month or two a story circulates that reveals a bad deal that a hip-hop artist signed in hopes of getting an opportunity in the industry. As bad as these deals are, most people have no idea how to prevent these types of things from happening. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss the idea of what a hip-hop union would look like and what the benefits would be if it came to fruition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the Wall Street Journal shared an article about the struggle that the vast majority of content creators have in making money. While sobering, the article offers many great lessons to any creative. In this episode, we break down six things you must understand before you go all in to pursue your craft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been almost a year since we've done an album reviews episode, so we decided to bring it back. This week we're reviewing albums from Kanye, Curly Castro, Common, Nas, and Cesar Comanche & Poe Mack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest things technology has done to the music industry is making software for recording, mixing, and mastering more affordable and accessible. Once upon a time, the only people mixing and mastering were trained engineers, but now everyone can dabble in it. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic speak about the pros and cons of mixing and mastering your own music and whether it's a good idea to take on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, we did our second installment of our youtube live stream show, The Artist Advice Hour, where we invite our listeners to ask Blueprint questions via email, youtube, or call in. Since we didn't record a new episode of the show this week, we decided to upload the audio from this so our listeners would have something to listen to this week. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most sensitive topics for artists is working a full-time job. On one hand we all agree they are necessary to make money, but on the other hand they sap the time and energy you could be putting into your art. In this episode, we break down ten realities that an artist must understand to maximize their time working a full time job if they ever want to make the transition to becoming a full-time artist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices