Saturday, September 15th to Sunday, September 16th, 2007: McAllen, TX
Tonight we went to Club Metropolis. We MC’d the night and they played the shit out of our music!!! People in the club already knew all the words to the song. We passed out flyers and our Michael watts snippet CDs to everyone in the club. We plastered the cars in the parking lot with our TMI postcards.
On Saturday, we went to McAllen Mall and Harlingen Mall and promoted all day. We then went to teen night at Club Metropolis and promoted more. We did a small performance and a bunch of t-shirt give-aways. We signed autographs for hours.
Then we rolled into club Graham Central Station and XO MC’d. Then we got wild--we’re on tour, use your imagination… Wendy is gone so now we can whore around! Ha ha ha ha ha ha (just kidding, Ma!)
We got up the next morning and drove the four hours north to Austin.
--reese
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
TMI Flick Of The Week
Thanks to Yolanda for sending us this week's Flick Of The Week! Here are TMI Boyz at Ron C's record release party in Houston TX in August.
Send in your photos of TMI Boyz to TMIBoyz@gmail.com...
Send in your photos of TMI Boyz to TMIBoyz@gmail.com...
Promo Tour Days 11 through 13
Friday, September 14th, 2007 through Sunday, September 16th, 2007 McAllen, TX
We’ve been looking forward to coming to the Valley (the area south of break-a-window Corpus Christi, all the way down to the Mexican border) for months now because this is an area where we get a lot of love. Industry folks call this a “break out market.” It’s a market that embraced us very early so we give it crazy love and attention. We LOVE the Valley!!!!!
Originally, I had only planned for the guys to be here for one day and then head to Killeen, but when I saw the reaction on the streets, I knew they had to stay here longer. I re-routed the tour so they could spend the weekend amongst their true fans.
We rolled into McAllen around 11 pm and had to be at the radio station at 5 AM for the morning show with Johnny O. We’re getting about 25 or 30 spins a week just from this one station so we will show ridiculous love. Ghetto was thoughtful enough (even at 5 AM) to pick up breakfast tacos and orange juice for everyone at the station.
We spent close to an hour on the air. This is unheard of at radio for new artists. I was so impressed with Johnny O and the love he showed us. He kept pumping up our in-store from 5 to 7 at the Sunrise Mall in Brownsville, about an hour down the road from McAllen (towards the ocean).
After the morning show, we went back to the hotel to sleep and Ghetto took the truck to get the window replaced. Good as new. Only now the wrap is missing in that area, and folks can easily see into the truck. I guess that’s OK, because maybe when they see there isn’t shit to steal, they won’t break in. Crackheads.
We lost the time to promote to high schools today, so the owner of the label suggested (in a stern way) that the guys remain in McAllen for another day or two and promote hard. OK, so that’s really the reason I rerouted the tour, but he was 100% correct in that call. So the guys stayed and promoted at the club on Friday night, the Malls the next day, and the teen club on Saturday night at Metropolis. They even attended one of the local football games which are taken VERY seriously in McAllen since they have no NFL team or college teams.
I headed back to Atlanta first thing Saturday morning, and the guys went on to Austin to re-blitz that area since that’s also a great market for us and we feel we missed a few key spots. Flying out of McAllen was a treat because the airport was the side of my house. In fact, I had to fly through Dallas to get home. I plan to meet back up with the tour in one week in Oklahoma City!
Uh oh…looks like the guys are all getting my cold…damn.
--wendy
We’ve been looking forward to coming to the Valley (the area south of break-a-window Corpus Christi, all the way down to the Mexican border) for months now because this is an area where we get a lot of love. Industry folks call this a “break out market.” It’s a market that embraced us very early so we give it crazy love and attention. We LOVE the Valley!!!!!
Originally, I had only planned for the guys to be here for one day and then head to Killeen, but when I saw the reaction on the streets, I knew they had to stay here longer. I re-routed the tour so they could spend the weekend amongst their true fans.
We rolled into McAllen around 11 pm and had to be at the radio station at 5 AM for the morning show with Johnny O. We’re getting about 25 or 30 spins a week just from this one station so we will show ridiculous love. Ghetto was thoughtful enough (even at 5 AM) to pick up breakfast tacos and orange juice for everyone at the station.
We spent close to an hour on the air. This is unheard of at radio for new artists. I was so impressed with Johnny O and the love he showed us. He kept pumping up our in-store from 5 to 7 at the Sunrise Mall in Brownsville, about an hour down the road from McAllen (towards the ocean).
After the morning show, we went back to the hotel to sleep and Ghetto took the truck to get the window replaced. Good as new. Only now the wrap is missing in that area, and folks can easily see into the truck. I guess that’s OK, because maybe when they see there isn’t shit to steal, they won’t break in. Crackheads.
We lost the time to promote to high schools today, so the owner of the label suggested (in a stern way) that the guys remain in McAllen for another day or two and promote hard. OK, so that’s really the reason I rerouted the tour, but he was 100% correct in that call. So the guys stayed and promoted at the club on Friday night, the Malls the next day, and the teen club on Saturday night at Metropolis. They even attended one of the local football games which are taken VERY seriously in McAllen since they have no NFL team or college teams.
I headed back to Atlanta first thing Saturday morning, and the guys went on to Austin to re-blitz that area since that’s also a great market for us and we feel we missed a few key spots. Flying out of McAllen was a treat because the airport was the side of my house. In fact, I had to fly through Dallas to get home. I plan to meet back up with the tour in one week in Oklahoma City!
Uh oh…looks like the guys are all getting my cold…damn.
--wendy
San Antonio Performance
TMI Boyz performed in San Antonio at a club called The Venue downtown, thanks to Yolanda and DJ Ghost for hooking us up...
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Promo Tour Day 10
Thursday, September 13th, 2007 CORPUS CHRISTI
Today finds us waking up to a new day in Corpus Christi, Texas. It’s also the first day of Ramadan and Sayeed (the scholar) is Muslim. Ramadan is the month long religious holiday followed by Muslims the world over. They give up food and the basics like sex, during the daylight hours to show Allah their dedication, devotion, and will-power. Since Sayeed has decided to follow Ramadan while on tour (which is difficult), in solidarity, I have decided to follow it with him. Even though I am not Muslim (I can not give up pre-marital sex, and refuse to be a hypocritical believer), I usually follow Ramadan each year—except last year, somehow I missed it until it was half over, and chose to follow it with Sayeed. Me and him against the world…
I have a wicked bad cold, and feel like shit today, but we press on. We posted up at gas stations along the freeway (shout out to Stripes) selling CDs to patrons gassing up their vehicles, at least until the gas station workers call the cops and we are chased off the premises.
Around 4 pm we head over to the Padre Staples Mall to the FYE for our in-store. It’s close to 100 degrees out today, and the mall is fucking empty. The Mall is in the process of renovating, so there’s no tile on the floors and the ceilings are all ripped out, making the Mall appear to be terribly ghetto. We’re pretty careful where we park today because out window is in a weakened state.
Last night while at the club (I stayed back in the hotel fighting this cold), someone tried to pry the back passenger window out of the truck, shattering it completely. Only, the truck is wrapped so the strong plastic wrap held the shattered window in place, just allowing it to bow slightly.
Our next stop tonight is McAllen, so Reese spent the morning calling salvage yards in McAllen, Brownsville, and Pharr so we could cop a new back passenger window when we arrive tonight, or first thing tomorrow morning if we arrive too late. Hooray for Google, as it really helped us in locating this new window ($100).
The guys ate a lil sumpthin’ at the food court in the Mall, except Sayeed and me. We will eat when the sun goes down tonight. If I get hungry enough, I will check out the NOI website for an official sunset time….
This cold is kicking my ass. The NyQuil is making me feel worse today, so I stopped and grabbed DayQuil at one of the gas stations before they called the cops on us. By the way, we dropped to number 8 on the Billboard Rap Singles sales chart this week…damn. Morale is low this morning.
RIP to Tupac who lost the battle of his life 11 years ago today. This is the first anniversary of your death where I didn’t take the day off. Somehow I think you’d like that I was grinding with the guys… I miss you, homie!
Sunset is at 7:37 pm today in Corpus Christi!!! Sayeed and I are hungry as hell….
Every time TMI comes to Corpus, some asshole tries to break into the truck, and breaks a window. [Hey, Rocket Scientist! Invest a couple hundred bucks in a Slim Jim from Snap-On Tools and pretend to be a pro, OK? I hate a stupid criminal.] Well, tonight is no different. The guys went to a strip club tonight to, uh, promote (if you believe that, wanna buy a bridge?) and instead of valet parking, they parked the wrapped trucks on the side of the club. Some idiot tried to break into the truck (there was nothing to steal, but this didn’t stop the crackhead) by prying the back passenger window.
This shattered the glass, but it stayed in place because of the wrap (it’s like a giant sheet of contact paper or really thick tape over the truck). So when we woke up on Thursday we had to either tape up the window or spend the time in Corpus to have the window replaced. This caused a huge drama in the camp because there was some discussion as to whom should pay for the $130 window replacement--everyone pitch in together, or should the person who didn’t want to pay $5 for Valet absorb the cost since it was his decision to park on the side of the building?
I hate drama and you could cut the tension with a knife. The thought of these guys driving around the country for the next 3 weeks like powder kegs ready to explode was unattractive to me. So I paid for the window. Happily! Hell, I pay more for a pair of shoes or a good dinner, so why not!? Well, this pissed off the owner of the label that I gave the money to have the window fixed, which caused more drama, but at least it wasn’t drama in the truck driving around the country. I can handle the fire…
By the way, the owner wouldn’t let me pay for the window… he made Reese give me my money back. OK, dinner’s on me tonight!!!!!! LOL
--wendy
Promo Tour Day 9
Wednesday, September 12th, 2007 VICTORIA, TX
Victoria, Texas. Population sixty thousand. Where the hell are we? When I plotted the driving directions for this tour, I didn’t tell the program to stay on the major highways and interstates, so it plots the fastest way to get between two points. In this case, it’s a rural road called 87, taking us south to Victoria from Austin.
The chatter in our truck along the way is about the impending hurricane (they call it a tropical depression) and it’s a fact of life here in eastern Texas. The guys are familiar with all of the weather terms and know distinct differences between a tropical depression and a full out hurricane.
We ended up at the Mall in Victoria about two hours early. Ghetto saw a cinema across the parking lot so off we went to kill some time and have some fun. No high schools, colleges, or malls calling to us today, so we opt for some fun downtime. The only movie we can see due to start times is the Chris Tucker/Jackie Chan flick—Rush Hour 403. It was cute and amusing, and puts us right on time to our in-store (on time for us is 15 minutes early). I guess I don’t need to tell you that we took over the theater, right?
Hey, there’s carpet on the floor of this Mall. That has to be a clean up nightmare… But the manager of this FYE, JV, is extremely nice and very supportive of us. He told us that Smoot sold 133 CDs on a Wednesday in this empty mall. VERY surprising!!! We have a better buzz than Smoot, but we only sold 101 single CDs today, and about 50 DJ Smallz mixed CDs. Not bad. Tomorrow we will find out if we lost our #1 positioning on the Billboard Rap chart.
Sayeed’s boy 50 Pak showed up to the in-store and he got to spend some time with him. He is a very close friend of Sayeed’s. They were incarcerated together and Sayeed adores him. He was kind enough to lead us part of the way to Corpus Christi—showing us a back way that would be faster for us. On the way, we listened to 50 Pak’s mixed CD and Sayeed and I chatted about it by text message since we rode in different trucks.
50 Pak, who will most likely have to change his name due to it being so close to 50 Cent’s name, is both talented as well as extremely clever. He has one song about drugs that uses intelligent metaphors for each type and weight of drug. It’s classic. He also has a song about being from Victoria that both showed his skills and his home town pride.
Ghetto set up a radio remote appearance and a club appearance in Corpus on our way. They guys joked about how every time they go to Corpus, someone tries to break into the truck. Reminds me of New York… After crossing over some bodies of water on really tall freeways, and passing by about a thousand refineries, we pull up to the Hampton Inn, tonight’s destination. Zicam isn’t fighting my cold very well and I feel progressively worse as the day moves on. Sayeed informs me that Ramadan starts tomorrow and we have a long discussion on whether or not water during Ramadan’s fast is acceptable or not. Where’s an Imam when you need him?
--wendy
Promo Tour Day 8
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Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 SAN ANTONIO, TX
Prior to arriving in San Antonio, I received an email from Yolanda, a manager based in San Antonio. She had just received our email blast about hitting #1 on the Billboard rap singles sales chart, and was offering congratulatory wishes. She also asked when we were planning on coming to San Antonio… a spot we were planning on hitting three short days away from the date of her email.
Yolanda was kind enough to blitz her MySpace friends with bulletins about our in-stores at FYEs at both Ingram Park and Southpark Mall. This brought through a lovely bunch of TMI fans anxious to support our efforts. Yolanda was also kind enough to hook up a video interview and a performance for the guys at a showcase at The Venue, downtown. DJ Ghost put together an awesome gathering of about 7 or 8 talented local artists in a venue that held the capacity crowd of about 500 party-goers. We were told by fans that this was the largest turnout they’ve had at their event, but I think they were just being kind.
Regardless, I came home with a purse full of demo CDs from hopeful artists who don’t understand what I do, and I even managed to piss off some wanna-be manager who asked me to watch his artist perform. I knew he had no clue what I do in the industry (sometimes folks assume white people are either managers or label executives, as if we can’t be at a rap event for pleasure), so I asked him why he wanted me to watch his artist, and he said for “feedback.” When I explained that I don’t give feedback because I am not his artists’ market and that there isn’t much I can do to help anyone get a deal until they’ve sold CDs, he hit me with CRAZY attitude saying they weren’t looking for a deal. He said he was looking for me to bring other established artists to his artist’s release party in a few weeks (no, he wasn’t kidding).
Note to up and coming artists and managers: if you want to network with me or if you are asking me for a favor (like watching your artist perform after I’ve already stood through 7 long performances for 3 hours), it’s best to be polite and not let me see your stank attitude. If you don’t know what it is that I do, don’t assume, come up and ask me. Not knowing isn’t a problem—showing your ass, is. Needless to say, I missed homie’s performance.
Earlier in the day, we did two in-stores at FYE locations. First we hit the Ingram Park Mall from 1 to 3 pm, and then we headed over to Southpark Mall for a 5 to 7 pm in-store. TMI Boyz got to interact with fans, sign autographs, and take pictures. It was very tiring for all of us to do a double in-store today, and by the time we got back to our rooms, we were ready to pass out.
We woke up early the next morning to make the trek to Victoria, TX, about an hour and a half southeast.
Promo Tour Day 7
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Monday, September 10th, 2007 AUSTIN, TX
We left Houston for the start of our three week promotional tour at about 9 pm. Spirits were high and the trucks were packed with luggage, posters, flyers, postcards, singles to sell, DJ Smallz mixed CDs, Bigga Rankin mixed CDs, and t-shirts. A gazillion t-shirts…
I’m not sure how the guys fit everything into these two trucks. The only thing I can attribute this to is Ghetto’s illustrious past at UPS packing trucks for so many years. He worked there prior to working at Southwest Wholesale.
The guys have known about this tour for about a month, but somehow one is never ready to get on the road for a month. This means they won’t see friends, family, babies, or income, for 4 weeks straight. They understand the importance of getting out into different cities and shaking hands and kissing babies. Bute (pronounced Boo-teh) pointed out that we are doing what most national artists with major labels behind them don’t do…and that’s sad but true. Although, all of the artists I have worked with have done these promo tours from Twista to Do Or Die to David Banner to Fiend to Tupac to C-Murder to BloodRaw (in fact, I’m going to try to talk Raw into going out on another one--non-Def Jam supported, in a few weeks). A promo tour is, hands down, the most effective form of promotion for an artist.
A promo tour puts the artist in front of the fans and shows their commitment to meeting consumers and working hard. Basically, the artist wakes up in a market and goes to retail stores, radio stations, video shows, local press, malls, high schools, colleges, night clubs, strip clubs, and anyplace where large amounts of potential fans hang out (community centers, housing projects, fairs, parks, events, etc). My artists usually drive at night to the city we are blitzing, and then sleep in that city (I prefer Hyatt Place hotels because we can comfortably fit 3 people in each room, or uncomfortably can fit 5 or 6). We have lobby call (when everyone meets in the lobby) at 9:30 AM and start to roll out.
--wendy
Promo Tour Days 4 Through 6
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Friday, September 7th, 2007 through Sunday, September 8th, 2007 HOUSTON, TX
Reese and XO went to the Sneaker Pimps event on Saturday night to promote TMI Boyz. The crowd was a bit more hip hop purist driven, but I wanted to be certain we hit all aspects of the culture. I was raised in the Hip Hop purist culture, although I personally expanded my horizons in rap music in the mid-90s by spending time outside of New York. It was an eye-opening experience to me to see how others outside of New York (the mecca for rap at the time) viewed Hip Hop.
In hind-sight, I wouldn’t have kept the guys in town for Sneaker Pimps (and consequently took the remaining Sneaker Pimps dates off our schedule) because it was really just a hip hop concert. I was expecting it to be more of an event involving sneaker pimps and graffiti, but that’s not the reality of the event. It also was a tour opportunity for Redman, which is great for him but not much of a draw for fans. I had been reaching out to the guys behind Sneaker Pimps for months trying to offer artists who’d draw huge crowds, but couldn’t seem to get them to respond to me. Their loss… the event could have been spectacular! Sadly, it was promoted by guys outside of the hip hop industry, so it wasn’t what it could have been. Why do outsiders try to do stuff without getting input from folks who understand our market and know who’s who? A performance with Redman and Bun B was probably great for 30+ year olds, but why not teach the history of hip hop to a young crowd that would buy tickets for this type of event?
The Go DJs are on board now and blazing the club single (Move Dem Butt Cheeks) throughout the clubs and streets of Houston. The song is a strip club anthem and not only do folks love dancing to it, but it has created quite a topic of conversation on the college campuses we hit. It’s controversial…
No matter where you are from, it’s hard to secure home before blowing up elsewhere. Although I have forever heard industry folks on panels say that you have to lock down home first, home doesn’t really catch on until you begin to blow in the smaller surrounding areas, and then they swear they were on board with you since day one. This is the Hater Mantra…LOL. This is true everywhere I have ever been. Some cities are worse than others: St Louis and Chicago for example, but every city has this problem in a differing degree. EVERY city.
We are headed on the road for the next month at 9 pm tonight (Sunday, Sept 9)…first stop, Austin. See you there!!!
Promo Tour Day 3
Thursday, September 6th, 2007 GALVESTON, TX
Two of the three TMI Boyz (Huskey and Sayeed), the DJ (XO), and one of the two managers (Reese) is from Galveston, so this is home base for TMI. We didn’t have much to do here but go to the FYE in-store because the guys have already worked this market to death over the past 4 months or so while finishing the album.
This is the second trip to this FYE location in a couple weeks, so we don’t expect the turnout to be too ridiculous. But we were surprised as friends and family did turn out again to support the group.
We just found out yesterday that we hit #1 on the Billboard charts for Rap single CD sales, and #8 on the Billboard HOT 100 CD single sales chart. Fucking awesome!!! That was NOT our goals, but it’s a welcomed plus. This will help us at radio and with our perception with the public. Our publicist, Nancy Byron (who is awesome, by the way), sent an email blast out to the industry, and my phone has been ringing from major labels for the past few hours. We have no intention of signing a deal, however. As an indie label that is properly financed, we have more going for us independently than any major could offer at this point.
It’s kinda like the difference between being a jet ski on the ocean. We are small and energetic and can move and turn easily. If we see a dangerous area we can turn our steering to avoid it, and the jet ski reacts immediately and accordingly. Major labels are like huge cruise ships. It’s difficult for them to maneuver and turn easily, but they are able to go long distances and feel very little wake or turbulence on the sea. The other boats get out of THEIR way instead of waiting for them to zip around them like a jet ski. Being a jet ski makes it easy to react to the market conditions that currently exist in this industry. That is why all of my indie labels have been doing better than the majors as a whole.
AB came through. He’s an incredible rapper (who happens to be white) that’s down with the TMI crew. He’s managed by Reese. He’s very soft spoken, but a beast on the mic. All the way back to Houston, Resse played the music he had with AB on it. He is no joke!
--wendy
Promo Tour Day 2
Thursday, September 5th, 2007 PORT ARTHUR, TX
Home of UGK
We decided to stay in Houston last night and drive the hour or so to Port Arthur so the guys could be at home for another night before we officially leave on the month long promo tour.
In setting up the tour, my goal was to keep them on the road as long as possible without breaking them, then send them home for almost a week, and put them back out on the road for another month. I plan to repeat this process through December or January. I am a firm believer that the longer you keep the artists in front of the potential fans, the better your shot is at winning! To know them is to love them…
Tara at Face 2 Face has done an outstanding job of setting up in-stores to follow the tour outline that I gave to her. Too bad we can’t do in-stores on weekends… I have TMI Boyz in a different city almost everyday, so there are some markets where we will miss doing in-stores on this go-round, but I tried to choose the markets where I expect them to get shows, and then we can come back through and do retail when they come into town for the show dates.
So, here we are in Port Arthur, TX. Home of UGK. We got a late start—the downside of spending the night at home. We half expected to see Pimp C at the Central Mall, but he must have been busy because he didn’t show. He texted me to say he’d drive into Houston tonight to come see me, but if he couldn’t drive a few miles to the Mall, he ain’t driving over an hour to see me. I know I don’t have that kind of value to him… Plus he’s the most hated man in the music industry right now (see Ozone article and radio interviews for the how’s and why’s of that), although I seem to be the only one I know that is still sticking up for him.
We didn’t have much time to properly blitz Port Arthur, but we did start the day back at Lamar College passing out hundreds of singles, mixed CDs, and snippet CDs. Michael Watts was kind enough to do our snippet CD for us. He has been a very good friend to me and I love him dearly.
This morning I had breakfast with him and G Dash to pick their brains about how they break acts in Houston. Sometimes it’s energizing to spend hours with folks in the business just talking about how they do things and to hear their vision of where the industry is going.
--wendy
Home of UGK
We decided to stay in Houston last night and drive the hour or so to Port Arthur so the guys could be at home for another night before we officially leave on the month long promo tour.
In setting up the tour, my goal was to keep them on the road as long as possible without breaking them, then send them home for almost a week, and put them back out on the road for another month. I plan to repeat this process through December or January. I am a firm believer that the longer you keep the artists in front of the potential fans, the better your shot is at winning! To know them is to love them…
Tara at Face 2 Face has done an outstanding job of setting up in-stores to follow the tour outline that I gave to her. Too bad we can’t do in-stores on weekends… I have TMI Boyz in a different city almost everyday, so there are some markets where we will miss doing in-stores on this go-round, but I tried to choose the markets where I expect them to get shows, and then we can come back through and do retail when they come into town for the show dates.
So, here we are in Port Arthur, TX. Home of UGK. We got a late start—the downside of spending the night at home. We half expected to see Pimp C at the Central Mall, but he must have been busy because he didn’t show. He texted me to say he’d drive into Houston tonight to come see me, but if he couldn’t drive a few miles to the Mall, he ain’t driving over an hour to see me. I know I don’t have that kind of value to him… Plus he’s the most hated man in the music industry right now (see Ozone article and radio interviews for the how’s and why’s of that), although I seem to be the only one I know that is still sticking up for him.
We didn’t have much time to properly blitz Port Arthur, but we did start the day back at Lamar College passing out hundreds of singles, mixed CDs, and snippet CDs. Michael Watts was kind enough to do our snippet CD for us. He has been a very good friend to me and I love him dearly.
This morning I had breakfast with him and G Dash to pick their brains about how they break acts in Houston. Sometimes it’s energizing to spend hours with folks in the business just talking about how they do things and to hear their vision of where the industry is going.
--wendy
Promo Tour Day 1
Wednesday, September 4th, 2007 BEAUMONT, TX
After spending two weeks blitzing their home town of Houston, TMI Boyz hit the road with their trusty label consultant--Wendy Day (me). I decided to go out on the tour with them for certain dates because promo tours are extremely hard work for the artists, and I wanted them to know I wasn't asking them to do anything I wasn't willing to do. I also wanted to set the tone and show them how to do it...
Promo tours are, hands down, THE most effective thing for an artist to do for his or her career. It puts them in front of their fans and potential consumers. They get to interact with the fans, touch lives, sign autographs, take photos with fans, and hear real feedback abou ttheir music.
Today we rolled to Beaumont, TX...a small town about an hour and 15 minutes east of Houston, TX. We pulled up to Central High School as the kids were getting out of school. The cops were out in force at the school, so we were chased off immediately. We headed over to the local Parkdale Mall, but that was a bust because it was empty.
We passed by the radio station and met Jazzie Redd, an on-air personality that Ghetto knows from Houston (Magic 102.5 from 6 to 10 pm weekdays). He was one of the first rappers in Houston and was kind enough to teach me some of the local Houston rap history. What a cool dude!!!
We also hung around with a guy who manages artists, Jamison Eaglin, who informed us of the local club scene. He also told us about a barber shop owned by D Wreck (whom I met in the late 90s when I wanted to shop a deal for Wreck Shop which never materialized because he kept standing me up. Wreck Shop would have been the first deal I did after Cash Money had it worked out). We passed by the barber shop, but it was closed. We also passed by the local record store--Sunrise Records which was near the barber shop.
Had it been a Friday night, we would have gone to El Dorado on MLK which is the bumpin' club in the area.
We wrapped up the day by going to Lamar College and passing out t-shirts, snippet CDs and flyers on campus.
Our promo schedule:
Sep 4 2007
Beaumont, TX
Sep 5 2007
Port Arthur, TX (Central Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 6 2007
Galveston, TX (Mall of The Mainland FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 7 2007
Houston, TX (Willowbrook Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 8 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 9 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 10 2007
Austin, TX
Sep 11 2007
San Antonio, TX
Sep 12 2007
Promo Tour Victoria, Texas
Sep 13 2007
Promo Tour Corpus Christi, Texas
Sep 14 2007
Promo Tour McAllen, Texas
Sep 15 2007
Promo Tour Killeen, Texas
Sep 16 2007
Promo Tour Waco, Texas
Sep 17 2007
promo Tour Tyler, Texas
Sep 18 2007
Promo Tour Shreveport, Texas
Sep 19 2007
promo Tour FT Worth, Texas
Sep 20 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 21 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 22 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 23 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 24 2007
promo Tour Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 25 2007
Promo Tour Little Rock, Arkansas
Sep 26 2007
promo Tour Memphis, Tennessee
Sep 27 2007
Promo Tour Jackson, Mississippi
Sep 28 2007
Promo Tour Mobile, Alabama
Sep 29 2007
Promo Tour Montgomery, Alabama
Sep 30 2007
Promo Tour Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 1 2007
Promo Tour Houston, Texas
Oct 31 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 1 2007
TJs DJs Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 2 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 3 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 4 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 5 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Tonight is BloodRaw’s DJ listening party back home in Atlanta, so the price of being in Houston right now is high for me. Raw is my good friend, and missing his party is devastating for me. “Aw man” (said in my best BloodRaw voice).
After spending two weeks blitzing their home town of Houston, TMI Boyz hit the road with their trusty label consultant--Wendy Day (me). I decided to go out on the tour with them for certain dates because promo tours are extremely hard work for the artists, and I wanted them to know I wasn't asking them to do anything I wasn't willing to do. I also wanted to set the tone and show them how to do it...
Promo tours are, hands down, THE most effective thing for an artist to do for his or her career. It puts them in front of their fans and potential consumers. They get to interact with the fans, touch lives, sign autographs, take photos with fans, and hear real feedback abou ttheir music.
Today we rolled to Beaumont, TX...a small town about an hour and 15 minutes east of Houston, TX. We pulled up to Central High School as the kids were getting out of school. The cops were out in force at the school, so we were chased off immediately. We headed over to the local Parkdale Mall, but that was a bust because it was empty.
We passed by the radio station and met Jazzie Redd, an on-air personality that Ghetto knows from Houston (Magic 102.5 from 6 to 10 pm weekdays). He was one of the first rappers in Houston and was kind enough to teach me some of the local Houston rap history. What a cool dude!!!
We also hung around with a guy who manages artists, Jamison Eaglin, who informed us of the local club scene. He also told us about a barber shop owned by D Wreck (whom I met in the late 90s when I wanted to shop a deal for Wreck Shop which never materialized because he kept standing me up. Wreck Shop would have been the first deal I did after Cash Money had it worked out). We passed by the barber shop, but it was closed. We also passed by the local record store--Sunrise Records which was near the barber shop.
Had it been a Friday night, we would have gone to El Dorado on MLK which is the bumpin' club in the area.
We wrapped up the day by going to Lamar College and passing out t-shirts, snippet CDs and flyers on campus.
Our promo schedule:
Sep 4 2007
Beaumont, TX
Sep 5 2007
Port Arthur, TX (Central Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 6 2007
Galveston, TX (Mall of The Mainland FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 7 2007
Houston, TX (Willowbrook Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 8 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 9 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 10 2007
Austin, TX
Sep 11 2007
San Antonio, TX
Sep 12 2007
Promo Tour Victoria, Texas
Sep 13 2007
Promo Tour Corpus Christi, Texas
Sep 14 2007
Promo Tour McAllen, Texas
Sep 15 2007
Promo Tour Killeen, Texas
Sep 16 2007
Promo Tour Waco, Texas
Sep 17 2007
promo Tour Tyler, Texas
Sep 18 2007
Promo Tour Shreveport, Texas
Sep 19 2007
promo Tour FT Worth, Texas
Sep 20 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 21 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 22 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 23 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 24 2007
promo Tour Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 25 2007
Promo Tour Little Rock, Arkansas
Sep 26 2007
promo Tour Memphis, Tennessee
Sep 27 2007
Promo Tour Jackson, Mississippi
Sep 28 2007
Promo Tour Mobile, Alabama
Sep 29 2007
Promo Tour Montgomery, Alabama
Sep 30 2007
Promo Tour Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 1 2007
Promo Tour Houston, Texas
Oct 31 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 1 2007
TJs DJs Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 2 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 3 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 4 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 5 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Tonight is BloodRaw’s DJ listening party back home in Atlanta, so the price of being in Houston right now is high for me. Raw is my good friend, and missing his party is devastating for me. “Aw man” (said in my best BloodRaw voice).
Who's Who?
Artists:
TMI Boyz is a group formed by three solo artists to pool their resources so they could effectively release an album and take on the industry. Rhyming together for just 2 short years, each member has devoted the bulk of their lives to music and rapping. They offer a sound that is not typical of the Houston region, and their goal is to reach the world with their sound, not to be another regional artist who is a star at home but unknown outside of the state.
In my personal opinion, the group consists of a gangster, a party boy, and a scholar. They are three distinct personalities that come together to create TMI Boyz. They are also personalities that can be found in each and everyone of us as individuals.
Snoop once told me that to be a star, women have to want to fuck you and men have to want to be you. With these three distinct personalities, they will be able to attract all types of fans and fame.
Huskey is the youngest member of the group, and the party boy. Huskey is a big guy (tall, and well, husky) who is a big Teddy Bear. The women love him because of his kindness and sweet demeanor.
Dudella is from Southwest Houston. He is the “gangsta.” Raised on the streets, he is a product of his environment. He’s the one who always has money in his pocket and a blunt in his hand. He understands the rules of the streets probably better than most of the guys I know from the streets.
Sayeed is the introspective one. Raised in the Five Percent Nation (the Nation of Gods and Earths started in Harlem in 1964 by Clarence 13X, a former follower of the Nation of Islam), Sayeed is god body. He’s Muslim (which I find out since we are on tour during Ramadan) and the more scholarly of the three TMI Boyz. He shares with me that when his father heard the album he was a bit disappointed in Sayeed’s lyrical content. I remind him what David Banner taught me that if you want to teach the Bible, you need to hide it in a Playboy or a comic book to get the masses to listen. Not to worry Dad, he won’t let Allah or Clarence 13X down…
The DJ:
XO is the incredible DJ for TMI Boyz. He is also our best ambassador. XO has more charisma and personality than anyone I’ve ever met. He is the most out-going, and certainly the hardest working of the TMI team. At gas stations when we stop for gas, XO is always the first one out of the truck to sell CDs for $5 to unsuspecting gas patrons. I’ve seen him talk 80 year old white women into buying a 99 cent CD, as well as a young kid who hates rap and only listens to metal (Eric, but we called him Aaron). Damon Dash, where are you? He’s your ultimate hustler…
Staff:
Reese: Hailing from Galveston, Steve Reese has managed the group since its inception. Training to be a sport’s agent, the guys talked him out of managing sports figures and into managing them. Reese, at 25, is wise beyond his years and one of the hardest workers I’ve seen. He’s able to keep the guys in line and does whatever has to be done to get the job accomplished. He reminds me of a young Puffy without the need to be a star…
Ghetto: Born and raised in a rural area outside of Houston, Ghetto has been in the music industry for many years. He got his music business education working for Southwest Wholesale which at one time was THE distribution outlet for all southern indie artists and labels. He also worked at UPS in management for many years which not only allows him to keep the guys in line, but he also packs a mean promotional vehicle. We were able to roll with more luggage and more supplies that I have ever seen on a promo tour and this is due 100% to Ghetto’s packing efforts. What’s that old adage?? He truly is able to fit 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound bag.
Buthie (Joe): Joe is our in-house camera man. As kin to Dudella, he has an intimate knowledge of the group and where they’ve come from and where they are ultimately going. He films almost everything. He is such a part of the crew that we had to start TMI TV to give him an outlet for all of the amazing behind the scenes footage he is acquiring!! Buthie is pronounced (BUH-teh)
TMI Entertainment is the company formed to release the TMI Boyz Records and is owned by local Houston entrepreneur, Lil C. His partner in this venture is GoldTone Entertainment owner, Mario Henchmen, who is based in Los Angeles. Mario and I go way back together in the music business, when we helped set up and run Henchmen Entertainment (the first label I ever set up, back in the early 90s), owned by Mario’s younger brother Jimmy. Jimmy now helms the incredible successful Czar Entertainment in New York City.
Consultants:
Wendy Day from PowerMoves. I’ve been setting up and building independent record labels since the early 90s. I build millionaires and Black empires, which is my goal, so stop fucking asking me why I don’t own my own label. That’s not what I want to do. I want to make a difference in this world by helping to keep young men off the streets, and helping them to build their own empires! I offer a road map to help folks maneuver through the snake filled and treacherous roads of the music business. Prior to hiring me, TMI lost close to $100,000 in this business, depending on and believing in people who were unqualified to take them to the next level.
Nancy Byron: She is not only an extraordinary publicist, but a very patient person. She was the first team member on board and was patient enough to wait for me to restructure the label and get the timing right (they key to a successful project). We are now on board to release the TMI album, GRINDING FOR A PURPOSE in early November 2007. Been a long time coming, eh Nancy?
TMI Boyz is a group formed by three solo artists to pool their resources so they could effectively release an album and take on the industry. Rhyming together for just 2 short years, each member has devoted the bulk of their lives to music and rapping. They offer a sound that is not typical of the Houston region, and their goal is to reach the world with their sound, not to be another regional artist who is a star at home but unknown outside of the state.
In my personal opinion, the group consists of a gangster, a party boy, and a scholar. They are three distinct personalities that come together to create TMI Boyz. They are also personalities that can be found in each and everyone of us as individuals.
Snoop once told me that to be a star, women have to want to fuck you and men have to want to be you. With these three distinct personalities, they will be able to attract all types of fans and fame.
Huskey is the youngest member of the group, and the party boy. Huskey is a big guy (tall, and well, husky) who is a big Teddy Bear. The women love him because of his kindness and sweet demeanor.
Dudella is from Southwest Houston. He is the “gangsta.” Raised on the streets, he is a product of his environment. He’s the one who always has money in his pocket and a blunt in his hand. He understands the rules of the streets probably better than most of the guys I know from the streets.
Sayeed is the introspective one. Raised in the Five Percent Nation (the Nation of Gods and Earths started in Harlem in 1964 by Clarence 13X, a former follower of the Nation of Islam), Sayeed is god body. He’s Muslim (which I find out since we are on tour during Ramadan) and the more scholarly of the three TMI Boyz. He shares with me that when his father heard the album he was a bit disappointed in Sayeed’s lyrical content. I remind him what David Banner taught me that if you want to teach the Bible, you need to hide it in a Playboy or a comic book to get the masses to listen. Not to worry Dad, he won’t let Allah or Clarence 13X down…
The DJ:
XO is the incredible DJ for TMI Boyz. He is also our best ambassador. XO has more charisma and personality than anyone I’ve ever met. He is the most out-going, and certainly the hardest working of the TMI team. At gas stations when we stop for gas, XO is always the first one out of the truck to sell CDs for $5 to unsuspecting gas patrons. I’ve seen him talk 80 year old white women into buying a 99 cent CD, as well as a young kid who hates rap and only listens to metal (Eric, but we called him Aaron). Damon Dash, where are you? He’s your ultimate hustler…
Staff:
Reese: Hailing from Galveston, Steve Reese has managed the group since its inception. Training to be a sport’s agent, the guys talked him out of managing sports figures and into managing them. Reese, at 25, is wise beyond his years and one of the hardest workers I’ve seen. He’s able to keep the guys in line and does whatever has to be done to get the job accomplished. He reminds me of a young Puffy without the need to be a star…
Ghetto: Born and raised in a rural area outside of Houston, Ghetto has been in the music industry for many years. He got his music business education working for Southwest Wholesale which at one time was THE distribution outlet for all southern indie artists and labels. He also worked at UPS in management for many years which not only allows him to keep the guys in line, but he also packs a mean promotional vehicle. We were able to roll with more luggage and more supplies that I have ever seen on a promo tour and this is due 100% to Ghetto’s packing efforts. What’s that old adage?? He truly is able to fit 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound bag.
Buthie (Joe): Joe is our in-house camera man. As kin to Dudella, he has an intimate knowledge of the group and where they’ve come from and where they are ultimately going. He films almost everything. He is such a part of the crew that we had to start TMI TV to give him an outlet for all of the amazing behind the scenes footage he is acquiring!! Buthie is pronounced (BUH-teh)
TMI Entertainment is the company formed to release the TMI Boyz Records and is owned by local Houston entrepreneur, Lil C. His partner in this venture is GoldTone Entertainment owner, Mario Henchmen, who is based in Los Angeles. Mario and I go way back together in the music business, when we helped set up and run Henchmen Entertainment (the first label I ever set up, back in the early 90s), owned by Mario’s younger brother Jimmy. Jimmy now helms the incredible successful Czar Entertainment in New York City.
Consultants:
Wendy Day from PowerMoves. I’ve been setting up and building independent record labels since the early 90s. I build millionaires and Black empires, which is my goal, so stop fucking asking me why I don’t own my own label. That’s not what I want to do. I want to make a difference in this world by helping to keep young men off the streets, and helping them to build their own empires! I offer a road map to help folks maneuver through the snake filled and treacherous roads of the music business. Prior to hiring me, TMI lost close to $100,000 in this business, depending on and believing in people who were unqualified to take them to the next level.
Nancy Byron: She is not only an extraordinary publicist, but a very patient person. She was the first team member on board and was patient enough to wait for me to restructure the label and get the timing right (they key to a successful project). We are now on board to release the TMI album, GRINDING FOR A PURPOSE in early November 2007. Been a long time coming, eh Nancy?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Promo Tour Day 1
Wednesday, September 4th, 2007 BEAUMONT, TX
After spending two weeks blitzing their home town of Houston, TMI Boyz hit the road with their trusty label consultant--Wendy Day (me). I decided to go out on the tour with them for certain dates because promo tours are extremely hard work for the artists, and I wanted them to know I wasn't asking them to do anything I wasn't willing to do. I also wanted to set the tone and show them how to do it...
Promo tours are, hands down, THE most effective thing for an artist to do for his or her career. It puts them in front of their fans and potential consumers. They get to interact with the fans, touch lives, sign autographs, take photos with fans, and hear real feedback abou ttheir music.
Today we rolled to Beaumont, TX...a small town about an hour and 15 minutes east of Houston, TX. We pulled up to Central High School as the kids were getting out of school. The cops were out in force at the school, so we were chased off immediately. We headed over to the local Parkdale Mall, but that was a bust because it was empty.
We passed by the radio station and met Jazzie Redd, an on-air personality that Ghetto knows from Houston (Magic 102.5 from 6 to 10 pm weekdays). He was one of the first rappers in Houston and was kind enough to teach me some of the local Houston rap history. What a cool dude!!!
We also hung around with a guy who manages artists, Jamison Eaglin, who informed us of the local club scene. He also told us about a barber shop owned by D Wreck (whom I met in the late 90s when I wanted to shop a deal for Wreck Shop which never materialized because he kept standing me up. Wreck Shop would have been the first deal I did after Cash Money had it worked out). We passed by the barber shop, but it was closed. We also passed by the local record store--Sunrise Records which was near the barber shop.
Had it been a Friday night, we would have gone to El Dorado on MLK which is the bumpin' club in the area.
We wrapped up the day by going to Lamar College and passing out t-shirts, snippet CDs and flyers on campus.
Our promo schedule:
Sep 4 2007
Beaumont, TX
Sep 5 2007
Port Arthur, TX (Central Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 6 2007
Galveston, TX (Mall of The Mainland FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 7 2007
Houston, TX (Willowbrook Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 8 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 9 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 10 2007
Austin, TX
Sep 11 2007
San Antonio, TX
Sep 12 2007
Promo Tour Victoria, Texas
Sep 13 2007
Promo Tour Corpus Christi, Texas
Sep 14 2007
Promo Tour McAllen, Texas
Sep 15 2007
Promo Tour Killeen, Texas
Sep 16 2007
Promo Tour Waco, Texas
Sep 17 2007
promo Tour Tyler, Texas
Sep 18 2007
Promo Tour Shreveport, Texas
Sep 19 2007
promo Tour FT Worth, Texas
Sep 20 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 21 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 22 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 23 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 24 2007
promo Tour Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 25 2007
Promo Tour Little Rock, Arkansas
Sep 26 2007
promo Tour Memphis, Tennessee
Sep 27 2007
Promo Tour Jackson, Mississippi
Sep 28 2007
Promo Tour Mobile, Alabama
Sep 29 2007
Promo Tour Montgomery, Alabama
Sep 30 2007
Promo Tour Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 1 2007
Promo Tour Houston, Texas
Oct 31 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 1 2007
TJs DJs Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 2 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 3 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 4 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 5 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
After spending two weeks blitzing their home town of Houston, TMI Boyz hit the road with their trusty label consultant--Wendy Day (me). I decided to go out on the tour with them for certain dates because promo tours are extremely hard work for the artists, and I wanted them to know I wasn't asking them to do anything I wasn't willing to do. I also wanted to set the tone and show them how to do it...
Promo tours are, hands down, THE most effective thing for an artist to do for his or her career. It puts them in front of their fans and potential consumers. They get to interact with the fans, touch lives, sign autographs, take photos with fans, and hear real feedback abou ttheir music.
Today we rolled to Beaumont, TX...a small town about an hour and 15 minutes east of Houston, TX. We pulled up to Central High School as the kids were getting out of school. The cops were out in force at the school, so we were chased off immediately. We headed over to the local Parkdale Mall, but that was a bust because it was empty.
We passed by the radio station and met Jazzie Redd, an on-air personality that Ghetto knows from Houston (Magic 102.5 from 6 to 10 pm weekdays). He was one of the first rappers in Houston and was kind enough to teach me some of the local Houston rap history. What a cool dude!!!
We also hung around with a guy who manages artists, Jamison Eaglin, who informed us of the local club scene. He also told us about a barber shop owned by D Wreck (whom I met in the late 90s when I wanted to shop a deal for Wreck Shop which never materialized because he kept standing me up. Wreck Shop would have been the first deal I did after Cash Money had it worked out). We passed by the barber shop, but it was closed. We also passed by the local record store--Sunrise Records which was near the barber shop.
Had it been a Friday night, we would have gone to El Dorado on MLK which is the bumpin' club in the area.
We wrapped up the day by going to Lamar College and passing out t-shirts, snippet CDs and flyers on campus.
Our promo schedule:
Sep 4 2007
Beaumont, TX
Sep 5 2007
Port Arthur, TX (Central Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 6 2007
Galveston, TX (Mall of The Mainland FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 7 2007
Houston, TX (Willowbrook Mall FYE Autograph signing 5 to 7 pm)
Sep 8 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 9 2007
Houston, TX
Sep 10 2007
Austin, TX
Sep 11 2007
San Antonio, TX
Sep 12 2007
Promo Tour Victoria, Texas
Sep 13 2007
Promo Tour Corpus Christi, Texas
Sep 14 2007
Promo Tour McAllen, Texas
Sep 15 2007
Promo Tour Killeen, Texas
Sep 16 2007
Promo Tour Waco, Texas
Sep 17 2007
promo Tour Tyler, Texas
Sep 18 2007
Promo Tour Shreveport, Texas
Sep 19 2007
promo Tour FT Worth, Texas
Sep 20 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 21 2007
Promo Tour Dallas, Texas
Sep 22 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 23 2007
Promo Tour Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Sep 24 2007
promo Tour Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sep 25 2007
Promo Tour Little Rock, Arkansas
Sep 26 2007
promo Tour Memphis, Tennessee
Sep 27 2007
Promo Tour Jackson, Mississippi
Sep 28 2007
Promo Tour Mobile, Alabama
Sep 29 2007
Promo Tour Montgomery, Alabama
Sep 30 2007
Promo Tour Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 1 2007
Promo Tour Houston, Texas
Oct 31 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 1 2007
TJs DJs Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 2 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 3 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 4 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
Nov 5 2007
FAMU Homecoming Tallahassese, Florida
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