MOVERS AND SHAKERS: CHRISSY MAC
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA | CHRISSY MAC
INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK PHOTO LOBO VISION
WHEN IT COMES TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY BE IT MAINSTREAM OR INDEPENDENT, IF YOU’RE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE BUSINESS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER THEN CHANCES ARE YOU’VE NEVER GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT TO THE PEOPLE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES THAT HELP TO MAKE THE ARTIST A BRAND. FROM ARTIST MANAGEMENT TO PUBLICIST, PROMOTER TO PUBLIC RELATIONS, BOOKING AGENT TO RECORD LABEL, TO AN INDIE ARTIST THEIR SUPPORT TEAM IS CRUCIAL. CHRISSY MAC UNDERSTANDS JUGGLING MULTIPLE ROLES AND KNOWS WHAT IT TAKES TO TAKE AN ARTIST FROM A BUZZ TO IN HIGH DEMAND. VALIDATED SPOKE WITH THE EDUCATED IGNORANCE MUSIC GROUPS FIRST LADY AND DISCOVERED EARLY PASSION FOR HIP HOP, HER MUSIC INDUSTRY RELATED EDUCATION, THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING AND WORKING WITH ONE OF THE HOTTEST INDIE RAPPERS OUT RIGHT NOW, RJ PAYNE.
VALIDATED: A PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA NATIVE, WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP HOP CULTURE?
CHRISSY MAC: GRAFFITI, IT WAS EVERYWHERE IN PHILLY. THE BREAKERS AND THE POP LOCKERS, WATCHING RUN DMC’S FIRST VIDEO (AND MY FAVORITE SONG OF THEIRS) “ROCK BOX” ON FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS, AND THE CLOTHES. I REMEMBER ROCKIN’ THE LEE JEANS SETS.
VALIDATED: YOU KNEW AT AN EARLY AGE THAT YOU WOULD EVENTUALLY WORK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT GAVE YOU THAT KIND OF FORESIGHT?
CHRISSY MAC: MUSIC WAS MY LIFE AND IT WAS EVERYWHERE AROUND ME. MY MOM ALWAYS HAD MUSIC ON IN THE HOUSE, IN THE CAR, AND ON TV. I WAS 4 YEARS OLD WITH A FISHER PRICE TAPE PLAYER AND HEADPHONES I WOULD CARRY AROUND ALL DAY. I COULDN’T LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT IT. WHEN MY KINDERGARTEN TEACHER ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE WHEN I GREW UP, I SAID I WANTED TO BE ON STAGE AT A CONCERT. MY DAD STARTED TO TAKE ME TO CONCERTS WHEN I WAS 6. I JUST FELT IN MY SOUL THAT THAT’S WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. REGULAR PROFESSIONS WERE OF NO INTEREST TO ME WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. NOTHING SPOKE TO ME AND LIT MY PASSION MORE THAN MUSIC. THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING MUSIC TO THE MASSES WERE MY IDOLS.
VALIDATED: YOU STARTED OUT DJ’ING AND WRITING RAPS, WHICH DID YOU DO FIRST AND HOW DID ONE LEAD TO THE OTHER?
CHRISSY MAC: I STARTED WRITING RAPS FIRST. I WAS SO IMMERSED IN THE ENTIRE CULTURE THAT I WANTED TO DO EVERYTHING AND SEE WHAT I WAS GOOD AT AND WHAT WOULD WORK FOR ME. I WAS VERY YOUNG, ABOUT 12, WHEN I STARTED WRITING. I DIDN’T HAVE ACCESS TO ANY KIND OF STUDIO. AFTER SAVING ALL OF MY MONEY, I WAS ABLE TO BUY DJ EQUIPMENT WHEN I WAS 13. MY BEDROOM LOOKED LIKE A STUDIO, I HAD TWO GEMINI TURNTABLES AND THE PDM-6008 MIXER WITH THE 8 SECOND SAMPLER. I WOULD MAKE MIXES AND LOOP SAMPLES AND MAKE HOMEMADE BEAT TAPES. I USED TO GO DOWNTOWN TO ARMAND’S RECORDS TO GET MY RECORDS EVERY WEEKEND. THAT WAS THE HOTSPOT FOR RAPPERS VISITING THE CITY. I REMEMBER MEETING ONYX THERE WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT. I ENDED UP DJING AS A HOBBY BECAUSE BUYING ALL THE RECORDS COST TOO MUCH AND I WAS TOO YOUNG TO WORK AT THE TIME.
VALIDATED: ONE OF YOUR RAPS WON A WORD UP! MAGAZINE CONTEST, HOW DID THAT WIN MOTIVATE YOU?
CHRISSY MAC: THAT WAS CRAZY TO ME, I WAS ONLY 13 YEARS OLD. YOU HAD TO WRITE A RAP USING ALL OF THE LETTERS OF YOUR NAME. I DIDN’T REALLY PUT TOO MUCH THOUGHT INTO IT, I JUST DID IT FOR FUN. THEN WHEN THEY MAILED ME A WINNER’S PACK AND I SAW MY NAME IN THE MAGAZINE I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE READ WORD UP! MAGAZINE BACK IN THE DAY? OUT OF ALL THOSE CONTESTANTS, THEY PICKED MINE. THAT GAVE ME CONFIDENCE THAT WHAT I WAS DOING WAS MORE THAN JUST A HOBBY. BACK THEN I DIDN’T HAVE SUPPORT. PEOPLE WOULD JUST LAUGH AT MY DREAMS AND SAY “WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?”, AS IF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WASN’T AN ACTUAL INDUSTRY THAT YOU COULD GENERATE INCOME FROM.
VALIDATED: YOU HAD A RADIO SHOW IN HIGH SCHOOL, WHAT WAS THE NAME AND PREMISE OF THE SHOW?
CHRISSY MAC: I WENT TO TRADE SCHOOL FOR AUDIO PRODUCTION AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. SO I DIDN’T HAVE REGULAR CLASSES LIKE HOW A NORMAL HIGH SCHOOL WOULD OPERATE. OUR CLASSROOM WAS HALF RADIO STUDIO, HALF TELEVISION STUDIO. WE HAD A TV SHOW IN THE MORNING THAT BROADCAST ON ALL OF THE TV’S IN THE SCHOOL, WHERE WE WOULD RUN THE SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. IN THE AFTERNOON, ONLY TWO OF US HAD ACTUAL RADIO SHOWS, MYSELF AND MY CLASSMATE, DREW. THE TEACHER SAID WE WERE “NATURALS” AND LET US BROADCAST ANYTHING WE WANTED AS LONG AS IT WAS CLEAN. MY SHOW WAS CALLED “SHORT SHOT RADIO”. (A NICKNAME GIVEN TO ME DUE TO MY HEIGHT.) I PLAYED ALL THE LATEST HIP HOP THAT DROPPED IN 95-96.
VALIDATED: IN HIGH SCHOOL YOU ALSO STUDIED THE BUSINESS ASPECT OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT MAJOR FUNDAMENTALS DID YOU LEARN THAT YOU STILL USE TODAY?
CHRISSY MAC: THE FIRST THING I LEARNED ABOUT THE INDUSTRY WAS FROM GOING TO CONCERTS AND GETTING BACKSTAGE. NETWORKING IS EVERYTHING. KNOWING HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN BUSINESS. WHILE THE RADIO STUDIO WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED AT MY SCHOOL, I TOOK MARKETING CLASS. I LEARNED GUERILLA MARKETING TACTICS, WHICH ARE IMPERATIVE FOR EVERYONE – NOT JUST INDEPENDENT ARTISTS. IF YOU ARE SHOPPING MAJOR LABELS, YOU STILL HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF. YOU ARE YOUR MACHINE UNTIL A LABEL INVESTS IN YOU. I ACQUIRED MOST OF MY KNOWLEDGE BEFORE THE INTERNET WAS AVAILABLE. I SUBSCRIBED TO MUSIC JOURNALS AT THE TIME, AND IN THE BACK THEY LISTED MUSIC BUSINESS BOOKS THAT YOU COULD ORDER. I WOULD BUY THE BOOKS AND READ ABOUT RECORD LABELS AND DISTRIBUTORS, HOW THEY OPERATED, AND HOW TO APPROACH THEM. I PUT TOGETHER MARKETING PLANS FOR ARTISTS, TEMPLATES OF ONE SHEETS, PRESS RELEASES, AND SO FORTH IN A BIG BINDER, WHICH I STILL HAVE AND USE TODAY.
VALIDATED: YOU GRADUATED TRADE SCHOOL WITH CERTIFICATES IN AUDIO PRODUCTION, MARKETING, AND AN FCC LICENSE TO BROADCAST. YOU ALSO HAVE AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. HOW HAS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND HELPED YOU TO SUCCEED IN YOUR LINE OF BUSINESS?
CHRISSY MAC: I TOOK EVERYTHING I KNEW AND PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. WITH ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, WE ARE CONNECTED TO PEOPLE WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH BEFORE. ARTISTS CAN SEND OUT EPKS TO SHOP LABEL DEALS AND/OR RELEASE MUSIC ON THEIR OWN. MY AUDIO PRODUCTION BACKGROUND GIVES ME AN EDGE WHERE I CAN SAY TO AN ARTIST, “THIS TRACK ISN’T MASTERED PROPERLY. IT WON’T BROADCAST WELL AND THEREFORE MAY NOT GET RADIO PLAY”. MY MARKETING AND MUSIC BUSINESS BACKGROUND GAVE ME THE KNOWLEDGE TO START AN INDEPENDENT LABEL AND RELEASE MUSIC TO THE MEDIA WITHOUT BACKING FROM A MAJOR. MY IT BACKGROUND GAVE ME THE SKILLS NEEDED TO CREATE A PLATFORM TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN. THE EDUCATIONAL PATH I TOOK HAS ALLOWED ME TO FORM A CAREER PATH THAT WILL ALWAYS BE RELEVANT. WHEN ONE ARTIST’S CAREER IS OVER, ANOTHER’S IS JUST STARTING. I WILL ALWAYS HAVE WORK IN THIS INDUSTRY, WHETHER IT BE LABEL WORK, CREATING PRESS KITS, OR WEBMASTERING.
VALIDATED: AN AVID LOVER OF HIP HOP, YOU WERE ALWAYS NETWORKING ONLINE AND AT SHOWS CREATING OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSIST ARTISTS IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF THEIR CAREER THROUGH GUIDANCE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WEB PRESENCE, AND PROMOTION. IN YOUR CURRENT ROLES HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO NETWORK AND KNOW HOW TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES?
CHRISSY MAC: NETWORKING IS THE KEY TO GETTING IN THE DOOR IN THIS INDUSTRY. THERE’S A MILLION ARTISTS. INDUSTRY EXECS, DJS, BLOGGERS – THEY GET HUNDREDS OF EMAILS A DAY. WHAT IS GOING TO MAKE THEM OPEN YOURS? I SPENT YEARS JUST GOING OUT TO SHOWS AND EVENTS BEFORE DOING ANY WORK JUST TO GET TO KNOW WHO’S WHO AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. IT CAME IN HANDY WHEN WE WERE RE-INTRODUCING PAYNE. I WAS EASILY ABLE TO GET HIM ON THE RADIO BECAUSE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS I HAD BUILT WITH THE DJS IN OUR AREA. ONCE YOU START GETTING THAT INITIAL BUZZ, AND YOU’RE IN EVERYONE’S FACE ON EVERY PLATFORM, EVERYONE STARTS TO PAY ATTENTION, AND IT JUST TAKES OFF FROM THERE. YOU HAVE TO TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT THOUGH. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO KNOWS WHO. THAT LITTLE BLOGGER YOU BLEW OFF MIGHT BE RELATED TO AN A&R AT A MAJOR LABEL. TREAT EACH OPPORTUNITY AS IF IT WERE BIG.
VALIDATED: YOU’VE WORKED WITH PHILLY RAPPER WEST PHILTHY IN THE CREATION OF REBEL MUSICK RECORDS, HOUSTON RAPPER SHOOTER MAC, BUCKSHOT OF BLACK MOON AND CURRENTLY WITH RJ PAYNE. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ARTIST BEFORE AGREEING TO WORK WITH THEM?
CHRISSY MAC: FIRST IS TALENT, EITHER YOU GOT IT OR YOU DON’T. SECOND, I LOOK FOR PROFESSIONALISM. DO YOU WANT THIS AS A CAREER? ARE YOU WILLING TO INVEST IN IT? ARE YOU CONSISTENT? CAN YOU CONDUCT YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN CONVERSATION AND IN A BUSINESS SETTING SHOULD WE BE IN A BOARDROOM WITH INVESTORS? CAN YOU TAKE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM? DO I LIKE THE MUSIC YOU CREATE? THERE’S A LOT OF WORK INVOLVED IN THE BACKEND SO IF I’M INVESTING MY TIME, AND IN SOME CASES – MONEY, I NEED TO BE CONFIDENT THAT I WILL RECEIVE A RETURN ON MY INVESTMENT. I CAN ONLY PROMOTE SOMETHING THAT I TRULY BELIEVE IN.
VALIDATED: IN WORKING WITH RJ PAYNE, YOU BUILT AND MANAGE HIS WEBSITE, IAMRJPAYNE.COM, ADVISE HIM ON BUSINESS, DISTRIBUTE HIS MUSIC, WRITE HIS PRESS RELEASES, BOOK SHOWS, INTERVIEWS, AND CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE. FANS OF MUSIC NO MATTER THE GENRE TEND TO FOCUS ON THE MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT ASPECT WHEN IT COMES TO AN ARTIST BUT HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR ROLE TO AN ARTIST SUCCESS?
CHRISSY MAC: THE INDUSTRY IS 10% MUSIC, 90% BUSINESS. IN ORDER FOR FANS TO GET TO YOUR MUSIC, YOU NEED TO GET IT TO THE MEDIA AND YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO GET IT TO THE MEDIA. THERE’S THOUSANDS OF ARTISTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. MOST WILL ONLY GO AS FAR AS THEIR POSTS. WHEN I FIRST MET PAYNE, HE WAS GIVING AWAY HIS MUSIC FOR FREE ON DATPIFF AND FREESTYLING ON INSTAGRAM. I KNEW RIGHT AWAY HE WAS SPECIAL AND THAT HIS TALENT WOULD TAKE HIM FAR IF APPLIED PROPERLY. PA DRE WAS PRODUCING HIS PROJECTS AND THEY WERE USING THE NAME “EDUCATED IGNORANCE MUSIC GROUP”. I SAID LET’S RUN THIS LIKE A RECORD LABEL. I’LL REGISTER THE BUSINESS, BUILD A WEBSITE WHERE WE CAN SELL THE MUSIC, WRITE THE PRESS RELEASES, AND SEND THEM OUT TO THE RADIO DJS. HAVING EVERYTHING HOUSED ON ONE PLATFORM GAVE US FULL CONTROL OVER THE MUSIC. I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE ANALYTICS AND TARGET ADS IN AREAS WHERE WE DIDN’T HAVE A FAN BASE. JOURNALISTS COULD EASILY READ UP ON HIM AND USE THE PRESS KIT TO WRITE ARTICLES WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT FOR BACK AND FORTH EMAILS. THE MUSIC WAS GETTING DISTRIBUTED IMMEDIATELY THROUGH LINKS AND I WAS HANDLING ALL OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT. WITH THE BUSINESS SIDE UNDER CONTROL, PAYNE WAS ABLE TO SPEND MORE TIME CREATING AND IN RETURN FANS GOT PROJECTS EVERY MONTH.
VALIDATED: THE SUCCESS OF RJ PAYNE AND IAMRJPAYNE.COM LED YOU TO CREATE “EIMG MEDIA”, A SUBSIDIARY OF THE EDUCATED IGNORANCE MUSIC BRAND. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT EIMG MEDIA?
CHRISSY MAC: THE IDEA FOR EIMG MEDIA CAME ABOUT WHEN PAYNE TOLD ME THAT CREATIVES WOULD RATHER PAY SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE WORK, SO I MADE A LANE FOR MYSELF. I DO PROJECT BASED WORK FOR PEOPLE I’M NOT MANAGING OR PARTNERED WITH. I CREATE WEBSITES, ELECTRONIC PRESS KITS, WRITE BIOS AND ONE SHEETS, UPDATE AND MANAGE WEBSITES, HELP SET UP LLCS, AND GIVE BUSINESS ADVICE TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO START THEIR OWN LABELS.
VALIDATED: YOU’RE ALSO MANAGING NEW ARTIST, BIG BRICK AND WORKING ON A BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP WITH CORPORAL AK – “LYRIC’S WORLD ENTERTAINMENT”. CAN WE EXPECT ANY NEW MUSIC FROM EITHER OF THEM IN 2020?
CHRISSY MAC: BIG BRICK IS DROPPING PROJECTS EVERY MONTH. EVERYTHING IS FREE TO DOWNLOAD ON HIS WEBSITE – BIGBRICKMUSIC.COM FOR THE REST OF 2020 AS WE BUILD HIS FAN BASE. HE’S GOT A LOT OF DOPE TRACKS, SOME OF WHICH ARE IN ROTATION ON SHADE 45. HE’S DEFINITELY ONE TO WATCH FOR IF YOU LIKE THAT CLASSIC NEW YORK STREET HIP HOP. CORPORAL AK CURRENTLY HAS MUSIC ON ROCK THE BELLS RADIO AND IS PLANNING A TAKEOVER IN 2020. HE’S GOT SOMETHING FOR THE RADIO, THE STREETS, AND THE CLUB. HE’S RELEASING SINGLES THAT WILL TIE INTO HIS UPCOMING PROJECTS AND THE LAUNCH OF LYRIC’S WORLD ENTERTAINMENT LABEL. HE REMADE PUBLIC ENEMY’S “FIGHT THE POWER” AND SPEAKS OUT ON ALL THE SOCIAL INJUSTICES CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
VALIDATED: YOU ALSO CO-HOST “RAP DELITES PODCAST”, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE SHOW?
CHRISSY MAC: RAP DELITES IS A HIP HOP VARIETY PODCAST CREATED AND MODERATED BY VIGOR BATTS FROM WEST PHILLY. WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING AND LISTENING TO, THE LATEST HIP HOP NEWS, CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARIES OF ALBUMS AND BIRTHDAYS OF ARTISTS, AS WELL AS SPOTLIGHT AN ARTIST EVERY WEEK THAT WE FEEL DIDN’T GET THE CREDIT THEY DESERVED FOR THEIR BODY OF WORK.
VALIDATED: WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR FOOTPRINT?
CHRISSY MAC: I’D LIKE TO GET BACK INTO RADIO AND HOST MY OWN SHOW. I’M ALSO EXPERIMENTING IN THE SPOKEN WORD REALM. I DID A SONG FOR PA DRE AND I KNOW HE WANTS ME TO DO A WHOLE ALBUM. AFTER MY ARTISTS GET THEIR LABELS SITUATED, I’D LIKE TO START A PUBLISHING COMPANY. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE INFINITE. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN AN AMBITIOUS PERSON.
VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS AND WEBSITE?
CHRISSY MAC: EIMGMEDIA.COM