Super Duty Tough Work Podcast

In this week's episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down an article about how many artists are struggling to make money from their merch and give some tips on how to maximize the money you make selling merch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After being on tour for five weeks on the Out Cold Tour, Blueprint returns to the podcast to sit down with Illogic and talk about how the tour went and what the biggest lessons were. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, NPR published a new story that describes a new trend of hip-hop artists like Earl Sweatshirt releasing shorter albums. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic discuss the article and why we think that this new trend of shorter albums is happening and is here to stay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, news surfaced that the largest streaming platform Spotify had just purchased whosampled.com, a website famous for exposing uncleared samples. In this week's episode, Blueprint does a deep dive into what this move could mean for hip-hop artists moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Blueprint does a complete breakdown of his 50-city Vessel tour that he just wrapped up and answers the questions of Illogic as well as those submitted by listeners of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many artists find the music industry to be one of the most annoying places to work due to the way people inside of it conduct business. While many of their complaints are valid, some of these problems are created because they don't know how the music industry works. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the unspoken rules that have to be understood if you want to have any success in th...

In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down their history and experience with DJing and how much their time behind the turntables has helped them become better artists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The music streaming platform Spotify has become a very polarizing entity in the music industry, with music fans loving it and many artists complaining about the unfair financial deal. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why Spotify is the best and worst thing to ever happen to music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After realizing that they have both fallen off their fitness routines, Blueprint and Illogic decide it's time to get back in shape. In this episode, they issue their annual 90-Days of Discipline challenge and invite their listeners to participate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people who have attended concerts in the last couple of years have noticed that the prices have increased. In this episode, we break down a study by Berklee Music Business Journal that breaks down exactly why ticket prices have increased so much and the answers may surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week an djbooth.com posted an interview with hip-hop group Little Brother where rapper Big Pooh had a lot of negative things to say about the current state of touring. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down their issues and debate whether they're legitimate or not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the toughest traits to cultivate in life is grit, which according to author Angela Duckworth is the combination of passion and perseverance. As artists who have been releasing music for over twenty years, Blueprint and Illogic break down how having enough grit to stay in the game helped them with their recent endeavors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent study that was released that examined the suicide rates among all professions, and found that people working in the music industry had some of the highest rates. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the report and take a deep dive into the issue of mental health in the music industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we sit down with long-time friend of the show and dope MC, Brother Ali. In this week's episode, Blueprint and Brother Ali have an open honest conversation about Brother Ali's decision to depart from Rhymesayers and how he went about building his team to help him release his own music and the hard lessons he's learned along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

One of the most important relationships an artist has is with their producer, yet the current trend in the music industry is to always work with multiple producers on a project. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why it's so important for an artist to have a produce they can trust in their corner and how to build and maintain that trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Is it ever too late to pursue a career in the arts? In this week's episode, Blueprint interviews his friend, former rhyme partner, and illustrator Southside Frank what it was like being in art school at 40 years old. The two friends and collaborators break down what went into his decision, how his life has changed since graduating, and his advice for anyone else thinking about doing it.  Learn mor...

When people hear hit songs like "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar, they don't really think about what went on behind-the-scenes to make it happen. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down an interview with the songs producer, DJ Mustard, where he reveals how being consistent with his output and humble in his approach were the keys to getting the opportunity that changed his career trajector...

Many artists complain about not getting the opportunities they think they deserve, but don't understand the role that public perception plays in this or how to change it. Simply put, the people around them don't see them as they see themselves. In this episode, we do a case study on bay area rapper LaRussel and break how he was able to change how people view him and create opportunities for himsel...

Instead of doing our normal New Years episode where we look forward, we decided to pause for a second and talk about the goals we accomplished in 2024. We also play calls from listeners about their biggest wins of 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blueprint returns to the United States after his month long excursion to Southeast Asia to talk about his adventures and answer fan questions about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Blueprint's Southeast Asia tour in full-swing, we figured it would be a good time to discuss how the tour came together and how he was able to tour in a place most artists rarely go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although make money from your art is one of the best feelings in the world, along the way you will realize that you have probably missed out on just as much as you have made for various reasons. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the top reasons artists miss out money and give the solutions for each. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As artists, coming up with great ideas is fairly common. But why is it that so few of the ideas we come up with get executed? In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down why so many great creative ideas never come to fruition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While have a twenty year career in the music industry is a blessing, it's not without its drawbacks. One of those is the constant changing of technology and how that impacts your ability to store and archive your oldest material. In this episode, Blueprint and Illogic break down the challenges of keeping their catalog intact and give advice for artists who may want to avoid some of the problems th...

In this week's episode, Blueprint and Illogic review brand new albums from Shrapknel, Common & Pete Rock, Slum Village, and Ghostface Killah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices