"SPOTLIGHT EVERYTHING" A Triumphant Collaboration to Resurrect Hip Hop's Legacy in The Valley

In the hip hop landscape of The Valley, a cultural resurgence is underway, spearheaded by an ambitious collective known as Spotlight Everything. The four key members of this dynamic group—Dre Logic, DP, Anthemous T Rocknrolla, and Cold City Ghost—each bring a unique skill set and vision to the table. Their combined efforts have transformed Spotlight Everything from a grassroots initiative into a force that is shaping the future of hip hop in the region, building a space for artists to showcase their talent and connect with audiences in ways that few thought possible.

Dre Logic: The Engine Driving the Movement

Dre Logic, the figurehead of Spotlight Everything, is the heart and soul of the collective’s operations. Known for his relentless energy and commitment to the vision, Dre Logic is always on the move, scouting venues, establishing connections, and securing new stages for Spotlight Everything to call home. His role is crucial in expanding the collective’s reach, allowing them to host shows across an ever-growing roster of venues throughout The Valley.

Dre’s commitment to building relationships within the music community is unmatched, and it is this dedication that has allowed Spotlight Everything to establish a reputation for hosting unforgettable live shows. Every event Dre organizes is an opportunity for the collective to strengthen its presence in The Valley, creating new stages for local and emerging artists to perform and make their mark. For Dre, it’s not just about music; it’s about building a lasting legacy for hip hop in a place that has often struggled to support it.

DP: The Ears and the Broadcast Voice

While Dre Logic is out making the connections that keep Spotlight Everything moving, DP serves as the ears of the collective. His contributions come through a popular live-streamed show, where he reviews unreleased music from artists across the state. DP’s platform has quickly become a beacon for hip hop enthusiasts, providing information, promotion, and a forum for artists to gain valuable feedback. His live-streamed sessions bring exposure to new talent while engaging the community in meaningful discussions around the music they love.

DP’s show has become an essential source of information and networking for The Valley’s hip hop scene. Aspiring artists tune in not only to hear new sounds but also to gain insights from DP, who has an ear for what resonates and a deep respect for the culture. Through his streaming platform, DP creates a space for dialogue, helping artists refine their craft and develop a network, all while promoting the collective’s mission to support and elevate hip hop.

Anthemous T Rocknrolla: The Enigmatic Visionary

Anthemous T Rocknrolla, the enigmatic mastermind behind the group’s strategic expansion, brings a level of creativity and insight that has set Spotlight Everything apart. A multi-talented artist who excels in everything he touches, Anthemous is the group’s visionary, constantly imagining new possibilities and scouting untapped opportunities. He pushes Spotlight Everything to think beyond conventional boundaries, envisioning a presence for the group that transcends The Valley’s borders and positions them on a broader stage.

Anthemous’s skill with visuals has brought a powerful aesthetic to Spotlight Everything’s brand, attracting an audience that is not only drawn to the music but to the complete experience of hip hop as an art form. His design and visual storytelling have given Spotlight Everything a distinct image, and his ability to see new possibilities keeps the collective evolving. For Anthemous, it’s not just about music; it’s about creating a platform that captures the attention of a wider audience, one that could expand into new territories and markets.

Cold City Ghost: The Connector and Podcast Host

Cold City Ghost rounds out the team with his expertise in public relations and networking, helping Spotlight Everything maintain strong relationships with artists, venues, and media outlets. His role as the group’s “connector” ensures that each move Spotlight Everything makes is supported by the community. In addition to his PR work, Cold City Ghost hosts a podcast dedicated to spotlighting emerging artists, featuring interviews and deep dives into the local hip hop scene. Through this platform, he gives artists a voice, providing a unique space where they can share their stories, inspirations, and aspirations with a broader audience.

The podcast has become a vital resource for those looking to learn more about the region’s music landscape. With a mix of interviews, scene highlights, and artist spotlights, Cold City Ghost’s podcast enriches the community’s understanding of local talent and strengthens the connections within The Valley’s hip hop culture. His commitment to amplifying artists’ voices aligns perfectly with Spotlight Everything’s mission to cultivate a supportive, collaborative environment for musicians.

Building a Legacy for Hip Hop in The Valley

The members of Spotlight Everything aren’t just performers; they are the stewards of a revived hip hop movement that has taken root in The Valley. By pooling their talents, they have created a collaborative that is not only focused on producing great music but on creating lasting infrastructure for the local scene. Together, they are creating a legacy that is built on connection, culture, and community.

Spotlight Everything’s events are more than shows—they are celebrations of the art, the stories, and the voices that make up hip hop culture. With Dre Logic’s relentless drive, DP’s critical ear and outreach, Anthemous T Rocknrolla’s forward-thinking vision, and Cold City Ghost’s unifying PR strategy, the collective has achieved a synergy that has already changed the landscape of local music.

They are transforming The Valley into a place where hip hop is not only respected but celebrated as an essential part of the community’s identity.

As they continue to expand and make their mark, Spotlight Everything stands as a testament to the power of unity, the importance of vision, and the enduring influence of hip hop. Their story is not just one of individual success but of collective impact—an example of what can be accomplished when a group of passionate individuals comes together to build something meaningful for the future.

WAR ROOM: Getting Started

First thing you need to do is get the following in order:

1. Notebook

2. Pen

3. PC, MAC, or Laptop with Internet access

4. A BUSINESS-oriented email account (not suckadick@yahoo.com)

5. An hour or two per night

6. A calendar

7. DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You probably have all of these things, right?

Remember, touring isn't easy for rock bands, so expect it to be at least twice as hard for a hip hop act.

So the plan is, "we go on a local or statewide tour" This is the first type of tour you will execute; easy for a rapper from New York, but harder for a rapper from Wyoming, and that is the way it is.

Not that Wyoming doesn't produce sick rappers, I don't know any rappers from Wyoming, but I won't put it past them to have an elite ripper or two in that state.

If you've got some real good friends, you can ask them to help be your committee.

**Clarification Note***DO NOT PUT YOUR CAREER IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S HANDS! You still need to have total confidence in your future, enough that you want your own influence on it. You can get a TRUSTWORTHY and psyched friend or family member to help you plan and communicate with the world. They probably want to help anyway, right?

You should still plan this by yourself, at least the first time, so you know what goes into it, and if you ever enlist the services of another, you know what to expect from deadlines to cost.

So, in a local draft of a plan you want to open up GoogleMaps which we will use forever and again.

Then add a tab to this window. Go to Google (they're just the best, period) Zoom in to your state, find a circular route beginning and ending in your hometown.

You know your state, you know where the universities and the party cities are. Write down every town you want to visit in the same order of your tour. Something to help with that, would be to calculate the distances and driving times between each city.

You should be able to input the zip codes if you looked up the city zip codes for your targets on the Googlemap interface. Open a calendar, and find your dates and make sure they coincide with your driving times and distances.

A 10 city tour should last 2 weeks.

It won't be like you'll be writing any of those directions, you won't even have to print them out; you can if you want to and I'm sure it will help a bit to have it in front of you; However, it doesn't have the venues addresses, and you will want them to make a printout of your final plan-in-action file.

Oh yes, you will have a file for this.

It can create a lot of paperwork, which is why you should normally wait to have all of your tour information and confirmation emails on paper. And work off of your computer.

Once you can see what type of tour you'll be doing it looks like, "this isn't so hard" but we know better than to underestimate this process...

A poorly planned tour can drain your finances, effect your employment, and you could end up burning bridges with venues with a display of your poor planning which just appears as bad event management, regardless of your intentions.

But now you have an idea about what kind of tour is being created in your first steps.

BUILDING CONCENSUS I: Securing The Venue

You will be executing Part 1 and Part 2 of BUILDING CONSENSUS simultaneously.

College towns are the way to go. Especially if you can book your show for a Thursday night in these towns (most college kids have Friday off, or a late class, if that.) So a lot of venues have that night for a "college night" anyway. In your bigger cities, if you can link up with a great act, you want a weekday, Tues or Wed depending.

Try not to book on Sundays or Mondays, unless that is all the venue will give you. If you cannot give the venue a strong lineup with artists they may be familiar with (which is why you looked up the shows for each artist) They WILL most certainly not give you a weekend. Plus, most of these venue owners have a problem with hip hop, and "the kind of crowd it brings" So not having it on a Friday or Saturday night, helps you to put them at ease about it.

Let's face it, (now I'm going to go there) Hip Hop gets a bad rep from people who say they are serious about performing, but invite people who are looking for trouble, or they themselves are troublesome, ie; smoking weed in the venue, fighting, not buying drinks at the bar, bringing their own drinks to the bar, not tipping, etc...

You have to be very careful that you don't give yourself a bad name by not respecting a venue, which is the biggest reason they have reservations about booking hip hop acts in the first place.

It is this reason mainly that I created this blueprint, as a hip hop artist, you have too many tangibles that could hold you back from being successful at touring. And unless we identify these intangibles, we can't make moves. The more you understand, the better you can plan.

When you search for venues anywhere, you must use a filter like "hip hop/rap" to search for venues, the ones that show up don't quite "as-a-matter-of-fact" accept hip hop submissions, and there are some of course who want nothing to do with hip hop or rap. Metal is another one of those red-headed stepchildren that gets no respect. (Shout-out to the ginger kids)

Look for venues that are currently booked with hip hop acts and contact them.

If you're a RAPVeterans® NATIONAL Member, you will be invited to watch a live stream where I call venues on a circuit to make sure they will book hip hop acts. I don't care what it says on their profile, "any genre" don't mean a damn thing.

You need to make sure your spelling is pristine and that you should always communicate as a "representative" of the act. Don't say, "I'm a rapper, and I want to book a show", talk a bit about the date you have in mind (it should be so far away (month-s), the venue will most times have it open; Unless they are a national touring spot. Then who knows?)

Venues don't really care about your submission, they would rather meet you so whenever you find their booking email, you can send them your press-kit, wait 1 week, and then give them a call.

Be nice and professional, they might not even had a chance to look at your press-kit, and if you behave as though they slighted you, they will show you what that slight really could be...

You see, most venues usually have a SIN (Service Industry Night) and this is where venues offer drink or food specials to employees of other venues, just so you know, they talk and if you have made an impossibly irreversible impression, you can bet this is where, "you'll never work in this town again!" Can be true to the bone.

I got my first job by calling and showing up to the place EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR A WEEK, I'm not kidding you. They weren't even hiring, but I showed my earnestness and commitment to the objective; they appreciated that and hired me the next week. I loved that job.

So don't be afraid to call, the absolute worst thing they can say to you is they "don't want no nigger music here!"

That is an obvious worst thing, but even if that's what they want to say, they won't say it like that. So, "no" will be the worst (usually) that you will hear. Because of this, you need to compile a list of every venue willing to work in hip hop, that's all. Some cities have more than others, your job is to make one of those venues commit to a date.

If they'll listen, tell them your plan, which should include a roster or lineup, your touring dates, your promotional plan, etc... Most venue owners just want a professional act. If they don't have time, ask if you can send them your press-kit. You can send it blind, but if you ask, at least when they see your email, they know it was from the guy they talked to and they're more likely to check you out. Here is where you have your information. Like a business plan, but one for you to get them to agree to secure your tour date.

You might have already sent the press-kit... Send that shit again if they say yes.

They, like you and I, are tired of live music acts from all genres who plan poorly and suck. But then they blame the venue for not doing more.