The Next Wave 002
Bringing Beats to the Stage (and the World)
Some dope questions from
For a rapper-producer, what insights around live performance would you have? I’m currently playing around with using an MPC One to do live shows to have it play my backing tracks like a DJ of some sorts I guess?
I’m loving this question because it hits close to home. If you’re a rapper-producer, performing live is a whole different beast than just dropping tracks. A few thoughts from my experience and what I’ve seen over the years:
🎹 MPC One Live Setup
Using an MPC One live is fire, but keep it simple at first. Don’t try to do too much chopping and live manipulation unless you’re super comfortable. Even triggering full backing tracks or loops keeps your set dynamic and makes you look pro.
Think about how your MPC integrates with the house sound system. Bring stems split into key groups (drums, music, vocals) if you want control. Otherwise, a solid stereo mix often saves headaches.
Practice transitions! The dead space between tracks can kill your energy fast. Always have something ready to fill the void.
Layer in moments for live improvisation. Could be muting tracks, dropping filters, or freestyling over beats.
💡 General Live Tips
Perform shorter sets while you’re starting out. Keep it tight and leave people wanting more.
Talk to the crowd. Tell quick stories about your songs.
Film your rehearsals. You’ll spot things you’d never notice in the moment and can watch it back like sports film.
If you’re rapping, breath control is key. Running your set while moving around is real cardio. Stay in shape and stay hydrated!
ON MARKETING & PROMOTION
I’m also very curious about marketing and promotion, but I don’t have a specific question as I am very green to all that. But if you have any insight or general knowledge to share, I’m all ears.
Man… welcome to the eternal hustle. Here’s the truth:
Start Early. Don’t wait for your project to be 100% done to talk about it. Show behind-the-scenes, snippets, random thoughts about the process. That’s your marketing. The small wins add up so don’t feel pressure to blow up overnight. Consistency > virality. Pick platforms you actually like, use and understand how the ecosystems work. Every platform has its own unique audience that leans towards or away from certain content. Don’t force TikTok if you hate it but also don’t sleep on it if it’s a good fit for your music or your approach
Theres a bunch of platforms with tons of engaged followers.
Build an Email List. Socials come and go, but emails stay. Substack, ConvertKit, etc. doesn’t matter. Own your audience.
Marketing is just talking to humans. Find people who genuinely vibe with your sound and keep them close.
Learn Basic Design and Video Editing. Clean visuals go a long way in standing out, especially for a DIY artist. I suggest Canva Pro and CapCut Pro personally, its creeping up into Must Have territory for me up there with Dropbox.
The Pro Version of these tools can be pricey monthly but I still think you should test out these apps because they help the process
THE BIGGEST THING:
Don’t separate “the music” and “the marketing.” Sharing the journey is the marketing. You don’t need to wait until your project is finished to start telling your story.
HOW I’M DOING IT RIGHT NOW:
For me, I’m in the middle of rolling out Heaven’s Gate (Deluxe) and prepping the next arc of the Relapse story.
I’m dropping melody versions, experimenting with mini-games on my website, and connecting music with narrative. All that is marketing even if it doesn’t look like ads.
So keep creating. But start talking about it, too. That’s how people get invested.
Drop me a line if you’ve got other questions you want me to tackle next. ✌🏾
🌀 No inbox pressure. These posts will live right on the Substack feed so you can read and revisit whenever it fits your schedule.
Why I’m Starting This
Lately I’ve noticed that so much music business info is either locked behind paywalls or watered down into short TikToks and YouTube clips. Don’t get me wrong some of these are helpful and I enjoy them myself but I wanted to carve out a space that’s grounded in the things I actually care about: music, creative freedom, ownership, and making sense of the industry without all the fluff.
If there’s something you want to see covered—or if you just have a question you’ve been sitting on drop a comment in any of the comment sections or swing by the subscriber chat!
I want this to be an open conversation, not just me talking into the void.
About Us
We Had Our Time is a NYC-based music licensing and soundtracking boutique, specializing in syncing music for commercial productions, including cinema, TV shows, brand advertisements, and collaborations with record labels and publishers.
Relapse: The Ghosts We Can’t Leave Behind
Relapse is a manga-inspired, semi auto-biographical graphic novel that follows Drew, an ambitious musician navigating the chaos and beauty of the music industry. It’s a journey of introspection, personal reckoning, and rediscovery.
Discography
Listen to DrewsThatDude on SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Download singles, albums and exclusive drops on Bandcamp.
Tap In
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Yo, thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I’ve been reading it piecemeal just been fairly busy between a couple things. I wanna write a response here that it’s a bit more meaningful. Thank you so much for the notes about my performance and recording ones itself. Also that point about marketing! Super facts and learning to do this. Much love and gratitude to you fam 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Let’s colabn