The Business of Being 'Beazy'

How he moved from struggling for promo to sought after rap sensation

    BY kehinde Ajose

……Releasing a new song every week for 52 weeks.

When the producers of The First Apprentice –a reality television show about competing with an apprenticeship with Donald Trump began constructing a story, they wanted to know which applicant will have what it takes to stand out in a crowd.As the first season unfolded ,the person with the highest level of education was the first to be fired , and the least educated of the bunch made it to the final five.In this case, art imitated life, and reality TV mirrored some real facts about success. One of the traits that made the least qualified candidate made it to the final five is optimism and drive.Afolabi Durotoye A.K.A Beazy in the music
circuit is one young Nigerian who epitomizes these twin qualities of optimism and drive. Knowing pretty well that he did not have the funds required to promote his music adequately, he decided to convert his clay into diamonds. He embarked on a project called: The Beazy Music Monday(B.M.M).He released a new song every week for 52 weeks (1 year) which kicked off in August 2010 and finished in August 2011.This phenomenal project gave him the big break he needed and made him a face to be reckoned with  as far as the hip-hop game is concerned.

STARTING OUT

In his words:’ I think its safe to say it all started with poetry .I always had a passion for words and making them rhyme intrigued me from an early age. Thinking about it now, rap  for me was inevitable.’ Although, his father’s intense love of music ensured that there was always music in the house, Beazy was never particularly crazy about music. in fact he never displayed any interest until he took up poetry in primary school. After secondary school, he went to England for his A-levels and university education in 2003.

UNIQUE SELLING POINT

Simply put, Beazy is a phenomenal rapper. But as he admits, being a good rapper doesn’t quite cut it these days. In a time when the world seems to be brimming with rap talent, a lot of things set him apart from the horde. It goes way beyond his witty punch lines , catchy hooks , or even his cool demeanor on a song. It also extends to his perfectionist approach to music and his work ethic.In just three years he has amassed an archive of close to 250 recorded songs and still recording regularly. He points out:’ My ultimate goal as a rapper is to be number one, even if I was a janitor I will still aim to be number one’

THE BEAZY MUSIC MONDAY PROJECT

 His resolve to make a name for himself in the crowded music industry gave birth to The BEAZY MUSIC MONDAY, basically he is releasing  a new song every week for 52 weeks. According to him,:’ I knew pretty early that I didn’t have the required funds to promote myself adequately so I decided to make a name for myself where it would cost me nothing. The problem though is that using the internet to promote music or an artiste is far from an original idea, so I needed a wow factor to make me stand out’.Releasing a new song for 52 weeks certainly got the industry’s attention. The music was released on all the major blogs every week and regularly got between 12,000 to 15,000 downloads every week.

CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED DURING THE PROJECT

My greatest challenges was endurance and keeping my focus and drive for a year .Its such a long time that it becomes all too easy to forget why you are doing something in the first place. Thankfully I found a strength I didn’t even know I possessed and was able to push on till the end. There is something I always tell myself whenever I get weary. I saw it in a sports advert once, it is: ‘I don’t stop when I am tired, I stop when am done’. It seems very simple, but it helps incredibly.

ADVICE TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Work hard, work smarter, be consistent and hope for the best, but prepare for the worst and pray like crazy. Be willing to pursue your passion.Do it.You may or may not regret it. But at least you did it your way.

  With the successful completion of The Beazy Music Monday Project and armed with a music video shot by the award winning Clarence Peters in addition to his amazing  work ethic,Beazy his sure meant for greatness….