The HipHopification In Business with Addis Mussa
Business learned a lot from HipHop and still is. Rappers, producers and HipHop label owners are the prototypes of modern creative hustlers. They know how to be assertive and they claim their worth but also know how to cooperate with others in order to be successful. Further, they have cultural identity, which makes it so attractive for many brands to be associated with a HipHop artist, thoughtleader or entrepreneur. More often than not, you get all of this in one person. I went through HipHop Business School myself and today I am interviewing Addis Mussa, who has established himself in the US as a bridge-builder between HipHop and Business and between the European and the American music business. Addis Mussa lives in Orlando, Florida and is Music Consultant with Sony Music for the US territory, managing transatlantic cooperations between artists from Europe and the US. Additionally, he is coordinating brand partnerships between companies and artists, mainly rappers and HipHop producers, thereby taking part in the increasing HipHopification in business. Addis started as a rapper in Germany and after being successful as a German rapper with English lyrics, he wanted to become successful in the US and moved there in 2007. After years of struggle he had to realize that he has to look into other income streams than just rapping and built up his artist coordination and brand partnership expertise, which today is his passion and a constantly growing business. Addis is an artist in creating business out of nothing and this episode will give you great insights in the life of a hustler in the HipHop business as well as insights on working with artists, business in the US and how personal growth makes you successful. Some of the questions I ask Addis: - How did you break through the ego resistance that hold you back from helping other artists instead of being the star yourself? (19:55) - What did you do when you realized that you have to do something else than just rapping to make a living in the US? (27:50) - Tell us about the first business steps you made in the US? (30:03) - Can you give us insights on the increasing collaborations between all sorts of brands and HipHop artists? (33:33) - How is the process of bringing companies and artists together? (35:17) - Which advice would you give a young artist and which advice would you give to people who want to build up their own business? (58:15) In this talk with Addis I learned how to get access to US artists, how to successfully manage a collaboration between an artist and a brand and that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to overcome ego resistance. If you want to book a 15 minute call with me where I listen to your personal case and give you my advise, you can sign up here: https://linktr.ee/janmehlhose