Hey, have you seen the new blog design? It just went live this past weekend. We continue to build and improve to keep your experience fresh.

This isn’t the new website I’ve been talking about the past few weeks, it’s another project that has been in the works that I didn’t tell you about.

We are grinding here at SCR Entertainment, so while we diligently push through the workload, please be patient; you’ll love the new website!

A website we are developing which is essentially the whole catalog of SCR Entertainment is now in the works. The first 12 SCR releases dating back to 1993 plus all of the new works will all be available. At launch we will have over 150 tracks with more coming!

While the site is being completed, we are going to be adding a few albums on a new page on BanginBeatsByREL.com which is being worked on at this time. Currently, we intend to launch the SCR Vault site with the release of my first solo album “Spoken”, currently planned for December.

Here is a breakdown of the 5 most recent beats added to the site:

• Mo Fo U - Other Flavor
• Jazzy Funk - East Coast
• In The Hole - Club Flavor
• West Coast Funk - West Coast
• Symphony Funk - West Coast

All through September you can read my blog for updates and progress on the things I’m working on.

Ask yourself this question out loud, please; “Am I willing to go down with the ship?” Did you ask the question out loud? If by chance you didn’t, you may be missing the impact of the words. So please, say it out loud. You’re not doing it for me, this is for you; “Am I willing to go down with the ship?”

Some may wonder why I am asking you a question as if you are the captain of a ship; metaphorically you are. The captain of a ship is ultimately responsible for setting the course, making the decisions and ensuring the destination is reached. If things go wrong, others might abandon the ship but to the end, the captain would stay and go down with the ship if necessary.

In this respect, you are the captain (leader) of your ship (career), making decisions which will hopefully bring you to your destination; success in whatever way you define it. You will have a crew (the team) and they will help you along the way. However, poor decisions and sometimes even great ones will cause some members of your crew to fall away, leaving you undermanned and overworked.

Will you keep going or turn back? If you ever find yourself during your career as the only one that believes in you, will you keep going? It’s easy to make bold declarations before the appearance of an opposing force, but what about the reality of it all? My hope is that you can say yes and mean it, even when under fire, because your resolve to be successful in the ridiculously competitive music industry, or any industry for that matter, is going to be tested.

Record deals may get offered and reneged on. Maybe you get signed, do an album and the album gets shelved and never released and you ultimately get dropped from the label.  Some manager or agent will come to you under the guise of being an important part of your team but may show that their whole purpose was to rip you off and sabotage your opportunities.

A producer with a few credits may offer help for legitimate purposes, but after discovering your industry inexperience, decides to burn you. A song you wrote but failed to copyright (you do copyright your songs, right?) gets into the wrong hands and it becomes a money maker for someone else and you don’t even get a cut.

To make matters worse, you are legally stopped from using the song in any way unless you desire to be sued for copyright infringement. All of this and more does happen and requires effort to prevent, but the question is still; “What if it happens to you?” Do you learn from the experience, tighten your game up and keep grinding, or do you go home and get a day job?

Honestly, some questions can’t be answered until you find yourself in the situation dealing with all of the particulars and emotions therein. However, one thing is sure if you are in this game with largely superficial desires like money, fame and excess; you probably don’t have the discipline to do the work that is required to avoid the obvious pitfalls, let alone the less obvious ones.

A deep passion for your craft and a clear purpose will also provide the drive to educate oneself about the business of music which can significantly lessen the impact of the inevitable disappointments which come even to the mega-stars. Passion, clear purpose and education will soften the blows delivered in this industry, but you are going to take some shots.

Most of us have heard the statement “Get money” and know people who are solely driven for that, but if that’s all it’s about for you then there are easier legal ways of getting paid then navigating the music industry. The bottom line question is this; “Does your desire to reach your destination have the power to sustain you during the tough times?”

50 Cent said he would, “Get rich or die trying.” Poker players betting to win it all or lose it all say, “All in.” Can you answer this question with a yes; “Am I willing to go down with the ship?”

Wisdom from the Grind: Your career success depends on your willingness to go down with the ship!

Natasha’s album is currently on the high heat burner. Be sure to check the blog for updates.

Beat production for BanginBeatsByREL.com continues to be the priority until the first goal is met: 60 World Class Beats! We now have 27 on the site.

"Spoken", my first solo album is slated for a December release; just in time for Christmas. This album will be a mix of all the musical flavors I love; spoken word, rap, neo-soul and lounge / down tempo tracks.

I'm an artist doing what artists do; creating art. Of course, it's hip hop, and my hip hop roots will be felt. I've already begun production, so as things are developed I will share them with you. I have added three more tracks to the project. The total track number has again changed. At this point I’m considering 15. This will mark album number 13.