For decades, our city has struggled in creating a music identity that can propel us to mainstream recognition. Yes, we have Da Baby, Anthony Hamilton, Sunshine Anderson, and part of K-Ci and Jo Jo. But, why haven’t today’s local artists broken out when the talent is definitely there?
We spoke with a few people who have been involved in, have studied, or who are heavily connected in Charlotte’s music scene. We asked about their thoughts on what they feel we need to do to get our city’s musical talents to the next level.
In all of the conversations, there were several factors that were consistent across the board as to why we can’t break out as a “musical powerhouse.”
We’re often labeled as “little Atlanta” or a “commerce city”
Many people expect us to mirror the sound of Atlanta, because of similarities in the cities. But, we are still trying to establish our sound as a city. The cloud of Charlotte being a commerce city has often overshadowed our local creatives, with people watching for our business trends more than anything else.
“People expect us to be the shadow of Atlanta, but Atlanta has revolutionized music and Black culture,” Shawn Allison, The Black Ferris Bueller told The Block. “We’ll never do that and shouldn’t do that. Also, we tend to lump Black music into hip-hop and r&b only. But Black people created almost every genre. People need to step out of the norm, and come with their own sounds. It seems musicians here don’t want to expand their mind.”
Longtime radio personality Larry Mims aka ‘No Limit Larry’ points out that Charlotte has always been seen as a “little big city.” While we’ve drawn national attention through our sports teams, we can’t seem to do the same for music.
“Around 2015, we started getting world class attention,” Mims shared with The Block. “From the Panthers making it to the Super Bowl, to us having the NASCAR Hall of Fame. That was also around the time that Da Baby started getting a buzz. The world was looking at us, and it actually started bringing label scouts to the city. They were looking for fresh new talent after seeing Da Baby constantly go viral.”(although not always good attention)
On the flip side of it all, many of our Black hip-hop artists have begun trying to emulate the sound of rappers like Da Baby, in hopes that that will push them forward. But, according to Allison and Mims, originality is key.
We don’t support our own enough to push them higher
Sadly, the artists who have managed to break out, relocated to other cities as a way for them to rise to fame. Several indie artists feel the exact same, and although they rep Charlotte through their lyrics, they have had to make other markets home to get the national attention.
“Charlotte has many talented artists that are just itching to be heard,” Eric Sanders of the Who Got Next Podcast told The Block. “Look at an artist like the Da Baby for example. He had to leave the city to get a start. I’m pretty sure local stations may have played earlier recordings by him, but it did not matriculate into stardom.”
Sanders believes that the city needs to do better in discovering and cultivating its homegrown talent. This is how we bring more eyes to the talent our city has.
“We pack out The Fillmore, Amos Southend, and Spectrum for artists that are not from here. Why can’t we do that with our local artists? It is a question that needs to be discussed.”
In continuing with this same sentiment, some believe that our local media outlets and venues have failed many of our artists too. As far as publications, they feel it’s normally only Queen City Nerve (formally Creative Loafing) that consistently highlights indie artists across our area.
“Charlotte has a terrible track record of reporting on local music,” Jermaine Spencer of the J. Spencer Agency told The Block. “Music venues used to back local talent, but now most venues only support national tours.”
Sanders agreed with this and feels that once venues reopen, post COVID-19, they need to be more intentional about booking and promoting local artists.
Artists don’t collaborate to reach new audiences
“If artists want to get more attention, you can’t be afraid to team up with other people to bring a bigger buzz,” Mims explained. “I highly suggest forming a relationship with and teaming up with a DJ because that’s how you get your music into clubs really fast. That’s usually where songs take off, especially in strip clubs. “
As someone who has often hosted music networking events over the years, Mims further encourages artists to attend as many of them that they can. Even if the event doesn’t cater to your usual fan base.
Finally he urges artists to use this time of not being able to do in-person events, to get their marketing and branding in order.
“Everything is being done via social media right now, and this is how labels are determining who is worth a shot. Artists need to be studying social media trends, so that they can properly brand themself. If there is a platform to advertise yourself for free, you need to be on it and constantly posting and sharing content.”
