If you’re trying to get a record deal (is that still a thing?), just one click can send your music to any music executive you want. However, the process was entirely different during the early years of Hip Hop. Young LL Cool J shares the challenges he faced to get his demo tape heard.
“I started off as a young rapper you know not doing anything,” a young LL says.
“Went and wrote lyrics, wrote a lot of lyrics. Then I started sending tapes into every record company. I went to a record store – and I got all the rap records. And I took the addresses off the rap records and sent a tape to every record company – every written company that was using rap at the time.”
After receiving a bulk load of rejection letters, including one from Sugar Hill Records, he received a call from Rick Ruben, Def Jam’s co-founder.
“So, then finally Rick Rubin call me back. Here I am.”
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