No more

In the landscape of the Dutch record labels CMC/Soul Relation stands out as one of the three pillars of HipHop. You have DJAX, as the original rebel base bringing out mostly Dutch language HipHop and experimental stuff. Top Notch pumping HipHop hits for the main stream in the native Dutch languages and Postmen in English. CMC/Soul Relation released that straight up massive (in the English languages) HipHop material with a quality that makes almost every release a classic.

These three are the Dutch labels. There is the brand new label from the Osdorp Posse: Ramp Records. And many very small independent labels like Lyric Records, Z Enterpriz and Aftershokz. But we have some bad news, sadly CMC/Soul Relations stops doing HipHop. What the fuck, stopping? Well, HipHop will no more be their main focus.

Once more it’s time to jump in the ART12-Off-The-Road-Wagon with a baseball bat, a truck full of thousands of customers and a lot of questions to hit the road. To stump into their office, pull Brian and René out of the jacuzzi, say high to all the girlies and to hit them up to get some answers.

Well sort of. Skip the car, a year ago one of the back wheels broke off from the car. I thought it would be wise to bring the car to the junkyard. Can’t find no thousands of customers either and worst of all, they don’t have a jacuzzi. So I just phoned him with my pen as baseball bat.

Not Out of focus

To relax you, HipHop will not be out of focus. "But it’s time to make some money." For five years René and Brian invested all their money and time in their record label. René who makes his money as rapper of Two Brothers On The 4th Floor, gives the answers to my questions. To give a run down on what for kind of figures you are talking about in the Dutch industry: E-Life sold ±11.000 copies of his debut album Eleven. Kinda ironic though, Eleven and 11.000. "That’s not enough to cover the costs of making the album."

Just love HipHop

"With a lot of products we went shopping by major companies. But they don’t believe in it, they say that HipHop is never going to be bigger in The Netherlands." You can call it Flatlands, not only because of the landscape but also for the HipHop sales figures. "But we are hard headed and just kept on doing our thing. And when I look back I’m very proud on what we released. We did it all ourselves, paid for it out of our own pockets." As CMC describes his company himself as having guts and hard headed but he has to admit that the financial picture always catch up. "Often there were people that I know from the commercial/mainstream scene that ask me why I was putting money into HipHop. Well I just love HipHop and I believe it can go somewhere"

All in the game

To get back on E-Life, his first three singles where hits and the track on his album ‘The Game’ has every ingredient and intention to blow up big time. Making E and the label a lot bigger. But instead ‘When In Doubt’, a straight up hardcore track and about kicking in the doors of Babylon, was released. Was that not the wrong track on the wrong time? "You could say that. But the decision was made by Zomba, the major company that hired the licenses. They wanted to get back to the basis of E. We thought it was a good decision."
Why do you do you sell the license of an artist to a major company? "To push down the costs. It does not always mean that you sell a lot more but you have less weight to carry. They take care of the marketing and the video etc. And of course to learn how others do it and how the bizz works."

What do you think about Postmen? Their first release was ‘Doc Documents’ on CMC/Soul Relation. Their second release became a Top 40 hit, but no longer on his label but on Top Notch/V2. Postmen could have given you a big push. "I’m not disappointed that Miss left. He could go to a better label with more money and more opportunities. If you can do that as an artist you must do that." The anonymous Miss is famous for his big plans and nice words, but he does not only talk the talk. He does walk the walk. Have to recognise that he’s being master. "I’m only happy, he proves that it can happen."

Sex sells…

At the moment ‘This Is What You Want pt. 2’ hit the shops and the streets. The first one was slamming. With an own identity in the lay out, the new album cover did experience a radical change over. With a naked girlie on the cover. I saw it, checked her ass, checked her face to see if I did know her and started to checking all the records in the background. You can have the naked girl, for nice pictures go to www.hardcorejunky.net the links section. All for free. Why did you changed the script? "To sell more. We used a cover that jumps out to get people who go with that to buy the CD." Sadly it’s the music bizz, it’s not about the music itself but the image of the music. If only music could sell by it self for being good music, that would be great. "Selling CD’s is a lot and a lot of marketing. Brian really wanted to keep on using the old design style, so to make a tradition. But we did a research and it came out a girl on the cover sells a lot more. And we need to sell the CD. That’s why."

Only can handle one

At the moment they are finishing the album ‘Traditions’ of ‘The Proov’. And they are busy to focus on main stream products. What’s in the pipeline at the moment? "We are busy with Michel, a R&B singer former member of Arnhems Gewijs. Just when it was time to record the second album they split up. So now he’s solo". After The Proov is done in the studio they will start recording with Mitchell. "We are a small label. We only have one studio, we can handle one artist at a time in the studio."

What it ain't…

For all those youngsters that want to make a living out of HipHop music in The Netherlands, do you have any advise? "Well, I have to disappoint them. It’s not going to be easy. You are going to sweat. There is no easy way." Pointing out that this is not America where people do get a million dollars publishing deals like Shine, Jay Z or Mase.
"There is no one who already made it in the Dutch scene. Be wise and keep your job or finish school to start a career in a normal job. There is nothing for sure in music. There is no book that says it all. But do your thing and go for it 100% but keep having a day-time job. Surround yourself with creative people and get what you can get out of it. There is nothing more you can do." There is enough talent and enough good products that can be very successful abroad. But the tricky thing is that foreign companies do like the music but are looking what an artist does in sales in his home country. Selling 11.000 copies is not enough to get any meaningful attention from abroad.

Hopefully their new projects, that they are focussing on, will be Top 10 hits, which you hate to hear and keep on wondering why that junk sells so good. If the money is coming in, they have more time and money to invest in some new good old HipHop music. And they can get ready for ‘This Is What You Want pt. 3’

Photo and text by AQ

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