It was a sunny day in my area and I just started recording little videos on my iPhone 4. I got 'em all together and played around with the clips and VOILA! I came up with this.

The Pain, The Perseverance, The Process, The Poetry, The Payoff, The Party! new album "Delayed But Not Denied" SOON COME! for now check out this beat I did on my iPhone today! You will never believe it! lol

So my homie Icie asked a question this question on twitter:

HOW DOES AN ARTIST MAINTAIN RELEVANCE IN TODAY's MUSIC MARKET?

This blog is my attempt to give my opinion and also to try to challenge myself to write a blog because I have not been in the mood to write recently.

First of all let's look at the word relevant because what it means in terms of the music biz might not be the same as what it means in the dictionary. In the dictionary it means:

"having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand"

O.k that just might sound a bit too wordy for some haha, in music biz terms the word relevant seems to mean, current, popular, marketable, something or someone that is in right now and the current trend, it is something or someome the majority is buying into and therefore willing to invest their money in, whether it is paying for downloads, concert tickets, merchandise or even just attention etc etc

Personally I don't like the word relevant and how it is used in music today, it makes you realise that the first concern of most people is not the music, the first concern is business, image, branding, being popular, clocking a huge following and large youtube views. If that is your first concern as an artist and not being authentic and true to yourself then it can cause what you create to suffer in the long run. That's just my opinion. Of course it can bring you attention in the short run and maybe in those freaky Susan Boyle, Soulja Boy occurences it can make you a lot of money.

On the otherhand if one is naive and not thinking of how they are going to sell their music then they might as well just keep music as a hobby and do it for the art of it and not even bother themselves with things like creating a product for sale. Just make music and perform music for fun, go and busk on the underground, go to open mic nights and perform for the love of music or make music to show your friends and family and there is nothing wrong with all that.

So how does one maintain revelance? Well the first thing would be to be relevant in the first place. This is the part where my opinion might go off track from a lot of people's opinions. To me being relevant means finding a way to stay true to myself and my path and being consistent in creating quality music that I feel and like and letting that music find a core audience that appreciates what I create and growing from there. If the music isn't relevant to my own life and personal unfolding story then it's just not relevant to me. (If only the whole world were exactly like me but that is the problem haha)

It however gets more complicated if you are from a fringe, underground scene like the gospel scene that I have my roots in. It was easier when my crew GK Real were still active before we went on a break from January 2010. We defined ourselves as a gospel group and made that church gospel music. We sang that praise and worship/traditional gospel music with some "urban" flavour and we were strong in our content being all about Jesus. Basically we made church music and mainly performed in churches, christian events, christian concerts etc, even though we did secular venues once in a blue moon. We made the music that was "relevant" to our core audience which were Christians. To me that is what gospel music is, music for the Christian market mainly (that once in a while gains an audience with people who are not christians who are able to digest it in the "choir" format they are used to)

Everything was perfect for me as long as GK Real were around because we also functioned as a group of people with individual things going on, so I could do my own Hip Hop/Rapping thing and experiment and push boundaries as long as I had the credibility of GK Real doing the gospel thing and a ready christian audience for what we were offering. As an individual I saw myself more as a Hip Hop mc that happened to be a Christian, in the group I saw us as a gospel group period which didn't do anything else apart from sing about Jesus. On my own I could touch on other issues of life and not feel like I had to be a superhero evangelist rapper trying to save the world with my lyrical super powers (haha!). I could just be. In GK Real however, I saw our main mission and vision to be a gospel group and I was totally for it and we all agreed on it with no problems at all. We had some amazing times and really achieved a lot, more than I could have ever dreamed of in the beginning.

It broke my heart when a break was called for because to me in terms of branding and marketing that can spell the end in capital letters for all you have worked for. Things change so quickly in any market and once you don't consistenly put yourself out there and maintain by touring, producing new music as well as presenting a united front (if you are in a group) it can be a hard job coming back and maintaining. People just simply move on to the next "happening" thing. A market doesn't tolerate vacuums. Something will always fill an empty space if you don't play your position. Markets also don't respond well to change, especially underground specialist markets that are small. If you are known for A, became big for A and all of a sudden you come out doing B? Forget you. You will be given the cold shoulder, unless you are so groundbreaking that you change the game which is highly unlikely but however possible in rare cases.

So how does one stay relevant in a market? You have to know who you are as a brand, decide what market you are targeting and stay consistent with catering to that market and core audience once you find and connect with it. In a market there is always a demand, you have to find that demand, meet that demand and continue to supply that demand. People don't just want music, they want hits, they don't just want hits, they want a whole package, they want to feel part of a movement of greatness that is visual and is perceived as significant because that's what people want. They want to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. As you become a brand i.e someone who has people buying into them and the image and lifestyle they represent, then you can continue to maintain or decide to take a risk and expand hopefully without neglecting your core audience which is hard because your audience can get protective and even selfish and not allow you as an artist to grow or experiment. Some don't even like outsiders to come in and share in what they are enjoying or they develop a superior aititude towards people who discover what they've already known before.

People are always looking for music that they want to be the soundtrack for their lives, they are always looking for what affirms their chosen lifestyle, beliefs, feelings, thoughts and on-going stories. They are always looking for people who embody their ideals and aspirations and it seems to be the job of artists to tap into that part of people in general. It also seems those who make the most money and are the most popular are people who have tapped the hardest into a particular ideal or embody certain aspirations the most. Just check the most popular artists in any genre and you will see it for yourself.

I don't necessarily like all of the above but as far as I can see, it seems to just be the way it is. Have I achieved relevance myself? I don't think so because I am from a scene that doesn't like people who try to experiment and be different. I guess I have to become an evangelical superhero and take over the world for Christ then if I want to be relevant (I hope you detect the slight saracasm there hehehe)

It's more than just music it is a movement
In some ways this is recruitment
So while you're tweeting and youtubing
Or facebooking I'll share a few things
I used to think I needed a gimmick
some kind of image for me to mimic
Now I get the picture vivid
I take steps of faith remove the limits
And know that you have been distinguished
I'm a human torch you can't extinguish
This aint just a song I sing I live this
I pour out my heart everything I give this
If you feel me can I get a witness
as with quickness I handle family business
If you have ears there's a message in this
Rewind, play it back in case you missed it

It's more than just music it is a movement
You need to understand what we are doing
alone with my thoughts like nick I'm brewing
I wrote the vision now I'm pursuing
So right now you must face the music
It's got such flavour you taste the music
We don't waste the music we make the music
My song still remains if you take the music
So you can download this
And maybe miss the reason why we wrote this
It's a song of hope for the hopeless
like a spaceship flying to where hope lives
This movement is an exodus
Move with it love has connected us
Believe me deeply it's affected us
We were dead but you resurrected us

It's more than just music it is a movement
Don't get it twisted its kingdom music
I just said that so you won't confuse it
I'm unplugged from the matrix, acoustic
So let this music take you away
From pain and strain, disdain and hate
You can call this the great escape
Shawshank redemption or prison break
I've broken free because of his grace
He bailed me out I've beat the case
How sweet the taste how deep is grace
Yes he erased all my mistakes
I'm keepin' it real and keepin' the faith
This aint no he say, she say, cliche
More than just slogans that we say
My life is a movie the soundtrack we make

The very first official single I released for sale was "I Still Believe (take 2)" featuring Kirsten Marie and Kiwi. It was produced by Victizzle. It came out on my birthday September 13th, 2008. For me it was a major step.

I Still Believe take 2 feat Kirsten Marie & Kiwi by Karl Nova

That single was the lead off single for the original version of just as I AM: The Prequel and this was the album cover

It was released in April 2009, It was my baby and folks liked it, it went to no. 49 on the itunes hip hop chart with hardly any promotion but I was advised by close folks that due to some of the songs having uncleared samples I should pull it or get sued (well maybe) so I did and released the songs with some other songs as my Deleted Scenes Mixtape

In between those 2 projects I released "Skanksgivin' EP" which had dance tracks. I was really into the whole funky house/bassline/dance thing in 09. It went to a whole other level when I went to a Basement Jaxx concert, in fact after that gig I went into the studio and banged out like 4 tracks in a session! You can still get "Skanksgivin" on itunes, amazon and all digitalstores and even listen to it in full on Spotify.

We arranged to meet
Face to face
To go toe to toe
Like in a great debate
We named the time
We named the place
It was all set up
You were on your way
You got there first
I came a little late
When I arrived
I was amazed
I overheard you
Rehearse your case
Then it hit me
Right in my face
For other reasons
Is why you came
This was all part
Of your game
You weren't here
To hear me out
to know what I am
All about
I now know what
You came here for
You came to see
A man of straw.

I had never stepped into a club ever. I mean I was a church boy so I had no business being there right? Also the clubs in Nigeria were so gangster that it wouldn't be very safe to go up in there unless you were rolling deep with people who could keep you covered.

There was a club on my street in Lagos, Nigeria called The Dome that had moved in and it brought all kinds craziness to our peaceful street. I once went outside to get some fresh air at night when the club was jamming only to almost bump into the voluptuous booty of someone I realized was a working girl. She had opened up shop right in front of my house along with other hookers that were pitching themselves to men who were pulling up to the club. (The club closed down when there was a shooting there and also a fire has since destroyed the place where it was, true stories!)

Anyway fast forward into the future and here I am in London in my 1st year of University. Part of your welcome as a fresher was a party held in a club so I had to go even if I didn't want to. I got in the club and it felt like a fish being put in the water for the 1st time! WOW! this was my natural habitat alright. You see I am the "Life of the party" type person even though I might come across as deep and reflective! LOL! I went crazy!

After one hit of clubbing, I became a party animal always up in there for more with my boys. I mean sometimes you get a DJ who seems to get into the hidden playlist in your heart and mind and plays all the songs you love! WOW! Apart from that, you find the lovely honeys who get loose on the dancefloor and know how to wind and grind and flex like they have no joints or something. I quickly learnt to get into female sandwiches. I was so lovin' it. I mean some ladies in clubs are WILD! I was once just trying to get my dance on and this young lady from nowhere just came and backed me up on the wall like WHOA! I mean she was pretty young too maybe like 19 so it was quite shocking to me. I was so overwhelmed by the gusto she came with that I had to adjust before I could ride THAT wave as the skillful club surfer I was becoming! LOL!

There was one other time that some ladies of caucasian persuassion got me pressed up on the wall and I was like OK! y'all wanna fulfil your chocolate fantasies or something? Go ahead! LOL! hahhaha! As I was dancing outta that some Asian came through with such aggression that it must've been the craziest time I have ever had on the dancefloor. This was NOT normal and I discovered why. A guy who must've been her boyfriend came and grabbed her off me. I quickly clocked that they had just had a fight so I guess she was taking out her anger on the dancefloor and getting back at him using ME as her tool! I guess that is a kind of metaphor for how clubbing is escapism. It's either that or I am getting too deep on y'all again!

There was this OTHER time in a club that was PACKED to the point that dancing was scaled down to almost eye twitches that I turned around and there was this thick lady who was ON ME LIKE WHOA! She was BIG BONEDED! hahah! she could MOVE too. I mean this girl lifted her leg in the air like ballet even though the place was packed! Another time I flipped around and there was this African American lady who was very light in complexion who said to me with a very strong southern twang "boy how you like my ghetto booty?" I have to be real with you, this girl WAS FINE! I was like, "well I'm about to find out right?" Yep that was me always quick with the corny lines! LOL! It was all fun at the time.

I would club on saturday and come and get my praise on Sunday morning in church and it became normal. I guess it was the novelty of the experience that kept me coming back. There was a student Christian fellowship on campus that I used to attend and because I could sing they made me lead praise and worship. They also knew that I went clubbing and some of them dissapproved but did it stop me? HELL NO! I was lovin' it. I mean some people need to get high on something to have a good time but me? Nope! The THOUGHT of getting my grove on sent me into cloud nine faster than crack ever could! *he pauses on the word crack chuckles to himself then moves on*

There was one time some girl challenged me to a drink contest and we went at it. We were drinking some strong liquor that had gold flakes in it and she knocked back 12 shots like she was sipping water. I was like "that aint nothing" I knocked back 7 shots and the world started spinning. We then went clubbing and I ended up snogging this girl who I had this drinking competition with, who I DIDN'T even like because I was tipsy! LOL! When we left the club it's as if the spell broke because we boys developed a maxim that says "whatever happens in the club stays in the club" so trying to meet a lady and get into something real in a club situation was dumb as far as we were concerned back then!

You can guess what happened right? The say anything that is new can get old and one so one day in a club I had some kind of strange epiphany. I was tired of getting loose on the floor and I went to have a seat. This DJ spinning was wack because he started playing some trance/techno music and it wasn't doing anything for me. I then looked across the floor and saw all the people there getting loose and it just looked like the same old crowd. It then hit me that everyone was just seeking an escape. It kinda struck me how empty it was. It kinda hit me that I WAS SEEKING ESCAPE too. The whole scene could even be substituted to any kind of place people are whipped into a frenzy and lose their minds. I mean it didn't look too different from church down there in some ways. In church people seek escape too. There is nothing wrong with getting your praise on OR your dance on either but I had to face the fact that maybe I was just trying to escape from something. This is where the lines from a poem I wrote called "Escapin' from escapism" came from:



We all want to be free, but isn't it amazing

How escaping through escapism leads you to seek

escape from escapism

it becomes another prison you seek to escape from

some seek escape in the club getting their groove on

some seek escape in the church getting their praise on

i've tried both and this is my conclusion

they can both be the same thing with Gods exclusion

After that the novelty kinda died. I still went clubbing in fact I even performed in clubs a couple of times and some bars too but the whole fervour I had (which was probably because it was a novel experience to me) kinda went.

Am I saying that clubbing is wrong? not at all, I'm not here to tell anyone that, that is NOT my job! there are some people who would wish I would come out and say this is right and that is wrong well my name aint Moses and I don't have commandments besides I am not under the law. The epiphany I had didn't tell me to stop clubbing either it just showed me reality and how things were, from there you grow and as a natural process of life happens, you just mature. Some things don't mean as much as they meant to you at some point in your life and I guess that happened to me.

I still get my dance on, anywhere I feel like it. Sometimes no music is needed

In this media saturated world and in this time that social networking online dominates most of our lives. I have come to realise that there are some key concepts you need to be aware of to navigate through the maze. I have decided to blog about the following terms that stand out to me.

Vicarious
Demonization/Scapegoating
Projection

If you are not familiar with these terms you need to be because they operate in your life whether you know it or not especially in these times we live in.
So I’ll start with vicarious. In this celebrity saturated world, this is something that powers the whole thing and keeps it moving. So what does it mean?

According to the dictionary, vicarious means: “Experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person” So from this definition it is immediately clear how this ties in with the world of celebrity. Celebrities represent an ideal that fuels aspiration and because of that can drive commerce. They are held up as living the ideal lifestyle you should be living, they are held up as what to aspire to be like and since most of us have no hope of ever being as famous, rich and celebrated as they are, the next best thing is to identify so close with them mentally and emotionally that you almost feel like you are taking part in that ideal by intently following their exploits. This is why they can drive commerce because your money follows your aspirations and desires.

It is pretty interesting the word vicarious and vicar come from the same latin root word “vicarius” which means substitute. A vicar is the representative of the Church of England, basically the leader of a church parish and is supposed to represent God on earth. Since the Church of England is pretty much emptying and people vicariously live through celebrities then maybe it can be said that in a way celebrities have taken the place of vicars. Would that be taking it too far?

The funny thing is that in some churches the equivalent celebrity culture is pretty much mirrored and we have cults of personality that develop around certain preachers and also the movement of money is mirrored too, the only difference is the preachers say it is Divinely sanctioned and withholding money from them is withholding money from God (the whole tithing teaching) They tell us that we are advancing the Kingdom of God when we “sow” money into their ministries which could be possibly going towards their next luxurious car or private jet purchase. (Of course I am being a bit facetious but this does happen)

I could go deeper with this religious aspect because since vicarious is from the root Latin word that means substitute then ultimately Christ is that substitute we should be living through and aspiring to be like and who is actually THE substitute but I would pretty much stating the obvious wouldn't I? Well if you are of the Christian faith, that is the very heart of what you believe.

There’s nothing wrong with aspiration, it is one the most basic things that makes us human, we NEED aspirations. The problem is when we are just mentally and emotionally living through other people and not living ourselves. We end up merely watching, discussing, criticizing, idolising those who are making things happen and not making much happen ourselves. Instead of going out and living out your own moments, you are just living through the moments of others and not just that, these people you vicariously live through are mainly there to drive commerce, so basically you become just a consumer, a prospective customer. You potentially become part of the people that well known quote attributed to Will Smith says, “…… spends money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like”

So I released this free download “Outside My Bubble (Side A)” recently. The whole concept of this project started when I began to do creative writing workshops in Schools in 2009 with Student of Life (shout out to “Breis” ) This project is not my new album that is coming out hopefully next year.

When I first started shadowing Breis in schools and learning how to be a workshop facilitator, I realised that the only material I had to perform while doing workshops were my gospel rappity raps which were based on my faith and my moving within the UK gospel scene. In this situation of education and the classroom, I realised that these pieces I had might not be appropriate because I was not in there doing workshops as an evangelical gospel rapping preacher. I had never seen myself that way but here I was in front of a classroom with only faith themed bars and nothing else to say. Nothing to say about life, nothing to say about growing up, nothing that relates to them, nothing addressing social issues, Nothing. I had nothing to meet them where they were. All I had was preachy gospel bars. This realisation was so shocking to me that I had to rely on my off the top of my head freestyling ability to get me through that first session I ever did.

I went home and I reflected and it hit me how over time I have been conditioned by the bubble I was in (the gospel scene) to only view art and expression in an evangelical context. I had bought into the idea that if I wasn’t preaching the gospel in every single one of my raps and poems that anything I wrote would be of no good, of no merit and of no value and that my dear reader I have found out to be a lie.

I know many still hold to this view and that is where the whole “positive gas” train of thought comes from. This is where that “Holier than thou” and self-righteous superior attitude some have comes from towards those who see themselves just as artists who are Christians and not musical evangelists within the Christian/gospel music scene. All I can say to that is to each their own and walk according to your conviction. I’ve already blogged about that (click on Positive Gas?! and read up on the blog I wrote that addresses that in detail)

I always knew that the creative arts were not just for evangelical purposes but having mainly moved within the bubble of church events, Christian youth events, evangelical outreaches, gospel concerts, Christian festivals, Christian tv, Christian radio and church services for a while; I had tailored whatever I created mainly around that. This was not how I began my journey in creativity, this was not the only vision I had of myself but I had allowed myself to drift into this mode of operation and I had become trapped in this bubble.

I am so thankful that working with Student of Life has shaken me up and challenged me to step out of this self-imposed limitation that I allowed myself to get into. I know that my views have made me less popular within the gospel scene but freedom is far better and way sweeter than gaining the acceptance of people who have limited views on creativity and what it is for besides the amazing reward of being able to affect a wider community has been such a blessing to me.

This brings me to this recording. This (SIDE A) of “Outside My Bubble” isn’t actually the material I would do in schools except for “Midnight Run” “FreeDome” “naija 4ever I would be” and “always on the web like a spider” the rest are stuff I wouldn’t use in workshops. This SIDE A is actually made more to show where I am coming from. I had to start inside the bubble and work my way out and from “Midnight Run” onwards in this recording I am coming out of what I would normally do.

The first 5 tracks after the intro were recorded in one session. I was stressed at the time and just needed to vent and get some things off my chest. Those tracks except for “Midnight Run” are very faith related because that is how they came out when I wrote to them.

I recorded so much that the rest of it will be on SIDE B. It will contain pieces and tracks I do while doing workshops and you will be able to see the different direction I take since I found my freedom.

I will end this blog with a quote from Lecrae that sums up how I view myself as an artist:

"I don't do secular music and I don't christian music, I am a christian and I do music" - Lecrae

Download "Outside My Bubble (SIDE A)" for free by clicking HERE

I am currently about to release the first official single of my new album. The last time I did this was when I released "I Still Believe" on my birthday September 13th 2008. That song had 2 versions, it had one that was just me and the amazing singer Kirsten Marie which is on the album "Just as I AM: The Prequel [Reloaded]" which is still available on all digital outlets and also one that featured Kiwi a lady Emcee straight out of the U.S, in fact that version was made a free download and you can still download it for free at http://www.reverbnation.com/karlnova or the player right here on my blog page

Even though this is the 2nd time I have done an official single release, if you follow me you will know I drop the odd song here or there as I please because like I say the music I make is the soundtrack of my life and I am always creating something. Any song I have let out this year has a story behind it and a reason for it showing up at the time it did. Even if the song is not a "hit" with people it doesn't matter to me because that is not my first priority when I shared it.

That single "I Still believe" is a statement, you see the songs I make are first and foremost statements of where my mind and heart is at. When I dropped "I Still Believe" I was going through the period of losing my religion and wrestling with my relation to faith, God, religion and it was intense at the time, I still go through that sometimes but at THAT time it was quite a defining moment for me. I realised that I still believe in God, Christ and the gospel but I had lost faith in the structure of religion I was dealing with at the time. I was so over it and like I said I lost my religion as it was in that form at that time but thankfully I still had my faith. That is the story of "I Still Believe" it was a declaration of where I was and if you listen to my verse on that it is a position I still hold today.

This new single "more than just music" is another statement I am trying to make. It has been a crazy journey since "I Still Believe" So what am I saying with this? With this track I am tryin to say that though I love music, make music and perform music, I realise now more than ever that it is more than just music that is going on and more than just music that matters. It is so easy to get caught up in the hype and forget that music isn't everything.

Music definitely matters and I respect and cherish this precious gift from God but music can't save my soul, muisc is not the be all and end all. Music is the soundtrack but cannot replace the actual movie of my life that I live everyday. Who goes to watch a movie and treats the soundtrack as if it is the film? that is how it is when music is treated as if it is a replacement for living life. Yeah music is a lovely way to escape for a little bit, but you have to face real life when the music stops. "It is more than just music it's the soundtrack of a movement/so after the music stops we keep it moving"

My roots are in the UK gospel scene and gospel music but the gospel message is more than just music though I feel it is so easy to mistake the two for each other. I value the message higher than the genre anyday and always remember to make the distinction between genre/artform and message/faith. Music aint ya saviour, music can't save ya. Most of what is called gospel music today isn't recognised as such by those way older than me and personally I feel labels and definitions are just too limiting. All I know is I have faith in God, seek to walk with Christ and I rap (and try to sing a lil' bit though for me it isn't a great strength by the high standards of singing black people hold and judge you by) people can call it what they want when they hear it. It is up to them. I just hope it is something beautiful they're hearing. One can only hope because the reception of music is subject to the personal preference of the listener and their perception of who you are as an artist.

It is from this mindset and viewpoint that I made this song. Apart from the art of it I am dealing with the business side or I have been dealing with it for a bit. I don't totally like the business side of things, I am still learning about it day by day, I have a love/hate relationship with the business of music and I think it is because I have such a love for the art of it. They seem to be at odds with each other so much.

I think this conflict arises because once you decide to create a product you want to sell you start trying to anticipate what people will like and buy and this can affect how and what you create and all a true artist wants to do is freely create from the heart for the joy of creating something beautiful. If you are like me that hopes to influence, inspire, challenge thinking and pass on messages (ultimately The gospel message) it can be a problem if you keep trying to cater to what you feel will appeal to people. When I create that is never my first priority because for me it is more than just music, it is the statement of my heart and soundtrack of my life.

This is for the music people out there, no one has to tell you that the music industry is changing at a fast pace. This slide presentation is really good with useful information! Enjoy!

I came out with the follow piece just thinking about the world in general and what is going on.

There is a cry in hearts for change
Not mere crumbs or pocket change from the weighty pockets of the elite
There is a cry for change
We’ve reached a tipping point where the amplifying cry from heavy hearts seek to tip the scales unfairly imbalanced in the hands of lady justice who still stands blindfolded
There is a cry for change, real change, transformation, revolution, the status quo has got to go,
there’s a cry for newness
No more same ol’ same ol’
We need more than a facebook update or Apple upgrade
We need more than a mix-tape
More than another pop idol on which to fixate
the drugs don’t work, the opiate has worn off
a quick fix and a temporary high
Is not enough
There is a cry for change
But a riot must take place in the heart and mind, true revolution happens inside, a radical invasion of truth from which you can’t hide.