Diary Of A Mad Artist by Miami Kaos - 3-24-07

Back again like we never left. Truth be told we were going to stop this since I returned to the board now and some of the stuff I usially saved for the clumn I can make topics in the graphic section, but some people still want to read your boy's rants. This one is kind of last minute. The big homie Dimez told me he needed this thursday night. This is inspired from some kid who was hating on Hardcore and in their haating they forgot how hopeless thier own "career" is. So this chick says something to the effect of: "Watch when people get tired of that cartoon stuff, Kaos and Hardcore are finished, his coat tail riders Ali, Ben and Kirk are all dead too." Now that's no the 1st time I heard something like that (Dirty The Mixtape Bully was the 1st, he told DJ Radio 2 covers in my run, the cartoon thing won't fly). But for a designer to say it (especially a real mediocre one) it's ridiculous. I mean for all our sakes you better hope I succeed. At least that gives you a chance. Maybe because I'm not a hater I see it differently, but whenever I hear or see someone in my field accomplish something, it give me hope that I can do it too. So with that said, I thought how many of s have parachtes? Backup plans? The climate of the mixtape game can change anyday now and if the right scare gets out, your whole client base can disappear rather than get locke dup by the RIAA. Or as is the current trend, DJs may get a cheaper version of you and rock with them, but what will you do in that situation? The funny thing about the cartoons and being able to draw is I have mad options, I have a degree I can fall back on, I have experience working in a clothing company and there is no shortage of jobs for illusrators in the world; comics, video games, animation studios, greeting cads, toys...man I could go on. Not to mention if the callng comes, i'm and ordained deacon in the church. Now how many options does a "tooner" have? Can you make a career copying Kaos but not being able to draw unless you have a phot to smudge? Most cats who do mixtape covers can't do real logos, flyers or antything commercial, so where would you go? Maybe FEDS Magazine, Don Diva, but there's a reason why commercial magazine (Source, XXL, Rolling stone) don't hire mixtape designers (and trust me you think their designers can't do this?) It's because mixtape designs commercially are considered unprofessional, ghetto, and as we see most are bad at doing manipulations, 90% can't adjust colors to save their lives, so why would they hire you?

Now the labels, that's a different story too. Some of us get gasses because we do a little work for a label and run around like we down with them. Why you not doing the album covers? I thought the independent labels were a lock, but after my designs for Khald's 2nd Album weren't picked up by Koch I saw it's not these DJs and artist's that have our back. Khaled and I are cool, but I guess not cool enough he would fight them to use me the 2nd time. So Clue promised me his album cover, Kay Slay, west coast artist Sky Balla (I say him because I saw his album art the other day). These are poeple who assured me when they do their albums I was a lock for them. The labels say otherwise I guess. And as long as Drama dealt with Paperwork, he didn't do his album art no antything for PSC. So we're good for the mixtapes all day but the big money they don't bring us to the dance. So I see now it's the people at the labels we need to be connected with, wait I should say Dame Grease kept his word though, he did say he wanted me to do his album art years ago and I just did it on Babygrande (who has new people on staff doing good business now) "Good Musik".

But I'm saying the majority of dudes are mixtape designers and not graphic artist, there's a big difference when that word "artist" is attached. And while most of them are 12-18 year olds who won't make this a career and don't take it serious, they're always the ones who talk about this and beef the most. Now I've talked to a lot of dudes who do have a Plan B, and like I said they're usually the ones who are quiet about their business. Dudes branching off into photography (Kirk is sick with it), rapping (Ben Jacobs signed to G-Unit Philly) even Ali is a closet blend DJ, lol. This mixtape game is for promotional use only. You're supposed to use it in a way to promote yourself till you get to your next level then bounce. When I hear dudes who been doing covers for like 5-6 years and are barely recognized and then you see they have to bite styles to get recognition, I feel sorry for them. Anyone can make a mixtape cover, not everyone can make a piece of art.

Just food for thought, but next time you're looking at someone about to make history, check your game 1st or lack of game.

DESIGN TALK -(WRITTEN BY ALI // WWW.MYSPACE.COM/HARDCOREWEST)

-Kerning-

(adjusting the spacing between letters) Lots of designers get it correct and know exactly what they are doing when it comes to spacing their lettering BUT theres alot of especially newer designers who don't even bother or maybe they just don't know that the way it types out in photoshop is not always the way it's meant to be. Lots of quality(usually comercial) fonts are pretty good but most still need some adjusting and half of the free fonts around come free with fucked up spacing anyway. eg. Some letters are closer to others and some are further apart and dudes leave their title fonts looking like that?!?.It's not hard to do. Just click on the leading edge of each letter and adjust the spacing(individually) till it looks right. The Tails on each letter of a script font for example are designed to join up to start of the following letter and so on, so if it over laps or doesn't join up properlly then why not spent a minute to fix it?

-Gun inaccuracies-

Looking at some covers and seeing 50cent(or whoever) holding a Dessert Eagle the size of a Deringer is pathetic. Even if you have never been near a gun in your life at least do a little research on what you are placing in the dudes hand. Dessert eagles are NOT small guns. Then i see other covers with giant AK's or miniature M15's. Another common mistake is having something like a 9mm pistol on the table then standing along side it .38 s&w or similar revolver rounds. Miami Kaos is guilty of similar inaccuracies; for example i remember seeing covers of his where whole unfired rounds are being ejected from automatic weapons rather then just the spent cartridge cases. (smh)

Thanks once again to my people who send in these covers. I couldn't do this part without ya'll.

Cover 1

Cover 2

Cover 3

Cover 4

Cover 5

^^talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

I really don't have any parting words this time other than wishing everyone prosperity and good health.

Previous Diary Entries

1/17/07