[Exclusive] ShaH Evans Talks Artist Management

Interview by: Ben Z @WI608

We here at upcominghiphop.net are dedicated to bringing you valuable knowledge about coming up in the music industry. That is why we sought out a man who definitely knows more than a thing or two about its inner workings. That man is ShaH Evans. He has an extensive background in artist management and consultation. If you have ever wondered about the management side of things, then this Q&A post will prove to be both insightful and informative.

Start off by telling us who you are and what you do.

My name is ShaH Evans AKA - Mr. Get Your Buzz Up. I run my own management and consulting company (M.E. Management and Consulting), I own Get Your Buzz Up (Blog for indie and unsigned Hip-Hop, R&B, and EDM artists), and co-founder/VP of UCAN (Urban Community Arts Network).

Define the role of a manager. What are your duties?

My role as a manager depends on the artist because I manage many. They include Mr Muthafuckin eXquire, I-20, Heroes To Most (I-20 and DJ Pain 1), Sincere Life, Rickaby, Serenity, and Fluffy. Additionally I co-manage David Yang and am also the booking manager for DJ Pain 1. Here's a brief run down of my duties as they apply to each artist.

Mr Muthafuckin eXquire has a booking agent and P.R. company so my duty as his manager is to handle all the business dealings with his agent, P.R. company, promoters, labels/distribution companies, other artists, as well as coming up with ways to help further his brand. I will also be on the road with him when we are on tour, so I will be handling all the day to day operations of that as well.

With the rest of my artists (except DJ Pain 1) I do everything listed above plus P.R, booking, and a lot of A&R type work for David Yang, Sincere Life, and Rickaby . That means that with the Sincere, Rickaby, and David — I'm helping them become the artists they envision and make sure they do things correctly.

I-20 is a vet and understands where he wants to go. So for me it's just making sure that can happen. 20 and Pain have also formed a group together called "Heroes To Most" (HTM) which I also manage and I do everything listed above.

When it comes to Fluffy, she is starting to form her own solo career while still working with Psalm One (who I will be on tour with as a tour manager this fall). So we are working on a new project as well as booking, and I'm helping with that process.

In regards to Serenity, she is an R&B singer and I'm grooming her to become a Diva who has the total package. This means I'm very much doing A&R work along with managing her.

With DJ Pain 1 I handle his booking. That means everything about dealing with shows. From the moment they contact us to the end of the show. We are close friends so we are always running new ideas past each as well, but I have nothing to do with his production — except for the fact I made all his beats he got credit for...just joking lol.

At what point should an upcoming artist be looking for a manager?

No artist should be looking for a manager until they actually have something to manage. Even then they still should not look for a manager! Managers, just like labels, will find you if you're putting in work and making some noise. Artists feel like they need a manager to book studio time, link up with producers, etc, etc. Yes manager can do that and will, but if that is all you have going on you should be able to handle that yourself. Once you bring on a manager your workload increases because you have to check on your manager on a constant basis. So again I will repeat — do not go looking for a manager. Take that time to look up information on how the music industry works, social media, marketing, business, and apply that to your career. That way when you start taking off and managers start contacting you to be a part of your team, you know exactly what you need them to do.

What good qualities should artists look for in a manager, and what are some red flags to steer clear of?

You want to them to have a work ethic that matches or even better surpasses yours. It would be great if they had connections that maybe you don't have so they can make things happen for you. They should have an understanding of business, music business, marketing, and in todays world social media.

Major red flags to watch out for would be:

A manager who talks about working with this label or that label, but can't provide proof that they helped an artist get a deal.f
If you look that manger up and nothing comes up at all.
Someone who asks for money upfront instead of just a percentage of money coming. Unless they have worked with some very successful artists and there is proof of that. Yet even then I still would not pay them up front.
You also don't want your manager turning up all the time, especially when they should be the one handling the business at an event. When I'm at an event with my artists I don't drink, smoke, or anything because I'm there to work not to have fun.

What do you as a manager look for in an artist?

I look for a sound and it's not specific. I know within 20-30 seconds if it is a sound I want to know more about. After that I want to see them properly using social media or at least have an understanding of it so I can fine tune everything. I want to see them already doing shows. Maybe not a full tour but constant shows in their area and maybe a little beyond. I love it when they have a understanding of business. I would love it more if it was specifically music business, but at least with general business knowledge we can have talks on how to really push them forward. Honestly at the end of the day I want an artist who works hard to make their dreams happen and isn't trying to be like everyone else.

Do you have any advice for young people looking to get into artist management?

Make sure you have a full understanding of what a manager does, because this job is not for you if you want to be the star of the show or if you want to get all the credit. Managers are in the background making things happen while the artist is in the limelight. You have to be able to be an asshole, bulldog, professional, and outgoing — sometimes all at the same time. A manager's job is never ending so you have to be prepared to work while being tired, under pressure, and in situations you've probably never been in. You should also understand business, music business, social media, marketing, booking, music/booking contracts (at least enough to understand it), and be able to form great connections with the ability to grow and sustain a network — "Your Network Is Your Net-worth".