thought y'all might dig it
-Do:
-Practice your show before you go on. Even practice your freestyle segment if you have one. Expect the unexpected and be prepared to not leave any dead air lingering in the confusion. For an audience, something is almost always better than nothing.
-Alternately, read the crowd constantly and stay aware of your connection to them. Know when to speak, and know when to shut up.
-Have a stage show planned. Please don't just stand there with sunglasses on, cupping the microphone and mumbling your mediocrity for the world to hear.
-Give it your best. Eat properly before the show, drink tea, lemon water, or anything you need to take care of yourself. If you are going to ever tour, you will seriously need to take care of your body. It's the last thing in the world you should take for granted, especially as a rising hip hop superstar or future king of rock.
-Don't perpetuate any hip hop cliches for the sake of "looking cool" or "acting hard". You are losing fans faster than gaining them by blaming the soundman for all your audio problems.
-Oh yeah, show up for mic check. I know, you have to leave your crib early, act like a professional, and prepare something long before the show, which cuts into valuable weed smoking time. But until you are Jay-Z status and have the world adjusting to your every movement, you should treat every show like it's a priviledge to be there. Because it is.
-And Jay-Z does do a mic check still, simply because it's professional. So you should act professional too. Even a bad show can be a good learning experience. If you don't connect to the crowd or the stage monitor cuts off half way through your set or you get stiffed for your cash or a fight breaks out even if the venue gets shut down by the Fire Marshal for being overcapacity because you were too awesome to contain, approach the situation as positively and responsibly as possible. You'll never work in this town again might happen to you if you burn all your bridges because of a fiery ego flaring up over uncontrollable circumstances.
-Respect EVERYONE at the show. From the soundman (he/she controls your impact) to the bartender (he/she controls your audience's intoxication experience) to the bouncers (he/she controls your audience's attitude) to the club owner (he/she controls a piece of your growing career), do NOT think that you are irreplaceable. Beyonce can be a diva, you can't.
-Bring extra copies of your show disc/vinyl. If technical errors mess up the flow, have a back up plan or two. Keep a couple jokes ready, be ready to spit some acapellas, have a violin on-hand to show them your skills with a bow, whatever it takes to keep it moving forward. As they say: "the show must go on".
DON'T
-Fight. Nothing ruins a party more than an unnecessary display of caveman rock and roll testosterone. Join the UFC if you want to scrap, leave the music to the serious musicians.
-Disrespect anyone unnecessarily.
-Do not disrespect women. For any reason. "Groupie" is a horrible word to call a people person. Some love the magic of music more than others.
-Bring 50 dudes on stage who aren't rapping along with you. You are not Mobb Deep. Literally and metaphorically.
-Show up late.
-Leave without getting contacts from the important people you want to network with.
-Spend all your time backstage after the show. Go and talk to your fans and friends, ask what were the best moments of the show, and what could be improved.
-Let your fragile little ego get in the way of learning how to use constructive criticism to evolve as a performer.
-Make it hard to pleasantly handle the cash transactions of the performance, between you and the promoter. Stick to the contract and be efficient. Or make sure your manager/designated concert cash accountant is doing so properly.
-Forget who got you to where you are. The people you see on the way to the top are the same people you see on your way to the bottom. These cliches do not resonate through time for no reason.
-Forget to have fun and live your dream to the fullest. It's not all fun and games, and the rollercoaster ride of live performance can bring you from heaven to hell and back again multiple times in an average day or night. But it's wonderful work if you can get it. And if you really want it, you can. It all depends on what you are willing to sacrifice.
add on like Raekwon sez
following this advice, which leads me to believe this is a white rapper thing. I saw BDK , G. Rap, M.O.P. all blitzed. I saw Biz Markie and Posdnous inhale a whole pizza right before they got on stage.
well... when it's not my girlfriend, when i fuck their girlfriends, and when me and my girlfriend fuck them and their girlfriend... i think i'm on a whole other level than you are living on 
x a milli. good on you, boy! 
