When you think of hip-hop hotspots across the United States, the first cities you may think of are New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Miami. You may even consider Detroit or Chicago, but you most certainly aren’t thinking about any places in the Pacific Northwest, let alone Spokane, Washington – a city located about four hours east of Seattle.
But don’t be mistaken, as smaller cities like Spokane hold some of the dopest underground hip-hop talent – with locals that ride hard for their scene. Together, these elements form a strong, local hip-hop community; one that sees consistent community support, as well as more accessible opportunities.
One individual immersed in and making a huge impact on Spokane’s hip-hop scene is Ryker, Founder of directINFLUX and artist manager of multiple local rappers – including Jango, Daethstar, Yung Crown, and All Day Trey. Alongside Brayton Dawson, COO/Business Manager/Direct of Marketing, Ryker helps propel the next generation of PNW hip-hop artists forward, while simultaneously expanding Spokane’s scene and putting the often forgotten city on the map.
“I would say my main role in the region and industry, and my contribution to the art scene, is being a levitator. So for me, I simply just levitate creativity and innovation around me. I’m a tool or a cog in the machine that helps bring more light, more education, and more understanding to creatives in my space.”
Photo by Alicia Hauff at Lucky You Arts & Entertainment Panel
Ryker x Respect My Region Exclusive Interview
Respect My Region had the opportunity to chat with the PNW hip-hop luminary, who shared an abundance of valuable advice for independent artists, especially those that are not located in a major music city. Ryker shared tips on how to build a team as an independent artist, how to grow as an artist locally, and more. Continue reading for the highlights or watch the full interview below.
Building a Team as an Independent Artist
Before discussing building an artist team, Ryker stressed the importance of understanding that there are other places in the industry aside from being an artist.
“When it comes to making money, you might be better suited as a songwriter, or as an A&R. If you play five instruments, go be a session musician. Or, if you’re a great producer, then think about executive producing. There are so many slots, and I think everybody gets really tied up on one of two things.”
But if you’re set on being an artist, just know that you can’t do it alone. As an independent artist, a team around you is necessary to advance your career and sound. Thus, knowing how to build one is crucial.
When to start building a team
Ryker starts off by saying that if you’re really serious and dedicated as an artist, you can start building a team from the get-go. This could mean bringing on friends, family members, or dedicated fans to help you out. However, if you’re looking for an established manager in the industry, it is almost necessary to build yourself up to the point where you prove to be a worthy investment.
“Artists really don’t need a manager until there is too much to manage. I think a lot of artists come from this like ‘Oh, well, I don’t really want to do the email part. I don’t really want to do the business part. And so I want my manager to do all those things.’ An artist should have a foundation of being able to do all those things. For one, when they get a manager, they will have an appreciation for what they actually do; and that is going to be very important for the strength of the relationship. But for two, I think that if you don’t have a basic understanding of this industry, that is exactly how you get taken advantage of.”
“Don’t ever look for a manager so that they can do the work that you don’t want to do. That is not how the relationship functions.”
Finding the right people
Ryker also stresses the importance of finding people that work at your pace. She says, “You gotta run with similar runners. You know, cheetahs gotta run with cheetahs, and elephants will run with elephants,” which I bounced off of with, “You are the five closest people you hang around.”
“Find people that are passionate about you, your art, and the direction you’re headed. And that are also passionate about wanting to be in the industry, and are willing to give up or negotiate a deal for compensation later.”
Photo by Cristobal “Visualsubject” – Blare Sound Suit (Studio Session w/ Benn Suede and Jango)
Maintaining professionalism is key
Furthermore, beyond talent and building a brand, Ryker stresses the importance of work ethic and professionalism.
“Talent is a prerequisite in our industry. Being talented doesn’t necessarily separate you from anybody else. Everybody here is talented. What is going to separate you is your work ethic beyond your talent.”
She mentions some very important things to keep in mind when maintaining professionalism as an artist. First, don’t be so intoxicated that you can’t remember the lyrics so you have to rap over a backtrack.
“Stop rapping over your backtrack. Having ad-libs, having certain sections, having hooks, that’s all in-game, but just karaoke-ing your song… why am I paying to see you do that? Why am I paying to see you intoxicated? Why am I paying to see you be misogynistic on stage? Like, this is more than your ego.“
“When people are looking to build a team, they got to understand that their professionalism across all facets of this industry is what’s going to attract the best team to get them where they’re going. So it really all starts and stops with the artists and their professionalism, and the amount of energy and effort they’re willing to put in.”
The Power of a Local Music Scene
While Seattle isn’t necessarily seen as a hip-hop hotspot either, true fans of the genre can’t deny the huge scene and innovative artists that are making noise there nationwide. With the opportunities and inspiration of Seattle just a short car ride away, Spokane artists reap the benefits while simultaneously supporting and helping to build up the scene. And while neither are hip-hop meccas, the communities raise local talent up high enough to solidify the Washington hip-hop scene altogether.
“I really believe that our region is blossoming in the industry right now and that there is a lot of interest in people. There’s a lot of hungry people. Everyone just needs to start trusting each other, giving each other a chance, but they have to remain professional on both sides.”
Artists may think that they need to be located in a hip-hop hotspot, but small cities like Spokane can hold just as much opportunity and support. In fact, it could provide even more opportunities and support as there is less competition and more of a tightly knit community.
“When you’re in a small city, I think that is almost a benefit. When you make mistakes, the world didn’t see it. So you get to learn at a little bit of a slower curve, and avoid being forced to learn at an LA speed. You will probably have a lack of infrastructure. The internet is great for filling that in. I strongly recommend leaning into, and creating (if it doesn’t exist), a local scene. Because what a local scene will do is create these pockets of knowledge about the art that would have never existed if these two artists would have never met, for one. For two, you’ll find there is a lot of education that sits in the shadows.”
Photo by Kalyn Gonzales – Justin Frick Music Video Production
Connecting with Locals
She suggests finding the guys that have been at it for over ten years, such as local venue owners, local management companies, etc. She says to attend events and dive into the local scene as much as you can.
“You will find so much knowledge and education around you. So much opportunity just comes from being present.”
Furthermore, it is crucial to take advantage of human connection and building community.
“The way to really move your art forward, to get the best quality you can, is to use your network. Find out what other creative humans are doing. Who else is pushing boundaries?”
“Art and community is how you get fireworks. A lot of people don’t know how to build fanbases because they don’t know how to build community.”
Growing locally over digitally
Additionally, Ryker clarifies that building community locally can be even better than going viral digitally, especially after being detached from each other for so long due to the pandemic.
“There is a lane where you can blow up on the internet. However, I find that a lot of people that blow up on the internet, that’s all that it is. They don’t get merch sales like that, and even if they do, they don’t really tour like that. There are pieces that get missed if you just live on the internet. So, the internet is a portion of it, but to me, I like to build brands that are stronger and deeper rooted than just a million streams.“
Moreover, people undoubtedly ride harder for local artists, just as they would their local sports team.
Equality and Inclusion in the Music Industry
As a white male dominated industry, women, POC, and queers can experience a harder time navigating the already tricky industry. While gears have shifted slightly in recent years, there are still many obstacles in place. Ryker states that, “I definitely have seen shifts, strong shifts, but we continuously need to bring diversity farther than women.”
“I encourage minorities as much as possible to just come with that energy of, like, ‘We belong and we will continue to break down barriers that we don’t belong in these certain roles.’ I think that’s what’s really important – for us to continue to put forth the quality that we have, the professionalism that we’ve shown.”
“We should also make sure that we don’t replace the support of POC. Giving us a white queer male doesn’t replace the need for a person of color that’s female, or a person of color in general. I just want to say that because, right now, there’s a big conversation about, you know, the gay agenda kind of stepping in and overshadowing the overarching need for diversity as a whole.”
Photo by Cristobal “Visualsubject” – Studio Sage for the Seattle Sessions Project
The importance of diversity in the music industry
Ryker continues, “We need to realize that you aren’t going to get the best conversation unless the table is full of different faces and different ideologies and different thought processes. I think that there’s just these misses in culture that would easily be eradicated if we created a more diverse panel of people that could be a part of the conversation.”
We asked Ryker what she would like to see more of when it comes to inclusion in the music industry. She replied, “I would like to see more effort from people in every single part of the industry. We need more inclusion, not just from the corporations that are feeling the pressure, but all the way down to the local scene.”
“This isn’t going to change until we change it. It’s not going to change overnight, and it’s not going to change without literal change. We can’t keep moving the way we’ve moved. We have to identify a new way to create opportunity so that we can start to create a new narrative of inclusion.”
Ryker
Upcoming Spokane Music Events
- Welcome Inn Networking Night: Dec. 6th; first Monday of every month; located at The Saranac Commons; all ages
- Jango, TezaTalks, and Nobi: Dec. 2nd; located at Barboza Seattle; 21+
- UNITY (Rock/Hip-Hop Show): Dec 10th; located at Lucky You Lounge Spokane; 21+
Ryker’s Book Reccomendations
Connect with Ryker
Connect with DirectINFLUX
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