"Rock City" is probably one of the most talented up & coming groups in the game right now. They have tremendous buzz & is slowly working their way to becoming bigger household names. In the following video you can see they maybe getting a little frustrated with where they are at the present time which is not uncommon for many artists waiting for their debut album to be released. Akon is actually schooling these brothaz that timing is everything in the entertainment industry & one false move can derail your career regardless of how much talent you have. I've interviewed Akon a few times many years ago before he became a household name & can recall the ups & downs Akon endured before getting to the place where he is at now. Akon is definitely speaking from experience when he tells the brothaz how things really are when you don't have any real support. The best thing they can do is to continue to make good music, tour, do MANY interviews & overall stay relentless in their pursuit of success.
One of the main outlets new artists neglect is in doing more interviews with college radio stations. College radio is a way to get more shows at college campus's around the country thus putting a log on the fire in terms of buzz. In the 90's, many artists in urban music made stops at college radio stations & made connections with the schools for shows & events. Too many artists overlook these avenues & fail to see the success they may already be having on youtube, blogs, & other internet outlets. All the rest is simply timing from a business perspective. Do most record labels move slow or drop the ball on many projects? That's an emphatic YES, but as an artist it's your responsibility to ultimately take charge of your career & make the connections necessary to grow. Becoming a star in the hip hop game is a lot like running for President of the United States. You gotta get out there shaking hands & kissing babies. I've personally witnessed Ludacris, Kanye West, Akon, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, The Roots, & many others do it successfully. Check the following video & this should be an good lesson for up & coming artists who maybe signed to a major label about how things work. For artists that may not be signed to a major label or under a major artist it's best to do as much as you can on your own like Akon did when he first started out. I can vouch for Akon that he really didn't get any support back in the day & he's been in the game for far longer than you think. He's only been a "star" for a far shorter period of that time.