Hip Hop's career advice

Now you could well be forgiven for thinking that the only career advice you could learn from rap records is the intimate details of how to be successful at rapping, how to (as Biggie put it) "sell more powder than Johnson and Johnson", or how all government's are bad and out to screw you over. Maybe if you're lucky you might pick up a few tips for the ladies from Too $hort, but that's about it.

Hip Hop career advice ain't for the everyman right? Wrong. There are many things the average Joe can take away from the world of Hip Hop to advance their own careers, you've just go to know where to look.

1. Do one thing well

Ghostface has been schooling you all to this his whole career. He makes sure to remind you on every album he makes. As soon as his raspy voice starts crooning in his usual mock soul stylings you know he should just stick to what he does best. If you're still in doubt check out that deleted scene from Ironman.

2. Don't give your mates a job
If there's anything that you should take home from a Memphis Bleak record this should be it. Rappers have been filling up label rosters all over with guys who used to be their security guards and it doesn't make any of you look clever.

3. "Even if you've only got 1 target aren't you better off with two darts?"
J-live breaks down having a back-up plan. No jokes.

4. Don't know how to do something? Blag it
The rap careers of The Beatnuts, J-Zone and Lil Wayne are just some of the examples of how you can get around not being very good at something as long as you carry it off with enough swagger, you'll be fine. And you best believe it took a bit of blagging for a couple of college kids to build the biggest label in Hip Hop. Note: This does not apply to heart surgery.

5. Get your mates to give you a job
Just because you're not going to fall into this trap is no reason to not trick some of your more gullible circle into hiring you, at the end of the day it's not what you know. Think Estelle would be huge in the US without a Kanye verse, unlikely. Sad but true.

Image courtesy of Steve and Sara