Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Derek Moore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Derek, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’ve always known that my purpose was to be part of the music industry. In my eyes, there’s never been anything more intriguing than hip hop culture. I’ve never been too deeply passionate about anything else besides music. It took a while to figure out my exact path. I started off as a rapper, but once I outgrew that I became a music producer/audio engineer. I started Rap Nerd LLC in 2022 as a passion project to express my love for the underground hip hop culture via Rap Nerd Clothing, Rap Nerd Radio (Internet Radio), and Rap Nerd Reviews (music review blog). Through my experience as an artist, and working/networking with many other artists and industry professionals, I’ve gained a well respected reputation and validated opinion in the underground rap community.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Currently I’m pursuing my Bachelors degree in Journalism. As a United States Marine Corps Veteran, I’m well traveled with a wide variety of musical taste. Rap Nerd is dedicated to highlighting and promoting the world’s best indie hip hop acts. Right now I’m most proud of my internet radio station Rap Nerd Radio. The station has been consistently bringing in over 20k unique listeners per month from all over the world. The rapid expansion excites me, and I’m currently in search of sponsors.
RapNerd.com is the official website for all things Rap Nerd, including Rap NErd Radio, Rap Nerd Clothing, and Rap Nerd Reviews. My well written reviews have earned me opportunities to generate income reviewing music as a playlist curator/industry professional on widely popular music promotion platforms such as OneSubmit, Share Pro, MusoSoup, and Groover.co. I’m extremely grateful to be in a position to shine a light on awesome underground hip hop talent.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Being able to effectively network and build meaningful relationships is a must have quality to have in the music industry. This skill has gotten me far. I’m really an introvert, but overtime I had to learn that talking to people can help you gain access to more opportunities than someone who has more experience/education who doesn’t know how to network properly. I Also learned that the brand will build faster when the mission of the brand involves more than just self. I had an epiphany in 2020 and realized that the goal must be bigger than my own wants/needs. If you aren’t providing value to other people, you’ll never grow. Lastly, I learned that consistency is key. No matter what you do, If you want to see results you have to remain consistent. Repetition leads to mastery.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Find what you’re naturally good at, and master it. Spreading yourself too thin will be a recipe for disaster. It’s okay to have a swiss army knife of skills, but figure out how to utilize all of those skills for one common goal. It wasn’t until I became crystal clear on my mission statement that my business became profitable. Don’t be afraid to delegate the duties to professionals who may be more skilled than you in certain areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rapnerd.online/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapnerdradio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RapNerdCommunity
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-moore-6811b9181/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiaD0oBYWjnfwruejLqIudw
