Public Enemy, the iconic Hip-Hop group, has raised $50,000 towards their latest venture – a fan-funded album.
In early October, the group joined forces with SellaBand, an online service that allows fans to personally fund projects from their favorite artists.
Since then, the group has raised over $50,000 for their forthcoming album, with their final goal being $250,000. The quarter-million dollars will be used to not only fund the entire recording process, but to fund a marketing plan for the new album’s worldwide release. The new CD will be Public Enemy’s 13th studio recording, and their first release since 2007’s How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?
Fans who contribute can receive multiple incentives, such as t-shirts, backstage passes, a studio visit during a recording session, executive producer credit and even profits generated from sales.
Fans can donate at www.sellaband.com/publicenemy.
Public Enemy front man Chuck D shared his thoughts about the new deal.
“SellaBand’s financial engine model goes about restructuring the music business in reverse, It starts with fans first, then the artists create from there,” he said. “The music business is built on searching for fans and this is a brand new way for acts to create a new album with fans first, already on board.”
Chuck D also told AllHipHop.com that had had some other business he wanted to handle soon. The self-proclaimed “rhyme animal”wants to speak directly to Gucci Mane to make sure the popular rapper did not think there was any friction between them.
“What I said could be misread as mean,” Chuck D said. “The old gotta help these young cats know they ain’t alone.”
Chuck had previously chastised Gucci Mane for dissing Jay-Z as the “hottest” artist in Hip-Hop.