Honor Flow Productions

When there are ample hungry rappers trying to get a bite of the mainstream pie, a number of indie emcees opt to start their own record labels.

Chuck Nunley, 22, is the president and CEO of Honor Flow Productions, a company he started in 2003 when he was just a sophomore honor roll high school student, hence the name “Honor Flow.” A native of Los Angeles— better known as “the city of starving artists”— he knows all too well about oversaturated markets.

“Take a trip down Venice Beach. You got 40-year-old cats with diamond do rags and headphones trying to hustle their music,” Nunley said with a laugh. “Everybody out here wants to be bigger. Unless you’re pulling in gigs and really trying to connect, you’re just another face in the crowd. You gotta stick out somehow.”

The same can be said about east coast markets such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Gates, 27, a rapper in the DMV (D.C. Maryland and Virginia)-area, created his indie label, Lifers Entertainment nearly 7 years ago. As his fan base grew, he said establishing a record label was a natural progression.

“I fed the people’s appetite,” he said.

Depending on the size of the company, starting an independent record label can be labor intensive and detail-oriented, as outlined in this Sound on Sound magazine article. Or, it can be as simple as seven easy steps outlined by ehow.com:

1. Choose a name
2. File a fictitious name statement
3. Choose a form of business for your label
4. Get a business license
5. Optional: Obtain a tax identification number
6. Optional: Obtain a retail license
7. Congratulations, you now own a label!

The internet has played a major role in the rise of indie record labels. Both Gates and Nunley said it is an integral aspect of company production.

Gates recently released his mixtape “Cookup Season, Vol. One” on the Internet for free download through his Web site http://www.lifersent.com/ and through the popular free mixtape distribution Web site, datpiff.com.

“We got over 80,000 downloads off that project,” Gates said.” This was the first time that I saw that I can use the Internet to distribute the music. The Internet has been like my best friend.”

“The Internet is everything,” Nunley agreed, adding that Myspace has been integral in booking gigs for him and his group members. Though he believes face-to-face interaction with fans is also important.

“From a marketing standpoint it has played a key role, but it doesn’t substitute from getting out there and hustling.” Nunley said. He and his group members, “hustle albums out of our pockets, out of the trunk. But I still don’t know how we would’ve expanded as fast as we have without the Internet. You need both.”

Both gentlemen also agree that creative freedom is one of the biggest rewards for having your own record label. Though, tight budgets force the two CEOs to take on multiple roles, including booking agent, producer, artist and boss.

“It’s hard for me to entrust business wise in a major label to carry out the vision of what I want,” said Nunley, who like Gates, started his company for the sole purpose of marketing his own material. “It wouldn’t be I’m working for you. It would be we’re working together.”

On taking on multiple roles, Gates said “It boils down to resources. You don’t have a major backing or major funding. You have to do more than one thing because it’s more cost efficient. If I can learn how to mix a song, it’s definitely something worth learning how to do because you’re going to save a lot of money in the long run.”

With hard work and determination, emerging indie record labels are making marks in the music industry. Foreign Exchange Music was formed by hip hop/soul duo The Foreign Exchange and now has a Grammy nod under its belt. Revolutionary rap duo Dead Prez is another success story. The indie group is celebrating 10 years of longevity in the music business.

On how they measure success, Dead Prez member M-1, left, said: “Success in one word can be the word independence. Economic independence. Education independence. Self governing. Self determination. At the end game, those things would look like success.”

Photo by Edith Williams, of Diamond Digital Portraits

For more information about Chuck Nunley or Honor Flow Productions, go to http://hfpmusic.bandcamp.com/ or http://hfpuniversity.blogspot.com/. For more information about Gates or Lifers Entertainment, go to http://www.lifersent.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/lifersent. - The Indiestry Magazine

I never really had much school pride during college. I never lived on campus, so I never found myself engrossed in the community you become a part of when you’re posted in the dorms all day. Sure, I went to a couple of sports events (we were usually always terrible), and maybe one or two quintessential “college parties.” It wasn’t until my senior year that I found myself spending more time on campus, actually joining an on-campus group, started by my friend J-Hyphen. Actually, I’m not really sure why I joined the group; it was for beat makers, which I am not…at all…Anyway, it was at one of these meetings where I would become introduced to Honor Flow Productions. The first member I met was MC/Producer Chuck “DJ Chuck ‘thE oLd SouL’” Nunley, who also worked at the KXLU radio station on campus. Over the course of the next year or so, I gradually met all of the members: DJ Lord “DJisLord” Advincula, MCs Keyon “Key-Real” Mitchell and Paul “Elimn8” Parker, bassist Kerwin Tsang, keyboardist Steve Lewis, drummer James “J.D.” Daniels, trumpeter Brian “B-Willie” Williams and guitarist Justin Levy.
I mentioned school pride because it wasn’t until I watched these guys perform at-and eventually win-LMU’s Battle of the Bands, that I ever felt proud of LMU students. I guess you could say I became somewhat of an HFP groupie. I went to see them perform at the Roxy, where they opened up for KRS-ONE. After that, I followed them to the Key Club, in front of a packed house full of Pete Rock fans. I caught up with the guys of HFP at Simply Wholesome to learn more about these dedicated musicians.... (Click on link to read full article)
- LA Raw Magazine

Honor Flow Productions present their latest project, Boombox Sketches. Coming in at 4-tracks, the 3-man group exude simple, feel-good vibes through their laid-back soundtrack. With guest appearances by Luna, Dust & Chrome, and Tricia Isabela, the collective paves the way for their new musical and personal journeys.

"Raw. Rough. Uncut. Unfiltered. These are some of the adjectives used to describe a work in progress or a sketch; genuine emotion put into music and art as a whole. This representation of a “sketch” reflects not only this piece of music you hold in your hands, but more so, the status of Honor Flow Productions as a group these past 2 years. So as we prepare our next “odyssey,” we have decided to unveil the curtain behind our creative process to you, the listener. Enjoy these musical “sketches” through your boombox, as it is only a sign of things to come." – Honor Flow Productions

Peep the lyrics on their website and enjoy down below. - Homegrown Radio