Giving a home to underground hip hop

Photographs by Jose Ruiz, @josewaldo_

Los Angeles, California, USA

Payday LA is a monthly party that gives various up and coming hip hop artists a platform to showcase their talents. After two years of throwing these events and gaining a reputation for having quality performers, PayDay LA has quickly become a well-known brand in the Los Angeles hip hop world and beyond.

Founder El Prez gives Reckless an insight into PayDay’s artists, new trends, and how it’s more than just a monthly party.

A big reputation comes popularity, and that means more and more artists are wanting to perform at the monthly shows. How does PayDay LA pick its artists?

"Out of the numerous Submissions we receive, we look for artists that have dope music first off. Then we look for those that are investing into their career, have a little buzz in their city or region, and have some sort of traction on their social and streaming/sales metrics. Quality looking and/or creative videos, professionalism, and having music released on dsp's go a long way to being chosen to perform on a PayDay bill.”

From these new artists, have you noticed any new trends?

“Out of the new artists today the main things I notice are energy, a trend towards lyrics again, and a reliance on hometown sounds. The mainstream artists may not be focused on lyricism, but the next wave of artists are.”

Since Payday's first show, how have you and host Chuck Dizzle grown as hosts and promoters? What has Payday taught you?

“Since we've started this PayDay LA journey, Chuck Dizzle and myself have learned a lot about challenging artists. We've also noticed how many artists don't know about the business of music, and how to attain tangible success. So these are objectives we focus on when building the PayDay brand to assist artists in every facet of their music career. “

What does the future look like for PayDay and affiliated events? Which direction do you see it going?

“We have grown in less than two years to promote multiple events under the PayDay LA umbrella.This includes our main event PayDay LA, our R&B/Hip Hop event PAYPER, our all-women rap showcase: Queens Get the Money, and our industry mixer: 2$BILL. In the upcoming year, we are working on growing more events and the ultimate goal, which is the next great Hip Hop Festival. We are also partnering with various companies to help artists such as SongTrader, Plyte.io, and more. As a veteran artist myself, the foundation of PayDay LA is the Artist. So we always strive to provide the best guide for artists looking to succeed in today and tomorrow's music climate.”

To keep up with PayDay LA, follow their Instagram, @payday_la