It is unarguable that Nigerian musicians have arrived on the international scene, with collaborations with some of the biggest names in the business in the world. Biggest international stars like Chris Brown, Drake, Tinie Tampah, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Young Thug and many more have all collaborated, not only with Nigerian music stars but African artists at large.

Like everything Nigerian, with the bandwagonism syndrome, the quest for international collaboration has become an addiction. Every artist has come to see it as a form of criterion to measure success. Even collaborations with other African artists have suddenly become old-fashion. But for American music guru and member of The Grammys Recording Academy, Richardine Bartee both are important for the development of African music.

According to her, “I don’t believe one is more important than the other. I think if an artist is going to collaborate with a fellow artist, it should be about their reach or their potential. When an artist is in the development stage, all opportunities should be visited. Those moments are about building lasting relationships. If a singer or rapper has local and international artists in their network and they want to work with them, I would see it as a blessing.”

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In a recent interview with kuulpeeps.com Richardine Bartee urges African artists to take advantage of the rave they are currently enjoying by leveraging on them for better, productive relationships. Of course, she accepts that Afrobeats is the best musical stew being served to the world by Africa at the moment but maintains the genre doesn’t matter to her much.

“I think all African artists should understand that they are in demand now, so they have leverage. It is a business, and everyone isn’t as kind as you are. Some people are looking to get ahead or misuse you if you’ll let them. Don’t take the first opportunity that comes your way but if that first opportunity is the one you’ve been dreaming of as an artist, do your best to negotiate the best deals with an attorney, lawyer or legal aid,” she said.

“For me, the genre doesn’t matter. It’s about the product, the market, and setting real expectations. I listen to hear if the artist has the potential to garner a large audience. It’s important to me if I’m looking to take them on as an emerging act and make an impact. Otherwise, we are wasting each other’s time.”

“Next, I want to know if the artist and their team are clear communicators and easy to work with. That also matters, just as much as the talent!”

“As an artist, you need to have something special that no one can deny, and have a great spirit. Be someone that people can enjoy having around, and be grateful for all things people do for you. People like me will do what they do from their hearts. Do not take them for granted and always be respectful,” she added.

Richardine Bartee is most enthusiastic about emerging acts and her passion basically laid the foundation of her very successful blog, Grungecake, a website dedicated to emerging acts.

She is based in New York home but originally from Liberia. She was born November 15, 1985 in New York City.

She has worked with major American record labels (“The Big 3”). Some of the other labels or imprints include Roc Nation, Group, Interscope Records, Quality Control, RCA, Epic Records, etc., and some international labels to give feedback about their artists frequently.

She also used to write for MTV, where she covered international multi-language speaking artists and had a focus on Hip-Hop and EDM. She has also written feature articles for Myspace, The Source and Hot 97’s DJ Enuff, who was Biggie’s DJ.

She is a member of the Recording Academy, a GRAMMY U Mentor, part of Complex Day Ones, which is an exclusive community to help make complex experiences better. She’s also a part of the Female Founder Collective.

Her blog “Grungecake” has been recognized as the number 3 blog to find new Hip-Hop tracks on Hypebot. Before forming “Grungecake” ten years ago, she founded two-three other companies. One of them was a graphics design business called Booby Trap Design and another was 9267 Studios, which spells out YAMS on the dial pad.

Vanguard