Interview: Kat Bein
Writer, VICE / Miami New Times
On Miami’s Hip-Hop Scene, Music Journalism, and Death Threats
Kat Bein is a hip-hop head, even though her fingers have typed about a wide range of music. After getting her start at The Independent Florida Alligator and graduating from the University of Florida in 2011, Bein found multiple outlets for her writing: previews of music events and festivals for the Miami New Times, her own electronic music blog Fresh Wet Paint, and features in Vice magazine’s music-focused arm, THUMP.
“I like to cover hip-hop music whenever possible, because I think Miami has a really great hip-hop scene,” says Bein. “I think that it gets noticed in the mainstream because of artists like Rick Ross, but there are a lot of great local rappers like Denzel Curry and Robb Bank$, and they deserve attention, too. And I guess we have Pitbull…”
Despite her fast-paced entry into music journalism, Bein admits that the road to becoming a music journalist isn’t always easy. Interviewing a big name might seem like an exciting opportunity, but “some people are assholes and will just treat you like you’re not there to be a professional. You just have to be extra-professional. But most of the time, people are pretty chill.”
And at times, the music personalities can get a little bit too extreme. “My favorite rapper in Miami has to be Stitches,” Bein jokes. The 19-year-old viral Miami rapper, whose hits include the cocaine anthem “Brick in Yo Face,” threatened the Miami New Times after it published an investigative story about his dubious drug-dealing past.
“I went into the office to pickup my check, and there was an armed security guard at the entrance. They had blacked out all of our windows. I asked what was going on, and the staff said Stitches was gonna come shoot us up.”
Such an abrasive reaction to music journalists isn’t unique to Stitches — Lil Wayne, for instance, has documented footage of him shutting down a foreign journalist who tried to associate Wayne’s music with the musical traditions of New Orleans. But Bein admits, “Nobody’s above criticism. We get that as writers too, it’s part of the deal.”
It’s also a testament to the power of the Internet, which has not only increased a writer’s potential reach, but shaped how and what they write as well.
“A big part of my schooling was championing the Internet as the future of journalism,” Bein recalls. “When I was in school there still wasn’t a whole lot of emphasis on blogging and social media. Now, you can get a degree specifically in online journalism, but online there’s a lot of crap. Clickbait is terrible, but there’s an opportunity to deliver quality content in an entertaining way. The onus is on us as journalists to find a way to deliver quality content within the new frameworks.”
With hip-hop, journalism can bring you even closer to the hustle: Bein notes that writers are liable to encounter some musicians who are willing to pay a pretty penny in exchange for column inches. It’s the journalism version of “payola,” an old tactic where record labels would (illegally) pay for certain songs to get extra exposure on radio broadcasts.
“You can pay a certain amount of money, and a publication might promise you song plays in certain places,” says Bein. “Or you can pay to have your music reviewed. That’s just stupid, those [publications] suck anyway. They’ll never say anything bad about anything.”
Bein recently had the opportunity to learn about the hustle directly from rap mogul P. Diddy at his Revolt Music Conference, held at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in November. The four-day conference included panel sessions featuring rap heavyweights such as The Game and Jim Jones, as well as workshops on label management and using new media to promote up-and-coming rap acts.
“Diddy was also talking about the importance of waking up early,” recalls Bein. “’You gotta wake up with the rooster, because all the money is gone after 10:00 AM. After 10, the Chinese, me, and the rooster have all the money!’”
Looking to the future, it seems the money may be coming directly to Miami. With huge hip-hop events such as Dilla Day Weekend and Rolling Loud Festival, scores of Miami’s independent rappers and producers will have an opportunity to represent on bigger stages than ever before.
And not just at festivals: contrary to popular belief, Miami’s club scene is more than just dance music. “The Stage does a lot of hip-hop events, and they get a lot of old-school acts as well,” Bein explains. “Bardot has really cool rap acts, and Cameo is the South Beach spot. And of course, there’s King of Diamonds [a noted Miami strip club]. That’s where everybody has their album release parties, that’s where all the dancing girls in music videos come from.”
For the aspiring writers who want to be a part of all this, and aren’t afraid of an occasional death threat, Bein offers a few choice tips. “Start a blog — there’s no reason not to, just do your own thing. If you can get a job that’s paying you, take it. When it does come time to work, make sure you take a job that’s paying you, because it’s bullshit when people don’t wanna pay you, and you’re worth it. So get paid!
“I love the line from the movie Almost Famous, ‘you gotta be honest and unmerciful.’ Read as much as you can, reading is the #1 tip for being a better writer. And don’t take any shit from anybody.”
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