Make sure you are always keeping up on your beat making skills: practice, and play with new beats all the time. Get involved with your local hip hop community and artists; contacts are extremely important in this business and the more people who know your name and know that your beats are good, the better. Have a sample of your work with you at all times: you never know who you might run into, and make sure to have all your contact information on it.

Professionalism is important. Have your own equipment with you and keep your word when working with someone. Invest in your work and in yourself. You have to become your own salesperson, promoting yourself when you can. Hand out business cards and agree to work with artists for a less than desired pay or for free to build trust and get your name and work out there among your community. Don’t be afraid to make contacts in other areas of the music industry outside of hip-hop; you never know who will know who and what might come of it. Plus, interacting with musicians of all kinds will only make your work better in the end.

Build an online presence and make your own website or blog. Let people know that this is your passion and that you are willing to work hard to achieve your dreams. Find forums for people trying to break into the industry; here you will make great contacts and learn as much as you can about your chosen profession.

A great way to network and meet established artists, as well as ones trying to break into the industry, is to attend conferences and mingle. Here you will meet DJ’s, producers, and other industry professionals. The information you will learn about the current state of hip-hop and the contacts you make will be of value to your career for many years to come.

Apply for a job at a recording studio, even if it means bringing people mail and donuts for most of the day. It gives you the opportunity to learn about the industry from the inside; you will pick up new information everyday on the ins and outs of the industry, building your knowledge and making you more valuable to your future clients.

Study the work of your favorite producers and their music; try to figure out what works, why you like their particular style, and why their music sells. Find a mentor, someone who has worked in the industry for many years and ask him/her for tips and advice. Everyone has been where you are today and knows what it feels like to want something so badly, and most are happy to help you along the way. Finally, be passionate and brave; you’ll never survive in this industry without both qualities.