"Provisions" Has Finally Dropped

Anyone scrolling through the Vermont Hip Hop Artists Collective on the regular has seen a lot of promo for a mysterious project that publisher turned executive producer Garrett Heaney has been cooking up. For so long, in fact, that some skeptics were wondering if this was going to be like Chinese Democracy or Aftermath: another legendary album that never actually drops. (Here’s hoping we get the secret Black Star LP they did with Madlib at some point this year, though.)

Yesterday, however, Heaney delivered the goods in style. “Know Thyself” is both dope and packed with talent. It’s also 20 tracks long, practically a double album in the current era. This is not an album review, however. I want to highlight some of the choices that Heaney made along the way, from the inception to the actual release.

Provisions is a project he oversaw as “executive producer” in the old-school, A&R man sense. He wasn’t hunched over a mixing board sequencing vocal layers and nudging reverb slaps around. He started off by going through folders of beats from underground producers he respected, trusting his ear, selecting only the bangers that really spoke to him.

This next part might sound crazy to many of you, but he then paid those producers for their beats. That really happens, and it happens much more often than you think, too.

With a canvas of pure flames, he then sought out some of his favorite underground rappers and hired them, too. There are some notable names in the mix here: A-F-R-O, Lo Life legend Thirstin Howl III, Kool A.D. of Das Racist, and Chicago standout Defcee, who had a flat-out perfect run in 2021. There are also some locals spitting alongside them, like Maiden Voyage maniacs Teece Luvv and Nahte Renmus, plus some extremely choice verses from Subtex.

Rather than rush anything out, Heaney took the time — and money — to make sure everything sounded perfect, courtesy of Zach “SkySplitterInk” Crawford’s engineering skills — and signal chain. You may notice he also didn’t skimp on the cover art, courtesy of Memetic Supply, who do affordable, professional work. (Hire them.) Then, on 2-22-22, he dropped it.

This is perhaps the most notable experiment of all: this album isn’t on Spotify, or Apple, or Amazon, or even Bandcamp. It’s on provisions hip hop dot com, and you can buy it there, too. The site is simple, stripped down, and best of all, functional. (I just bought it there myself.)

This might come off as audacious if not insane, but Heaney has a long-term vision here and no part of that involves paying out fees to the same services every other McDonalds rapper in the Universe is using. “Know Thyself” is just the beginning. In the words of the immortal poet Mach Hommy: “I am the vendor. I am the vendor. I am the vendor.”

Now, I’m not saying you should follow suit, but: it is worth asking yourself how you can distinguish your art in a marketplace that is growing more crowded every day. It’s also worth basing your efforts on classic business models that work in any industry in any century. Delivering people quality goods at a reasonable price will keep them coming back for more.

It might be slow going, sure, but remember you can lose your good reputation far faster than you can build it. Tread carefully and keep perfecting the product. Peace & Good Luck.