I am truly grateful for everyone that takes notice of my art. Cleveland's biggest news magazine promoted my album This Is Me which featured my "In The Dark" music video. This one means a lot to me particularly because Scene Magazine reaches out the alternative consumers and to Cleveland.
This Is Me will be my final album. I try to give a little bit of everything into this project with R&B, Pop, Rock and Hip Hop. The album exposes a raw and real side of my life. This process took a little more than 3 years, several producers and a lot of soul searching. This is not a typical album, it's an experimental but very earthy and raw feel. The loss for my grandmother and finding my birth mother and finding out she passed away without saying goodbye to her really set the tone for the album. (Which I dedicate to her)
In 2006, I released my first album A-Bombination and I was filled with a lot of anger, guilt and not a lot of clarity in my life. Today, I feel alive and free knowing that my mother and my grandmother are looking down smiling. These confessions that are on this project I am not exactly proud of but it has made me a stronger and better person for acknowledging that they exist. The truth has been told and THIS IS ME!! Special thanks to my amazing family. Oma, Mom, Dad, Rose Marie, my wife Amanda who has stayed by side through the storm. And of course my babies. My 330 crew; Anthony Palko, KJ, Dub and Matt The Lawyer. Thanks to Bobby, Tommie, Art, James, Harvey, Mike and the rest of the Xplosive Music Entertainment family. My big sis Tuan "Earthtone" Hodges. Eric "Drotts", Big Herm and "Big Bro" Carl and all my space cadets. Brad Puette and Mike Brown and the rest of the guys up at Lava Room Recordings. Josh and Matt Maunus and Top Of The World Studios. Jeff Niesel and Cleveland Scene Magazine. Andre Pettis, and all the guys at Voice It Radio. Ryan Wilkerson, "Big Heff" and the Ohio Hip Hop Awards Team. Johnny O and the Nerve DJs. Rick and the rest of Universal Music Group A&R and artist development guys.Thanks for believing in me. Coast 2 Coast Mixtape. Summit County Songwriters Circle. The Earth Entertainment crew. Cali Miles and The Bomb Squad Models. Lo Lo Manguel. Brett Vance and High Art Entertainment. Amy and the Afton Team. All my online radio guys and DJs, thanks for spinning our records! The haters and doubters who thought we couldn't make it this far. And of course my fans. Thank you for all your support and love!! My Bomb Squad is the best!!! As some of you might know I formed a new inspirational band called "Lifted Soul". Call us Christian, Gospel, Inspirational, Folk, Soul, R&B. Call us what you want but are purely here to give hope and to inspire others who need a positive life. My songwriting and music has grown and "Adam Douglas" has too. I hope you can all come along with me and have a "lifted soul" too!!
The next chapter of my life is coming! I have been fortunate and blessed in my music career that I've worked with a lot of talented artists and producers such as Trey Songz, Mya, Fat Joe, Johnny Wright and many others...So with that said, I will be releasing Exclusive and Non Exclusive beats for sale!! Stay posted for the launch of Xplosive Beats By A-Bomb™ on my website!!!
Yesterday I lost someone very close to me. She helped raise me when I was a child. She was my role model as an adult. She truly was my inspiration and will always be in my heart for the rest of my life. "You will always be the bestest".
I love you Grandma (Oma) As a chapter closes a new chapter opens and I can't wait to see what the new day brings. I recently found out that my biological mom passed away and I got a lot of information about her. My new upcoming album "This Is Me" will be dedicated to her. As most of you know that are true fans, early on in my career I talked about her leaving me. It made me emotional at times and gave me a lot of trust issues. Now I hope I can move on and search for peace within and can be a better husband, father, role model and most importantly a better person. And at the end of my journey I can't wait to finally meet you mom. Thank you for giving me a wonderful life.
R.I.P Rose Marie (1953-2008) Over the last 10 years I have been making music. Either as an artist or producer I have put my heart and soul into every note, lyric and track and tried to make a connection with the audience. Music is my heart and I will cherish every moment and experience that I've had throughout the years.
I would've never thought in my wildest dreams that a shy kid from Munroe Falls, Ohio would ever be on stage in front of a big audience, sell thousands of records, be in music videos, and have his music be heard on the radio, in the club and be on television.I just wanted to write poems and have a journal of my life experiences when I was a kid. And once I grew up I put those experiences and thoughts to music. Several albums later I knew I did this for a reason. From my biological mom leaving me, abuse and bullying I received as a small child, my best friend dying at 15, relationship issues, to dealing with the shady reality of the music business. I've told my stories and never regretted anything I've ever done or said.I cherish the relationships I've made through this journey and I even love the pain that I've experienced. It has made me a stronger artist and more importantly a stronger person. From turning down my first record deal to starting my own Indie label I wouldn't of changed it for the world. The Xplosive Music family has given me the voice and support to do what I love to do without any boundaries. You've always had my back when people try to tear me down and didn't understand our message. You gave me the strength to keep pushing and never stop pursuing our dreams. Its a tough business and even tougher market but we continue to push our brand and I will continue that message beyond the music business. To my fans, I never thought I could make a connection with another person from what I wrote. But I have and that makes me proud to do what I do. I tried to take you to different places and try to connect and give you a true perspective of life's obstacles. I try to give you hope and inspiration and to be a role model for ones that need guidance through the tough times. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my true stories and entertainment, I am truly grateful. Though this journey might be coming to a close but my message will stay forever: Always fight for what you believe in and never be less than your dreams. Sincerely, Adam Douglas (A-Bomb) Everybody wants The American Dream. Artists and musicians want to make millions, have fame, live easy and have screaming fans throwing themselves at their feet. But that comes with a price just like everything else in life.
Artist creativity- As an artist you want to be creative, unique and stand out from the others. Major labels can offer artist development but they can also tell you what you can and cannot put in your music. They own the rights to pretty much everything you bring to the table. Most independent labels let the artist be free and comfortable with writing, production and development. Copyrights- All or most of all of us want to be free and to express ourselves and we want to have credit for it for the thoughts we create. An independent artist can do that. Most all major record label owns all the copyrights to the music and lyrics. So all your hard work and creativity goes normally down the drain. Major labels are loan sharks. They can front you thousands or even millions of dollars, but they will hunt you down if you don't make them a profit. Lawsuits and possible criminal charges could occur if they don't get their money back.Independent labels may have a similar look in each contract but artists normally have more control of their music, lyrics and merchandise. Merchandising- Most artists don't make their money off of their music. They make it from their merchandise and concert sales. Except for their extreme fan most people want everything free. And a lot of sharing sites they offer free music from the artist. Most major labels take a huge percentage of their merchandise as well. Distribution- Most major labels charge nearly 25% or more for just distributing the artist music. Stores charge a big percentage just to have the CD on their shelves.Most music is not bought on CDs but is downloaded from iTunes and other digital stores because of its conveniency. Profiting- Everyone wants to make a buck just like the next guy. It's an independent artist goes out on the street and sells his CD he makes 100% of the profit. If a major label artist goes out and sells a CD he is obligated contractually to pay royalties to the label. Most major labels have a huge number of people in the process for that single artist. So that at the end of the day that artist is paying out thousands of dollars that could potentially go in to the artist pocket. Independent labels normally only charge a fee or a smaller percentage. No guaranteed money- Most major labels offer a upfront signing bonus but most of that is spent on producing your record, promotions and paying your people to grow your brand. So an artist can sell millions of copies of their album and still not get paid.When I was offered record contracts early on in my career I had to sell at least 10,000 units before I saw single penny. There is no guarantees! Less than 1% of artists make it big. And less than 0.25% in a major label. Those that make it GREAT (hope you still have your sanity). Us indies keep being you and never be less than your dreams! |