In recent weeks Grafh has watched his newest song "MySpace Jumpoff," accumulate over 60,000 hits since being posted on his MySpace page. "My page gets a lot of traffic; I just did the song for my MySpace fans. Two days after I put it out, it blew up. Radio stations across the country started playing it. It’s been getting over 100 spins a week – everyone kept requesting it. It took on a life of its own. I love it. As an artist you just want to get heard. It was a blessing in disguise. I’m gonna do a huge video for this. It’s gonna be crazy," Grafh said.
In addition to his XM satellite show Blackhand Radio Uncut (Tuesdays at 6pm on 66 Raw), Grafh has been busy promoting his newest mixtape, Blackhand Ent. & ClintonSparks Presents: MySpace Jumpoff: the Mixtape, which comes out July 24th on www.grafh.com. Aside from MySpace, Grafh has also been using Facebook.com to reach his college audiences. "I like the web because it allows me to get in contact with the whole world. A lot of my fans reach me online. For all the college fans I want them to join BlackhandUniversity – join that on facebook.com," Grafh said.
Over the last four years Grafh’s music has been introduced into video games and television shows. Early mixtape successes scored him a major label bidding war, landing him a contract with Sony Records – but by 2005 creative differences led to the dissolution of that partnership. Since his days at Sony, audiences have awaiting the release of debut album AUTOGRAFH, and Grafh is excited that he’ll finally be able to drop it soon. "It’s completely finished. I’ve got records on there with Raheem DeVaughn and Bun B," Grafh shared.
While many U.S. audiences got their first glimpse at Grafh on BET’s "Ultimate Hustler," he says he’s never held a contract with Damon Dash. "We never completed a deal – that’s just my ni**a. I appreciate him, he had me on the "Ultimate Hustler." I got with Swizz Beats, got a Pro-Keds deal for my Blackhand sneaker. We’ve been in talks about doing a movie [about Blackhand CEO Chaz Williams],"Grafh said. While it’s certain the album with be released through his Blackhand Ent. label (Grafh is President) there’s a good chance that a major label may play a part as well.
"MySpace has put me in another bidding war. This time I’m not looking at money as the most important factor, I need the support. I can pay for my own records and videos. Blackhand is self-sufficient. Everything we do is in-house. We do it all," Grafh explained. "I want the marketing dollars to get behind the project. People have no idea what it takes – normally you have to pay to play in this country. It’s wack, but it is what it is.
Grafh’s MySpace Jumpoff: The Mixtape hits stores July 24th.
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