I hadn’t realized what an extensive account Wendy Day is providing of the Blood Raw promo tour.  According to both a promotional email from Kim Ellis of KE Consulting & Marketing Solutions and comments from Wendy Day on her blog, this run is an independent effort to build support for Def Jam’s upcoming release of Blood Raw’s My Life The True Testimony.

From Day One:

"We’re doing this tour on a super shoe string budget. Unless we can build a strong buzz around the first single: Louie, featuring Jeezy, Def Jam will not kick in and pick up the project. So we’re hitting the streets hard with a ridiculously low budget."

Yeah, it’s harsh like that in the real world.

I found out about this tour after the Raleigh, NC stop where ProHipHop World Headquarters is currently located but check out this description of my hometown:

"Raleigh is an interesting market. It’s more New York-ish than dirty south. I find most of the guys rocking Timberlands and calling each other “son.” The style of music is more Fat Joe and Joe Buddens than UGK and Lil Wayne. But the radio seems to follow whatever is hot, so they have Rocko and Flo Rida and Rick Ross spinning. But the mixed CDs reflect a different picture."

That’s right, son.  Now don’t make me stomp you with my Tims!

On a side note, North Carolina has some interesting rap connections to New York via certain small towns involved in witness protection programs, I kid you not!  Folks in Greensboro who grew up in smaller places used to tell me about kids from New York providing cassettes of DJ Red Alert’s shows back in the day.

If you’re interested in following the tales of life on the road check Wendy’s blog for the February posts and, if blogspot holds true to form, you can check soon for the March posts.

Some footage of the tour is available on the Blood Raw YouTube Channel and the rest of the tour dates are posted on his MySpace page.

Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Blood Raw’s My Life: The True Testimony Cover Art
Blood Raw Holds Promo Contest to Promote 26 Inches