How To Create A Stage Name

Today we are going to talk about how to create a stage name for yourself as an artist. A stage name is important because its what people use to identify who you are.

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You can’t be nameless and put out music and still want the credit for it if it sells. In this article we will get into what a stage name is, how to choose one, and how to go about legally protecting it from misuse by others.

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What’s A Good Stage Name

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Believe it or not there are some bad names out there that not only rappers have but all pop and rock bands have. Bad stage names are ones that no one can pronounce or spell. If no one can hardly spell it or pronounce it how can they memorize it? If you make your rap name difficult to pronounce, spell, or too long, people will forget about you and move onto a name that’s more easier to remember.

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A good stage name should be created based on your character and the way you interact with friends and associates. Most people use their childhood nick name as a rap name since they’re so use to being called that. There’s nothing wrong with that but make sure the name makes sense, and has a good reason behind it.

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Don’t put the word “Lil” in front of your name because Lil Wayne has it on his. That’s ridiculous. Don’t be a follower be a leader. Think of who you are, what defines you and what you want to achieve with your rap name.

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Can I Use My Real Name As a Stage Name

The short answer is yes. Some artist want to be authentic as possible and use their real name as their stage name. Think of Tupac Shakur or Kendrick Lamar. Both went on to have successful music careers with their real names. Sometimes an artist can’t come up with a stage name or nickname so they go with their real name, and more times than not it works!

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Stage Name Generator

If you don’t want to use your real name or you can’t come up with a name on your own, you can always use something called a “Name generator”.

A name generate is a software that generates stage name ideas for you. if you want you can google it and use an online rap name generator.

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But many professional rappers don’t tell stories of using a name generator to come up with a name. It’s a bit corny. But hey do what you have to do. If that’s the only option you have then go for it.

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My advice is still is to come up with something on your own. It will feel more organic and will mean more to you if you choose your own name, or have someone close to you come up with one for you. Remember this is hip hop we want to stay as real as possible.

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Stage Name Legal Issues

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One thing you definitely don’t want to do is pick a rap name that someone else has. This can land you in a lot of legal trouble and have that rapper sue you for impersonation and money for selling records under their name. So to protect yourself you want to try to register your name as a trade mark.

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This can cost you lot of money, so what you will have to do is put out work, merchandise and perform under the name as much as possible to solidify that you are indeed operating under the stage name.

You can not copyright your name per say, but if you go to court the judge will look at how often you use the name and if you’ve already made an effort to build a brand under the stage name. You can also look up the name with Performing Rights Agencies to see if the name is in use. This will save you all the trouble and legal issues down the line.