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Background

Born and raised in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, the odds have always been stacked against Nipsey Hussle. After he started rapping as a teenager, Nipsey used music as a vehicle to break free from the life that surrounded him in Crenshaw. Even after catching his big break in 2008 and signing to Epic Records, his entrepreneurial spirit drove him to return to being an independent artist shortly after. By creating his own record label, All Money In, Nipsey was able to regain complete control of not only his music, but also his marketing. Most notably in 2013, Nipsey released his critically acclaimed mixtape – Crenshaw. In addition to a digital release, a Proud2Pay campaign was launched to leverage his biggest supporters. While the campaign was centered around selling 1,000 hard copy CDs for $100 each, fans who purchased the physical album were also rewarded with concert tickets, gifts, and more. Ultimately, the campaign was a massive success as his CDs sold out in less than 24 hours. This bold move was applauded by his peers as even Jay-Z showed his support by purchasing 100 copies. With the release of his next mixtape looming, Nipsey sought to build on the success of his previous campaign while continuing to go direct to consumers.

Funnel

With a loyal and rapidly growing fanbase, Nipsey and his team were looking to give his fans a unique experience for his next release. To connect with his large audience on a personal level, Nipsey turned to text to bridge the gap. Using text, Nipsey was not only able to bypass the middlemen of the music industry, but also that of social media. The funnel was set up so that when a fan texted in, they would receive an automated response asking for their email. Once they respond, they would be filtered into a different funnel depending on if they had previously purchased an album. This was all automated through SuperPhone’s Shopify integration. If they had previously bought an album, they would receive a thank you message. If they had not purchased an album, they would be sent a link to purchase Nipsey’s latest release. This funnel was used to sell his single “1 Hunnit a Show” and his mixtape “Mailbox Money,” which most notably sold out 100 copies for $1,000 each.