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In 1998, local Houston rapper/ CEO Troy “Lil Troy” Birklett broke out of the city’s thriving rap scene with his seminal rap single “Wanna Be A Baller,” pushing his Short Stop Records/ Universal major label debut album Sittin’ Fat Down South to platinum status. Now 10 years and more than one million record sales later, the entrepreneurial genius celebrates a decade of achievements in entertainment and business investments with his tell-all self-help manual The Heat In the Kitchen: Recipe for Success.

Written in cookbook form with ingredients, measurements and step-by-step instructions, The Heat In the Kitchen discloses Troy’s road to stardom and empowers independent artists with the necessary tools needed for success in the music industry.

Through clear, concise and well-written chapters, Troy details how to gain radio play, land distribution deals and build a studio. It offers advice in choosing the right entertainment lawyer and emphasizes the importance of well-written bios, demos, street team promotions, business cards and lyric sheets. He lays out the roles of producers, obtaining royalties and offers the pros and cons of independent verses major label deals.

“I see so many aspiring artists going down the wrong path. Most of them want to rap because of the fame, but the major record labels are taking advantage of them,” says Troy. “We have all of the talent and do all of the work but we are not reaping all of the monetary rewards. I saw a problem with that. This is my solution. Artists need to learn how to make our money work for us, not the other way around.”

Troy lends himself of prime example of music industry self sufficiency. Laying down the independent framework that so many artists follow today, Troy’s music career started almost 15 years ago. Through his label Short Stop Records, he launched the careers of Houston artists his son T2 and rap legend Scarface.

For more info on the book or for contact email: divadend@bellsouth.net