Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of interviews of Hip-Hop artists. I find it extremely motivating to hear some of these “rags to riches” stories from artists with pasts far from glamorous. An interview Nipsey Hussle did on Big Boy’s radio really stuck with me.
Nipsey is an underrated rapper from South Central, Los Angeles who is just recently getting the attention he deserves from mainstream. Although he has been in the game for 10 years and has received admiration from influencers such as Jay-Z and LeBron, his music hasn’t reached the same level of attention as his peers.
In this interview he talks about the importance/possibility of reaching success on your own terms. He started his own label, his own clothing store, has a hand in integrating technology with fashion, and many programs to help black STEM students make it to Silicon Valley. He accomplished all this without being signed to a label which is not common at all. So basically this underrated rapper from the streets of California did all of that, in the span of 10 years, without being supported by a record deal.
It’s truly an amazing example of how grind, focus and belief can take you anywhere. Today Nipsey signed a partnership with Atlantic Records, not a deal. He’s not Atlantic’s artist but their partner. If other artists follow Nip’s rule book the Hip-Hop business will truly change. Artists would have the ability to manage their own careers and music without label pressure. Allowing them to get what they earned without paying the middle man.
I’ve been thinking a lot about “building yourself” and “working for yourself.” If people decided to make their own rules and purse their own ideas in their career something really great would happen. I predict the outcome would be diversity in music and art and a more fulfilling life altogether.
And isn’t that the ultimate goal?
