The documentary Drake: Better than good enough, takes music lovers 0f the freshman Young Money member on a in depth behind the scenes look at who Aubrey Drake Graham really is and how big of a impact his music is having on the music game. Granted the documentary does give the audience a reality check to the glitz and glam that the media creates around the superstar's life by showing that he is only one man who bleeds, crys and lives just like the average person. But it also shows how persistent, hard working, motivational and professional this individual is about his craft. I think this maybe the second or third time I viewed this documentary, but a portion of it really hit me and made me not only look it up on youtube, but create this blog post to share with you. Take a look at the video and take heed to what is being said...
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There were multiple parts of this portion of the documentary that I wanted to emphasize to alot of my artist friends and family that I personally feel you all would benefit from.
1.Knowing that where you are at in your career is only a precursor to what you WILL be later on down the line..so don't rush it
One of the major problems that alot of artist have is not preparing themselves for the long haul. Everyone feels as though the fame, the money, the cars, the glitz and glamour should and does happen overnight. Regardless if one puts in 110% of their time, money, blood, sweat and tears or not...everyone feels as though they DESERVE greatness to occur on their time and not when the universe feels needed. Alot of rappers feel that talking about the "finer things in life", which do not exist in their own personal life now, is the easier way to gain the stardom they dream about. And most of the time the real hip hop heads scratch this off as 'not being real hip hop' and will categorized it as the commercial 'one hit wonder'. Songs like "Pretty Boy Swag", "5 star bitch", "Lemonade", "I get money" or "Oh lets do it" are songs meant to showboat the life styles that we all wish we could have. And the artist who create these songs have every right to flaunt what they have earned. But most of us do not realize that these indiviuals came from the same dim lighted hole in the wall music venues with horrible sound that we are all performing and supporting today. And in those venues, the lyrics of a starving artist...whose words struck a cord with fans everywhere due to the fact that they talked about REAL LIFE situations, feelings and emotions is what got these superstars their fan base and helped their popularity grow. Real hip hop is making music that people can relate to. Of course everyone has dreams and goals....and every artists wants their fans to see the same dream or goal that they are striving to achieve. But when you rush stardom because you haven't built a foundation for your career to stand on....your 15 minutes of fame gets cut short by the next artist who is on point and who is more interesting than you.
2. Knowing your worth and value now and later...
One thing that Drake says is "...I think I've only begun to prove myself...I feel like this is only a start to what I hope will be legendary...eventually history...what people talk about prematurely..." I can relate to this because I hear it and see it everyday on facebook, twitter, myspace, old mixtapes and albums of friends etc. Everyone feels as though their music is THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD! Granted....a little bit of cockiness and having a big ego never killed anybody...yet. But if there isn't one thing Ive learned not just from my elders, but just from life in general...Humbleness is a hard pill to swallow, but it does the mind body and soul good. What I mean by that is...sometimes its best to observe then to be the one talking. Sometimes just letting your music do the talking for you rather than ranting and raving about how 'Your the S#!t' 'Im the best of the best' 'I'm the king of this town' etc only puts the spotlight on you more and gives ammo for others to judge you in a negative light. Everyone has done this before, we are human. I think this quote sums it up best "Its far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help". Knowing that right now is the beginning of your career and all that can happen now if for it to get better should be your main focus. Not that everyone in the industry should be addressing you as "the almighty best among the rest". Proving your worth and value should occur every time a fan presses play on your album or mixtape, with every download, every time you hit the stage....not through hyped up status's, post or ranting and raving. And if your worth or value is as high as you think it is...the fans and critics will let you know the god honest truth, and that will determine success in your future in the entertainment business.
3.Realize that there is always room for improvement and change is a good thing...
With the new release of touch screen cell phones, ipads, newer model ipods, cars etc. companies are realizing that there is always another level to be reached...higher goals to be met...and more customers to be pleased. Therefore why wouldn't you as a entertainer think that you shouldn't step your game up or revamp your style? Think about your very first cell phone. I guarantee it was probably a non-flip Nokia with a long antenna or that bulky yellow and black Nextel that construction workers use. Now think about your cell phone now. Still has the same functions....you can make and receive calls, text, see the time, play a game or two, look at your calendar, and store numbers. But with all the new advancements like having Microsoft Office on your phone, Internet, Gps, cameras, camcorder, ring tones, video chat, email etc. your cell phone is probably your primary lifeline. Just like your cell phone, your music should evolve over time. You might have started out rapping or singing about the simple things in life. Love lost, Love gained, Life sucks, Life great, Having money, Being broke, etc. But after time...that starts to get old. Artist like Jay-z, Nas, Eminem, Kanye West all started at that same point. But as they matured so did their rhymes. Controversial themes such as the government, religion, racism etc helped their spotlight shine a little more because it was subjects that people where to scarred to talk about. I guess you could say its a 'supply and demad' scenerio. Once they started to talk about the 'taboo' issues of life....the fans couldnt get enough of it so they continued on that path as well as the 'newbiees' of the music industry. Now you have the newer generation such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Currency, Travie McCoy, Wiz Khalifa, BOB talking about the same stuff from a angle that people THINK about but never TALK about. Not to mention they all use different styles of music to do so. Alot of people feel as though artist such as Lady GaGa, Travie McCoy and BOB are for the 'suburb caucasion' music fans and have no place in the hip hop world. But these types of artists are doing collabs with hip hops greats such as Beyonce, Jay-z, Kanye West, Keshia Cole etc and gaining a larger fan base. Example, do you remember the Linkin Park and Jay-z collab album. Do you know that because of that album both Jay-z and Linkin Park (a well known rock band)'s album sales went up almost 75% within a 2 month period? Crazy right? Its not a bad thing to be different. Everyone started to make fun of the New Boyz for their tight clothing and silly dance moves to their hit "You're a jerk". But now the New Boyz movement has almost taken over the entire West coast. Can you say the same about your music movement in your own hometown? I say that to say this....in order to be iconic....you have to be able to be versatile, be able to revamp yourself and upgrade your music to whats being listened to now...but still be yourself.Will your music that you make about yourself right now be recognized and respected 20 years from now?
I just wanted to drop those jewels to you all. Hopefully to some it helps and to others it makes you really think twice about your involvement in this industry and reevaluate what your really here for and what you want to gain from it.
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