You Better Grind Fool! You Gotta’ Work For This
Originally posted 7/13/09 on Gyantunplugged.com
I don’t know what it is about our society, at first I thought it was just the kids but it’s effecting everyone, seems like we have this instant gratification mentality. What happened to good old hard work, blood, sweat and tears? People these days don’t want to work for anything, we want it all RIGHT NOW!! Whether it’s a regular suit and tie job, sex (that’s another blog soon to come), music career or anything. We are always looking for the “hook up” or “short cut”. I mean, even Milli Vanilla had to work hard and they were just lip-singing! We have upcoming and new artists who don’t want to work for the success, they just want the shit handed to them. We have artists that are so lazy they don’t even try to sing right, they just want their vocals ran through the auto-tune box. What makes them so damn special that they don’t have to grind like all of the greats did? Is it because they don’t have the talent like all of the greats do? Hmmm…
What kills me the most is, these new artists’ think that they can just get somebody already famous and/or hot on their song and they are immediately granted access into the gates? To me that shit don’t make THEM hot, it makes people say yo, you hear that song with so & so (the famous person) on it? Then again it kind of does make some people hot huh, at least amongst some other people? But to me that possibly 1 hot song with so & so on it doesn’t validate anyone as an artist, especially the way these fools be running around, like they just dropped Thriller or some shit. If anything it makes them a one hit wonder in my eyes, I wouldn’t even take it as far as that cus’ there’s no “wonder” in them, maybe a ringtone artist and ain’t nothing really wrong with that I guess, if you looking for that instant gratification but play your position. You can’t drop “Swag Surfin” and act like you just dropped “My Melody”, that’s all I’m saying.
If you’re looking for a career and some longevity in this game, you need to be on top of “your game” and master “your craft”, there needs to be something about YOU that stands out. I don’t even think being known as “the next so & so” is really good, it’s okay to be compared to or having a likeness to someone but why would I want to hear the next Beyonce’ when the real Beyonce is still here and at the top of her game? I’d rather hear the next ” I don’t know who the hell they sound like but that shit is FIRE!!!” Originality will outlast the gimmick or knockoff any day (ask them girls about the fake Louis bags, lol!)
People don’t understand or recognize that to make it in this industry is hard work cus’ all they see is the flash. Did you know that half or maybe even more of the flash is fake? A lot of artists wear or have rented/leased jewelry, cars, homes, etc. In this business appearance is EVERYTHING. That’s why most people are shocked when they hear of someone filing bankruptcy or something, I mean after all, they “look” as if they are living the life and that’s exactly how the record labels want it to appear. Nobody wants to run out and buy the person’s CD that looks just like them (it shouldn’t really matter, the music should do all the talking), that’s driving a toyota like them or anything that appears regular/normal because we can all relate to that (what’s so fly about that), they want to show you something that appears spectacular because it’s like something you’ll wish you could have or be apart of. Yes, there are some Cinderella stories but if you dig deeper, trust me not even they are overnight successes. I think the closest thing to overnight success these days is American Idol and that shit runs what 13 weeks on TV and we have no idea how much they have tried to get on before they auditioned, so it’s not overnight either. People worked hard to get where they are now. Trust me just about everyone that’s big had to grind and what you see now is the end result of long hard work.
Don’t believe me? Well let me tell you a little about some of your favorite performers…
Did yall’ know Jay-Z used to be a roadie for Big Daddy Kane in the late 80’s (and he could spit then) or how about that Puffy used to be a roadie for Doug E Fresh? People think Puff started acting the way he does when he got money but he used to act the same damn way before he had money, that’s why I respect him for his hustle, his business mind and mostly for the fact that the money didn’t change him. Puff and Jay-Z are the classic example of what to do, they used their situations and connections to network and ultimately exploit the relationships they had into something bigger. In the words of my girl Jennie Jones (still don’t know you, holla back mama) they used them n*ggas backs as a stepping ladder to get theirs. Bottom line, they grinded it out until it happened.
I bet yall’ didn’t know that Chris Rock used to be a roadie on the Al B. Sure, New Edition and I think Bobby Brown was on that tour too and he used to tell us all the damn time he was going to be famous. He was always funny as hell but we used to be like, yeah whatever Chris, get the hell out of here. Look at him now, the grind… it works people. I’m sure yall’ already heard that Pac used to be a dancer for Digital Underground, he was HILARIOUS, he still got a ton of girls (Pac just had IT, he had swag before we called it swag, he was sooooo intelligent yet stupid, he was a fool! Damn I miss him.) he used to be picking up chicks like, “you know I can rap too, I’m gonna’ be big as shit, watch”… again, the grind, it works.
TI/Tip, he’s been around forever and everybody wants to hate on Tiny and whatnot but when dude got with her, she was the star and he was struggling, look at him now… the grind. What about Rick Ross, he dropped one of the hottest CD’s this year in my opinion, he didn’t just pop up, he was around for a while, he used to rap under another name; i can’t really remember right now but he’s been around for a minute too. Alicia Keys, she was signed to Dallas Austin I think or maybe Noontime and they dropped her, wonder how they feeling about that now. Even Ashanti’s horrible ass was signed to Noontime before they dropped her and she signed with Murder inc. And, I’m not ever saying she’s great but what she brought to Murder Inc. was good and she made some good songs, there’s no denying that, but the point again was that she stayed in there and grinded it out.
Just about everyone you see who was ever on top or is on top now, has worked hard for this. The internet and this technology we now have is very helpful but the people who are sustaining and surviving in this shit right now, HAVE BEEN HERE GRINDING!!!!
If you’re HOT and you grind it out you will blow, you have to it’s just the laws of nature, unless you did some shit to somebody huge and got black-balled (even then I honestly think if you kept the grind up, eventually someone would have to notice, especially if the product is good), got some bad karma following you or messed over somebody who’s down with the Hoodoo shit or maybe if you’re Royce The 5′9 ( I don’t know why that kid can’t blow, but he does have an underground following).
The only person that can stop you from achieving what you want is YOU. Nothing worth having isn’t worth fighting or working hard for. What God has meant for you can’t be derailed by anyone!
Moral of this blog: YOU HAVE TO WORK! KEEP GRINDING!
K.I.M
This is so true we are in an era where bs has been shown to get people in the door. It’s a shame that hard work is now just being hip, having chains, and knowing someone to get one hit. Everyone wants to be instant rice, no one wants to be slow cooked to perfection!
I definitely needed to hear this. So true and my time is here!
Man I got to say I have been grinding forever and I am gonna get mine or die trying! I have ran into a lot of wack, fake MC’s crowding the industry cuz they thought they got that burner or fire but all I hear is wack tracks, at best they got a good beat and that beat be carrying these fools along way! Shit I don’t need no beat to carry me nothing! I do it without a beat and still gets my props!! If you don’t know that you got to have heart, consistency and a business mentality you ain’t never gonna make it in the rap game cuz these industry cats will walk all over you and leave you beat up, broke, and at a loss for your own shit (copyright)! Don’t get Suge Knighted by me or anyone else! Get yours and do it yourself -fuck a major label or even a major rapper who made it off a major label because I ain’t waiting to be discovered I already am and I brought the whole label with me and mine fool!