When I started rapping, I just wanted to have fun. I was in high school and all I can remember is that we were always writing papers. Needless to say, it was a drag and I didn’t like it. When I started rapping, I just wanted an escape. So I wrote verses instead of essays.
Rap meant freedom to me. The artform allowed me to enjoy my otherwise dull days. In my spare time, I used to write my rhymes on my notepad. I wrote about anything and everything. I could express myself freely. There was no oversight and that’s what I liked.
The hobby quickly became my passion. A few decades have elapsed, and I’m still writing. I’ve ventured into making rap professionally and I’ve learned a lot. Allow me to share:
- Closed mouths don’t get fed:
If we don’t ask for help, none will be forthcoming. That’s why I strongly encourage all aspiring entrepreneurs to look into crowdfunding. It is important! Back then, I shunned it because I didn’t want to seem like a beggar. It was naive. Launch your crowdfunding campaign as soon as possible! - Strangers tend to be more helpful than friends and family:
We all have this habit of saying “No new friends.” We are wrong. More often than not, new acquaintances yield more than friends. For instance, I have used crowdfunding several times and each time, the more generous contributors were the ones I knew the least. I have always been surprised and fascinated by the generosity of strangers. - Mentally, you have to be as strong as steel to survive in this jungle:
When you make music, you have to learn how to take in criticism. It’s not easy, but you can’t escape it. When I was younger, I used to go to the online message boards to share links to my music. Bad idea! I would get mercilessly crucified there and I admit that some remarks hurt deeply and felt like being stabbed in the chest. On numerous occasions, I thought about giving up, but then I’d soldier on. After several such painful experiences, I stopped sharing my links altogether. I couldn’t bear being dragged in the mud all the time. - A product, no matter how great it might be, doesn’t sell itself:
Nike and Coca Cola are among the biggest and most recognizable brands in the world. Yet they continue to spend heavily on advertising because they understood that you can even sell crap if you have a sound marketing strategy. The reverse, however, doesn’t work. It’s sad to say, but marketing is much more important than the quality of the product. Just because my song is good doesn’t guarantee that it will become a certified gold record. Advertising, marketing and public relations are super important. It me took some time to understand that. - Doubt is a frequent bedfellow; sometimes I used to wonder if I’m crazy:
Many times, I would release a video with the conviction that I had a sure-fire hit. But my YouTube stats would very quickly bring me back to reality and leave me depressed. In those moments of self-doubt, I nearly dumped everything. Many times, I questioned myself. Am I a crappy artist? Have my friends and relatives been pretending to enjoy my music for all these years? If so, they are the talented ones. Why aren’t they in Hollywood? Am I becoming paranoid? Am I losing it? - Sometimes I was jealous:
There are many rappers that I despise and it pisses me off when I see them achieving more success than I have. I would blame the whole world because my talent isn’t appreciated nor valued as it should. At the end of the day though, all this jealousy is pointless. - Seclusion and dejection are part and parcel of being a budding artist:
The music industry is in crisis. Consumer habits have changed radically. People don’t buy music, they rather stream it. Streaming is cool, but it doesn’t generate as much money. Artists and streaming companies have trouble monetizing streams. Yet, in the studio, I go to great lengths to make quality music. Sometimes I wonder if the game is worth the effort. - Young people want me to stop, old people want me to continue:
When I released the clip of my song LEF , I received many compliments. People kept praised me and I will always remember this doctor who told me that my song gave him the urge to get back into music. “When I was in college, I played guitar every day,” he told me. “Then things went by very fast: I graduated, started working, got married and started a family. Without realizing it, I had moved away from this instrument that used to make me happy every day. Looking at your video, I had a sudden itch to start strumming my guitar again.” In that same time, I met a lot of young people who were telling me to get married, start a family and stop doing music.
Last week, I released the video for my song “Ce que tu as fait 2.” I encourage you to watch it and share it with your loved ones. Feel free to share your comments, but please, do not be too harsh in your criticism. I have a very fragile heart. Thank you!
Editor’s Note:
The original opinion piece can be found on ‘Un lion parmi les hommes‘
As a kid, I wanted to become a superhero. That didn't work out. I settled to become a doctor. That didn't work out. I settled to become a football star. That didn't work out. So now you have to settle for a dope blogger and rapper.
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