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Yesterday I was at my aunt’s house, her young 19 year old neighbor was saying how she broke up with her boyfriend because he had this dream of becoming a rapper but refused to support himself with a “real” job… I laughed out loud while listening.

I wasn’t laughing at her boyfriend’s dream or her frustration with him being unwilling to work… I was laughing because there are so many people that want to be rappers, singers, models, actors etc… but don’t want to work.

I’m married to an extremely talented artist with very ambitious dreams and goals… in addition to keeping a roof over our head, food in our mouths, and clothes on our backs, he works in order to pursue his dreams… One of my dreams is to see his dreams come true, so I work with him and support his efforts 100%.

I am not sure where this idea of not working came from… perhaps the Hip Hop culture is partly responsible. When I was growing up we had songs like Paid In Full which reminded us of the importance of work:

But now I learned to earn cos I’m righteous
I feel great! so maybe I might just
Search for a 9 to 5, if I strive
Then maybe I’ll stay alive
So I walk up the street whistlin this
Feelin out of place cos, man, do I miss
A pen and a paper, a stereo, a tape of
Me and eric b, and a nice big plate of
Fish, which is my favorite dish
But without no money it’s still a wish
Cos I don’t like to dream about gettin paid
So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made
To now test to see if I got pull
Hit the studio, cos I’m paid in full

It’s ok to dream about being a rapper, an underwater basket weaver, or whatever else you want to be… I am a strong believer that all things are possible. But as Rakim said without money it’s still a wish. Everybody has to put in work! Anything worth having is worth working for…

I know some rappers get offended when people say rapping is not work. That is not what I’m saying. I am very old school Hip Hop and I remember ever so clearly I Go To Work by Kool Moe Dee:

To say rap is not work
Is ludicrous
Whoever said it
Must be new to this
When you hear me
Youll compare me
To a prophet for profit
Not merely
Putting words together for
Recreation
Each rhymes a dissertation
You wanna know my occupation
I get paid to rock the nation
I go to work

My point is simply, until you are getting paid to rock the nation, you need to have a source or sources of income to not only pay the bills, but to create the music, and to pro-actively pursue the dream! having talent ain’t enough, if it were I’d be in the company of lots of rockstars.

There is no record deal fairy handing out cash, giving away studio time, magically mixing mastering or mass producing cds, or guaranteeing distribution and marketing… The music industry is a business and to partake in the business, you must handle your business.

It has taken us years to complete our 1st project to our satisfaction. Why? Because while pursuing our dreams we still have to live.

In the words of the Late Great Gwen Guthrie, Ain’t Nothing Going On But The Rent!

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1st Love,

www.1stLoveRecords.com