Hustle Harder: Do It Yourself

In hindsight this blog should have went up last week (in light of Independence Day), but that's why they say it's 20/20. Anyway, something that Bishop Lamont told me in the very beginning always stuck with me. He said "Do it yourself, that way no one can ever take it away from you," and that was probably the best advice anyone has given me since I started.

Before I go any further, let me make this clear. I have a team. My publicist, engineer, director/photographer ... so on and so forth ... all play essential roles in my success and are needed to help me reach my goals. The supporters, the blog/websites, DJs etc. all help me further my career. Without these external forces, some things would have never been possible, but they are not what I am referring to when I say to do it yourself. What I mean by that is when you grind and work your way up the ladder on your own, no one can ever pull you down. I'll give you a recent example. Young Buck is no longer with G-Unit right? Young Buck came into the game riding 50 Cent's wave of success. Not to take anything away from Buck, but this is just how he made his entrance into the game. Now with that being said, 50 can easily turn around and say "If it weren't for me, you would have never heard of Young Buck" or something else to that effect, and it can (in this case it already has) tarnish your creditability as an artist. Now using the same example, let's say Young Buck grinded it out, came up by himself and attained success. No one could EVER say that he anything about him in those regards because he did it alone. You get my drift now? This is what I mean when I say you should do it by yourself.

No one, I repeat NO ONE, could ever say they "made" me. I'm self made, self sufficient and very independent in every sense of the word. I didn't ride anybody's coattails nor did I rely on anyone to make my dream a reality. Although people have helped me along the road, I walked it alone and I would suggest you do the same.

For the most part it's easier to roll with someone who is successful already. It's almost like you'll get a pass because of it, but it's just like anything else in life. If you don't own it, it's not yours. As a person I've always been leery of accepting things from others anyway, but when it comes to building my career, I'm even more cautious. I'm sure as my success grows, people will come forward and claim that "they" were responsible for my success. If you ever hear that come from someone's mouth it's BS, plain and simple. That's why I am warning you of this. You don't want to reach those higher plateaus and have people making these claims about you. It happens all the time.

Another problem with this is that when you depend on someone else to help you make your career, you essentially put it in their hands. What happens if this person just flakes out on you or quits the game? How about you do something this person may not agree with and cut ties with you? I can give you a million and one examples of what could happen, but I'm sure you get the drift. Building your career from the ground up independently is ALWAYS the best way to go and you'll be respected for it. Nepotism, using others as a springboard, etc. or using or methods to start your career will only build it on a shaky foundation that could collapse on you one day.

At the end of the day, I am very happy that I did things the way I did. I don't owe anybody nothing and when I get those awards and accolades, no one can ever take them away from me. That feeling is something that really can't be described but if I can sum it up in one word: Free.

Side note: I've been nominated for an Underground Music Award. Please take a second and vote for me, by clicking here.

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