Never sell yourself short! 🎤

Back in high school, all I wanted to do was RAP! 🎤

Microphone check 1-2-1-2!

My love for music started while I was a toddler…

…or so I've heard!

My father had a love for the finer things in life, including music.

I collected music that was trendy at the time.

I loved Michael Jackson.

I loved Madonna, Lionel Ritchie, Brenda Fassie, ABBA, 2Pac, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Creed, Blackstreet…

…even Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. 👩🏿‍🎤

I love all kinds of music as long as it strikes a chord in me. 🎹

Going back to the story at hand.

I remember being told that I couldn't rap.

But how do you give up something when it's truly all you've ever wanted to do?

It was a painful reality for me. 😔

There were only a few people that put me on even though they knew I was wack!

And I'm forever grateful, they built me up.

Back in the day, if you wanted to get up on stage, you needed someone to play the keyboard because backing tracks were not really a thing then.

In fact, they were very scarce.

 Those who had them were either well off, or they were well connected.

I'm from the cassette tape era, a child of the eighties. 📼

One year we had the usual school talent show.

In fact, it was a Pepsi sponsored talent competition.

A roadshow that went from school to school around the country.

And this was my chance to showcase my talent.

So I practiced day and night. 🌞 🌚

This probably went on for a week or two.

I would frequent my friend Nasty's place just so we could run through my performance and nail down my flow.

Just so I could put on a great show.

Nasty and I were also a duo at one point called The Totalitarians…

…The Dictator and The Monarch!

Man, those were the days.

I had to try harder than everyone.

On the night of the event, I was nervous.

When the MC called my name.

All hell broke loose.

I can't even remember how I got up on stage in our modest school hall.

Man, the acoustics were terrible. 🔈

The lights were glaring. 🔦

Blinding me.

The sound was echoing off the walls.

Nasty was playing the keyboard.

And there I was rapping to a live rendition of Foxy Brown's timeless collaboration with Blackstreet, Get Me Home Tonight. 🎵

Imagine a quirky self-aware kid on stage as a small crowd cheered me on.

A crowd so small, I'm sure it was mostly just a bunch of my friends.

My die-hard fans.

I was like a deer caught in the headlights.

Trying to stay on beat while all this confusion was going on in my head.

Anyhow, I had an okay performance.

Although, I wrestled with the beat.

Looking back, staying on beat was a construct that I hadn't grasped at the time.

To this day, I'm no Notorious B.I.G…

…but my rhythm has improved drastically since.

I've learned that I can teach my mind whatever I want.

My experience helped me embrace a different role other than that of a rapper.

 A producer, a mentor, a promoter! 🧙🏿‍♂️

And to only drop a verse every now and then.

Kinda like Dr. Dre.

Or like James Cameron, one of my favorite movie directors.

I wasn't always the way I am now.

I never truly believed in my own capabilities.

I 'd always invest time helping somebody else who I thought was better than me or cooler than me.

Sidelining myself and downplaying my own prowess, my genius.

Looking back to that performance.

That night was just one of my many character-building experiences that helped me develop the grit to take a brute force approach to things.

If you can feel it in your gut.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

But do listen to the right people's advice, absorb what resonates with you.

Ultimately, the roads we don't take will forever be lost opportunities.

And we only have one life to live. ❤️

Experience it as yourself.

Fall in love with yourself.

Never sell yourself short like I once did.

Here's one classic output of my work ethic and determination to do the impossible.

To be the impossible.

I recorded my verse myself in my garage studio.

I shot half of the video myself.

Greenscreen work and all those beautiful things 📹

I hope it motivates and inspires you 🥰

Shout out @ees for putting me on.

#music #inspiration #creativity #passion