A Story of Two Storytellers....

Last week, I wrote a small piece about the upcoming Diamond Supply Co. x Black Scale collaboration. It got me thinking about the pros and cons of "keeping it real" and risking never making it big vs. making it big at the cost of "selling out". It's something that I think about quite often, not only as I consider my own future plans, but also just observing interactions in society; the analogy transfers over on so many levels.

There are more A-Rods than there are Cal Ripkens. There are more Garnetts than there are John Stocktons. There are more Black Eyed Peas than there are Mos Defs. There are more LRGs than there are Crooks and Castles or 10 Deeps. All are successful in their own right. At the same time, not only did they take different paths to get there, but the "success" they have attained is different. It brings about the question, How would you define success and is the end result more important than the path?

Whether you listen to rap music or not, it's very likely that you are familiar with hip-hop hero, Lupe Fiasco. There is no denying his stardom or his talent. Like Neo, outlasting the "chosen ones" before him (read: Kanye West), many would argue that he is the best rapper out right now, if not among the greatest of all time. I can honestly say that he was probably my favorite rapper; was, until I read this interview from Complex.

It is a know fact that Lupe Fiasco doesn't like to do mixtapes(1). He says in the interview he feels it "cheapens you as an artist." I understand that oversaturation hurts value. But if you're doing it because you just love doing it, how can you call it "cheap"? He says he loves the music more than he loves the music business, yet he opts not to make music for the public, instead choosing to fight it out with the labels as to when/what gets released. He went so far as saying he didn't care if Lasers, his long-delayed upcoming album, never came out.

The interview wraps up with Lupe stating that he feels he's already successful; that he's "good". He is so proud of his accomplishments up to this point that it seems he is just content. Lupe felt a sense of accomplishment when Jay-Z said told him he was "nice(2)." Since Lupe has attained his success in his mind, he stopped moving forward on the path that actually got him there.

On the other face of hip-hop's coin, we have Wiz Khalifa. I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of him yet, but as his most recent album's title (Deal or No Deal) clearly suggests, he's going to be making music with or without a major record label backing him. In fact, in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wiz expounds on his thoughts regarding his success thus far, even after his split with major label Warner Bros.:

"I built that from the ground up," he said proudly. "There are artists with major record deals that are on TV that don't have that many followers [on Twitter], so I really feel like me just grinding, working hard, staying at it, giving people what they like, has helped me be successful..."

Building something from the ground up. Love him or not, you have to respect that. The thing that I love the most about his story is that it's not just words from him -Wiz Khalifa declined Drake's offer to tour. Wiz mentions in the interview with XXL Magazine that in order for him to maintain what he's built up to this point, he has to focus on what it is and what he is doing. You get a genuine sense from those two pieces that Wiz is a very genuine person. He doesn't say anything contradictory, nor is he overly egotistical.

Given, Wiz hasn't seen success like Lupe has. It's impossible to say how you'd act when you actually get there. Lupe has built a very respectable resume in a fairly short amount of time. But even on the journey there, it is obvious that Wiz Khalifa has both a clear path, clear goals and a clear motivation. Though passing up on an opportunity like touring with hip-pop (not a typo) megastar Drake is certainly not a positive financial move, Wiz chose to forgo the immediate cash inflow in order to maintain what he's worked so hard to build.

While artists like Wiz Khalifa, Wale and Kid Cudi (of the much hyped "freshman class") put out mixtape after mixtape, their albums have yet to shatter any sales records. Despite this, their shows are sold out and their fanbases are loyal, huge and growing rapidly. If you do it for the love and you do it for the fans, there is nothing cheap about it. To say otherwise would be insulting. I would argue that artists who value creating and just having their work out there higher than they value things like exclusivity and proper releases are more respected in their corresponding communities and more deeply loved by their fans -and this isn't just for music.

Taking it back to the original question, I think that people's definitions of success will always differ. Some will value championships more than they value loyalty to a certain team, and that is their prerogative. Others choose loyalty to their core fans over money and fame. There is nothing wrong with that. In any case, success never involves being idle, quitting or giving up.

Success is a goal, it's not a destination; you can't stop once you get there. But if you make goals and never stop working towards them, you are already successful.


{currently in the speakers: Wiz Khalifa - This Plane ...Taylor Gang or just quit.}
-link advisory: lyrics

(1) Mixtapes are a compilation of underground tracks, varying from remixes to originals. Though they may contain recordings from release albums, they are not official releases from the labels. Often, mixtapes can be downloaded from the internet and are given away free by artists and DJs.
(2) In slang, when used in this context, nice means more than nice. It is an understated high praise compliment that can range from highly talented to very well done.