DON'T BE FIRST. JUST LAST.

Ricky Bobby said it best. If you’re not first you’re last. Funny and cool quote but here’s what I’ve discovered over the past few years. 

People usually don’t care about the race unless they receive attention. If no one is watching the race they do not care about the race at all. They will stop participating. There’s individuals who run the race with nothing to prove and don’t care if there is 0 or 100 people watching and there’s individuals who will only care if people are watching. 

What if I started running a marathon where a marathon has never been completed and finished the marathon and after seeing me finish the marathon another person takes it a step further and creates a documentary about it? A full documentary leading up to the marathon showing their training, diet, struggles, and filming the entire marathon on a body cam. They post it to YouTube and it goes viral and they achieve massive success. I see this and jump on the internet attempt to remind people that I completed the marathon first. 

I would have never gave a fuck if that person completed that marathon after me received no attention but since they received attention for doing so I must remind people of who did it first. It’s not about the marathon. It’s about the attention. It’s about who is watching. 

Even though it’s the truth I completed this marathon first, no one cares. 

No one cares if you did something first if something more flame and different came after it. Who created the couch? I have no fucking clue but I’m not going to search for the first couch invented and worship it. Better couches are now accessible to me. The fuck I care about the first couch for? Thank you for inventing it but cooler and better couches have come after it. If we cared about everything that was done first there wouldn’t be any improvement in anything. No growth. 

For example I love St.Louis. Made me who I am but there are 2 things that are weird in regards to this subject. 

One, claiming everything. We claim shit that we know damn well we didn’t invent. It’s okay to not be the first to do shit and statistically it’s for the best not to be the first because like clockwork someone sees it and remixes it and makes a better version of it and just like that the original doesn’t matter. Only people stuck in the past talk about what they did first or invented first. You’re supposed to be evolving but instead I see a lot of internet paragraphs. Let’s say somebody gives us credit on something we invented. What’s next? I’ll tell you what’s next. Nothing. The public will not care and you wasted energy on something that doesn’t mean anything. 

I get caught up in it too. I’m sure I’ve said I’ve done something first or made something popular but no one cares. The most you’ll get is a “That’s wassup” or “Cool story” and life goes on. If you’re hanging onto what you did first, you’re starving and you have an inability to adapt. You didn’t care until you seen the attention you didn’t receive. 

Two. Claiming everyone steals from us and our culture here. I call a spade a spade. If somebody creatively steal shit from us I speak up but there’s a difference in someone stealing and someone trying to play you. I see people try to finesse the city and try to play us but steal how we talk, move I don’t see it as often as people say it occurs. It’s delusion at this point. I’m not saying people haven’t stolen things from us but are we just going to complain or are we going to boss up? I just started moving with the mindset of if you steal my wave you gotta catch up because I already switched the style up and the shit you stole ain’t it no more. You’re behind. You’re too late. 

Here’s the real point and what this behavior is rooted in. I see an underlying issue and it’s our constant seeking of respect and approval from outside places and people. I’ve seen adults act thirsty as fuck in person and act thirsty on the internet just because of somebody from another city doing okay for themselves. Why? For a co-sign? A co-sign is just a glorified opinion. Nothing more. Look at it this way. Did people listen to Memphis Bleek because Jay-Z told people he was going to be the next big rapper? No they did not. Some of you reading this never listened to a Memphis Bleek album in your life. This is in no way me trying to disrespect Bleek in anyway. I like Bleek but he had the greatest rapper of all time co-sign him and didn’t come close to his career. So what does that tell you? It’s always on you to do the work. Look at Solange.

Some people may not be old enough to remember this but early in Solange career the way she was marketed was always connected to Beyonce. Shocking right? They’re sisters and Beyonce at the time was in one of the biggest groups in the world. The obvious thing to do is to leverage that into Solange and make her a star too. There were rumors of Solange even being in Destiny’s Child. None of that worked for Solange. Just because it’s the obvious route doesn’t mean it’s the right route. Solange is a really great writer. In my opinion that’s her strength that separates her from her sister. Once she got away from trying to be a pop star that’s when she started making her best music and gaining an organic fan base. The co-sign didn’t do anything for her. She had every resource and connection possible and she didn’t have that breakthrough album. Once she started tapping into what interests her and what she’s truly passionate about she created “A Seat At The Table.” Look at her now. One of the biggest artists in the world.

In the end it was up to Solange. Not the co-sign. Not the resources. Not the connections. You can have all of those things and still create trash. There’s people out there now created mid with every resource at their disposal. Is it frustrating for creatives who don’t have those same blessings. Of course and rightfully so. Just stay the course though. What you’re creating is authentic and evolving naturally. You gotta do you and let the universe handle the details.

I understand people trying to hit the jackpot with their passion. I get it but it’s going to come down to the people discovering you on their own. It always does. I’m not saying Drake retweeting something I did wouldn’t give me a boost but it wouldn’t be sustained or consistent. That’s going to depend on my work. If you’re good, people will find you. Just focus on the idea you have and focus on growing that idea as authentically as possible. 

As a regular person that isn’t famous, asking celebs or successful people for a co sign or attention is asking for a handout. I will argue that all day. Just create.

Could be my ego but I can blame STL instilling this in me too. I don’t care who next to me, how famous they are or what they’ve built. I’m me. I’m not better than anyone. I’m just me and I refuse to not be grounded in who I am because some person from New York is here and they work at some fashion company. I’m not about to fight for their respect or kiss their ass. I know what I’m capable of and I know I got that ZaZa too. If we link it’s meant to be. If we don’t then it wasn’t in the cards for the moment. I’m not about deviate from what I create or stray away from what makes me who I am to get outsiders attention. 

It frustrates me when I see us (STL) accept the lil bow wow role by not standing firm on who we are. We’re special too. I know you from “Insert cool city here” but we us. I respect what you’ve done but we us with or without your respect. Creating to earn respect goes against what makes artistry organic. I don’t need your respect because with or without your respect the work will stand on it’s own and have it’s own identity. 

It don’t matter what was done first. It’s about longevity. Let’s talk about now. Don’t matter who was in the game first. Just last.

Peace