10 THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM NIPSEY HUSSLE
This actually a part 2 article. I did something similar about Nipsey in 2016 when my blog first started but so much has changed since then. I watched Nipsey Hussle's Rap Radar interview a few days ago and here's what we can take from that interview. We gone get straight to it. No long intro needed. You already know the legend.
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Generate Value
It’s difficult to have any leverage or negotiate if what you bring to the table has no value. Creating value for your brand is one of the most important aspects of negotiation. The price you name won’t sound crazy to the person you’re trying to sell to if they feel the value is there. Like beauty, value is in the mind of the beholder. I can never tell someone what I think their brand is worth but I can tell someone if I’m willing to invest in it or not. Nipsey had a price when the offers were offered. They knew his price and they didn’t meet that price so Nipsey didn’t take it personal. He went back to the grind and improved his brand even more and then when it negotiating time again there was little room for debate on the labels end. The value Nipsey and his team created was undeniable. The empire was bigger and more influential. Value is everything.
Patience
I’m just assuming here but I assume the deals that Nipsey was offered weren’t too far off his demanded number. Now any normal individual would’ve taken the next best offer and called it a day. Nipsey didn’t. I think it’s important to learn how key his patience was during that process. We’re talking years of patience and he never wavered on what he wanted. He didn’t compromise. Taking the next best offer is the more comfortable and safe option. Nipsey had faith in what he was continuing to build and he stayed patient. The same can be said about his debut album “Victory Lap.” I was one of the people saying the album was Detox status. I’ve been waiting on a debut album from Nipsey since “South Central State Of Mind” was announced. Nipsey didn’t listen to none us. He could’ve rushed the project and put it out independently but he didn’t. He stayed on his course and stayed patient and waited to release it on a bigger platform. As creatives fall in love with taking your time and being patient.
Why are you different? (We not the same)
"Rap Niggas" is such a dope record cause you really feel that Nipsey nothing like these niggas in the industry and outside of the song you could see it because of how he moves. The bozo shit industry niggas be on is weird and Nipsey name never attached to it. That just makes the record hit harder because you know it’s true. Show the world why you different and you not here to be compared to anybody out here. Yeah we may do the same shit like writing but I’m nothing like you. It’s important to get comfortable in your lane and bag. It separates you from the group.
No Fake Industry Shit
If I don’t feel shit then I’m not doing it. I don’t give a fuck what the rules are or the standards are for the profession I’m in. I don’t need to be at every event. I don’t need to write about what everybody else write about. I don’t need to link with this or that person to get ahead. I do what the fuck I want. I do not kiss ass. I don’t play the game majority of other people play. You know how sickening it is to see people who know they don’t like each other smiling in each other faces on some fraud shit? It nauseating. Niggas literally alter their ethics and code and jump from clique to clique just to be apart of shit. All $ In never did shit like that and it’s why I respect the company. Fuck that popularity shit. The people that chase that shit would cross they momma for a taste of it. Stay focused on your brand and what the fuck you doing. That fake industry scene shit not worth it.
Steal Like An Artist (Steal Advice and do it right away)
No idea original. There’s nothing new under the sun. In a interview (I forget which one) Nipsey was asked where he gets his advice from and he said he steals it and executes it. Every great in the history of the world has done this. They take advice or a blueprint and put their sauce on it. He did the same when he released “Crenshaw.” The $100 mixtape idea came from a Philly cheesesteak restaurant in Philadelphia. He learned this from the book “Contagious” by Jonah Berger. Nipsey took the idea and applied it to the music industry and it had the same effect. Some people thought he was crazy and some people were willing to pay that $100. He said he also closed the book immediately after he saw the $100 cheesesteak idea and got started on applying it to his music. He started immediately. Stop sitting on ideas and get started now. Like Nipsey said on Status Symbol “My niggas act on instinct we don’t ever think.”
Ownership
Nipsey Hussle is the best rapper on earth to me because of the ownership factor. All these other rappers are chasing these imaginary thrones and crowns. It’s silly to me. These rappers don’t own shit but slaving to own some shit that doesn’t exist. What good is it to be the best in the game and you don’t own your raps? How niggas making more money off your merchandise and they ain’t rapped one verse? Fuck that competition shit and own something. Partnerships or nothing at all.
Routine
In the rap radar interview Nipsey actually revealed he has a routine. He goes to sleep at midnight and wakes up a 6am to workout everyday. I never thought he had a routine since I figured rappers usually all spend crazy hours in the studio but then again he owns his own studio space so it’s easier for him to manage because he can come and go whenever he wants. Having a routine super underrated. I get up early even on my off days and it’s made my work easier because I get so much done in a day because I’ve given myself more time to work on things. Routines for 2018.
Team Different
Everybody on Nipsey team knows their roles and they’re focused. We don’t ever hear anything about them because the spotlight is not on them. Them niggas just work. Shit I didn’t see Nipsey brother until like a year or two ago and I heard his name for 8 plus years so that shows you how focused his team is. Typical teams usually full of niggas free loading trying to ride the most creative nigga wave and use that nigga name to get hoes, access to exclusive shit and free shit. Like I said before niggas want to look cool they don’t wanna contribute shit or help build anything. They try to join with your team after you went through the struggle to build your shit. They wanna reap the benefits off the work you put in. Be sure to surround yourself with people who have character and won’t sell their loyalty like a prostitute. Nipsey showed how valuable his team was and how loyal he was by declining the deal with Rick Ross. As he stated he knew it would be a good look for himself but it was a conflict of interest when it came to the vision he and his team were building on. Make sure your team different.
Time To Grow/Invest in the goal (Reach a goal move on)
In the rap radar interview there was a part where Nipsey explained his hoodstar days where he had a Lincoln on Alpina’s and he kind of felt he was successful and he basically thought “What else could I do?” He ended up selling his car and buying studio equipment and focusing on music full time. I think he probably felt that there was more to life than what he was doing and said “Fuck It” and took a gamble and invested in his goal. It was time to grow. What I also learned from that interview is once Nipsey reaches a goal he moves on and create new ones but he regrets not making his goals bigger. I think everyone should make a goal that feels unattainable because then you can play forever. Like owning a part of a sports franchise or like owning 10-15 stores.
Do I have business here?
First thing I ask myself when I’m invited to an event or think about going to an event is “Do I have business here?” If I don’t have business or nothing to contribute then I’m not going. I just don’t care to hang out for the sake of hanging out. As Nipsey stated “If he doesn’t have anything to promote or business to handle then he doesn’t need to be there.
Peace. Check out our podcast "Polite Coolery" and Nipsey Rap Radar interview below.
