J Hova, Jigga, Jay-Z, Sean Carter is truly the poster child for success in our Hip Hop community literally going from nothing to something as Jay-Z put it “From Marcy to Madison Square To the only thing that matters in just a matter of years (yeah) As fate would have it, Jay’s status appears”. – Encore, Black Album, 2003
For those that don’t know Marcy projects is the housing projects that Jay-Z was raised in in Brooklyn NY, to a single mother. Maneuvering his way from a street hustler to a certified BILLIONAIRE and marrying the Queen Beyonce. How did he do it? Well 2 things he said you MUST have:
PATIENCE & PERSISTANCE
This makes me think of one of the most interesting trees, the bamboo tree. A Chinese bamboo tree takes five years to grow. It has to be watered and fertilized in the ground where it has been planted every day. It doesn’t break through the ground for five years. After five years, once it breaks through the ground, it will grow 90 feet tall in five weeks.
If that’s not the epitome of patience and persistence, I don’t know what it is. Think about your music career, artistry, DJing, or any other endeavor you are undertaking in this context. What does it mean, that means you have to keep practicing, networking, building, learning, and sometimes it may feel like you are making no progress, but guess what? You are, but if you listen to the naysayers and negatrons who are probably looking at your Bamboo tree like.. “are you crazy, what are you watering? What are you doing it’s nothing there? You are watering NOTHING”. The whole time you are persistently mastering your craft.
Definitely listen to the Jay-Z collaboration above on success, and remember it’s healthy to listen to something positive every day. Think about it an hour a day between your shower and your car over the course of 365 days of listening and learning is more than the 120 hours required for a bachelor’s degree!
