Alright… welcome to the new blog, yall. I’m going to start this off by talk’n to the struggling artists out there. Now… I don’t really watch TV as much as I really want to. I’m just way too busy most of the time to sit and watch. I probably get in a good hour of TV time a week. Anyway, last year I watched an episode of American Idol. There was a kid that walked in and sang for the judges… and as usual, the judges hated it. Paula tried to be nice while giving him a thumbs-down and Simon really went in on him. Like many before him, he started to cry and argue with the judges. After he was told to leave, he busted his way through the door and hugged his mother who was waiting for his results along side Ryan Seacrest. In between his deep breaths of crying, he yelled at the camera.

“THOSE JUDGES DON’T KNOW ANYTHING! I’M GOING TO BE FAMOUS! THEY’RE ALL WRONG! EVERYONE’S GOING TO BE SORRY! I’M GOING TO BE RICH AND FAMOUS AND EVERYONE WILL LOVE ME AND I’M NOT GOING TO TALK TO ANY OF YOU LITTLE PEOPLE! I’M GOING TO HAVE A MANSION AND TONS OF CARS!”

While he was yelling, his mother consoled him by saying, “It’s okay, honey. You’re going to be rich and famous.”

As I listened to this guy, two thoughts came to my mind. “Shut the fuck up.” and “Fuck you.”

Now, I realize that sounds kind of fucked up, but let me explain. You see, there’s a lot of people out there that do shit for the wrong reason. This guy’s only goal as a musician was to have a ton of money. As musicians, isn’t our MAIN GOAL to make the BEST MUSIC we can? I feel that our main goal is to make them motherfuck’n speakers bleed… To bring fire the best way we know how. Not once did that guy talk about how he’s going to work harder, or how he was going to hire a vocal coach, or say he was going to come back to American Idol more prepared to sing with more passion… he just yelled about how rich he was going to be and how everyone was going to be sorry.

I’ve been making music for a while now. Time to time, I run into rich folks. I’m not talking about people that were blessed with trust funds (although I’ve ran into some of them too). I’m talking about folks that started with nothing, worked hard and went on to make millions. Out of all the advice that they gave me, there were two things that stood as a common denominator between all of them: 1. Do what you truly love to do and do it with passion. 2. Money is just an extra blessing. Basically, don’t worry about the money, money will come. Just focus all your energy into working the hardest you can and having fun doing it. Look at the work ethics of everyone we all look up to. Eminem works hard. Dr. Dre works hard. Jay-Z doesn’t sleep. Timbaland, Puffy, Donald Trump, Oprah, Bill Gates,  Obama… The list goes on and on.

Just recently, I met a another rapper at a show in Los Angeles and he seemed frustrated as hell. He kept asking, “Why doesn’t anyone like my music?! What am I doing wrong?!” I told him, “Motherfucker, you ain’t doing anything wrong… Your music is too deep for them to understand, bruh.” He paused for what seemed like 10 minutes. Then he said, “I’m gett’n tapped out… Booda, man, what keeps you going? I mean, it’s not like you’re signed yet. Why do you stay doing this?” I told him to wait for a second. I went to the bar, grabbed three orders of Jack on the Rocks, went back to where he and his boys were, leaned on the rail, handed him one of the drinks and explained myself to him:

You see, everyday I wake up, the first thought in my mind is how grateful I am to have another day to push my music forward. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I’m not thinking about the naked still-drunk-snoring-chick that I just met laying beside me with slutty lipstick on… I think about music… and when I think about music in the middle of the night, every bone in my body feels like they have gotten hit by lightning. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. I just have to be true to myself and make the kind of music I like to make. I might not be the best rapper alive, but I’m the best BabyBooda alive. Who can be me better than me? I was put in this world to do my part. Homie, if you cut my throat, musical notes would come gushing out and pool on the floor. It’s deeper than fame… Deeper than money. Music is who I am. It’s what I do. If the money’s slow, I’d take on 2 full time jobs plus a part time just to support my music habit. Why do I do this?

Simple… it’s because I have to.

To all of you struggling artists out there feeling down… yall have to cut that shit out. Remember, you’re worth more than all the hate that these fuck boys are throwing your way. All your life they’ve been telling you that you were a piece of shit and that you weren’t ever going to amount to anything. Fuck them. Fuck them all. Just keep your mind on your work and remember that everyone has to struggle first. Jay-Z had to struggle… that man is from Marcy Projects. 50 Cent was living with his grandparents and thankfully survived after getting shot. Snoop was bang’n in Long Beach. Tupac grew up bouncing from one block to the next. I don’t have to tell you how hard Eminem had it. If the recession turns into a depression, and there’s no more money in the music business, you and I both know you’re still going to make music. It’s what you were put here to do. It’s you that keeps Hip Hop alive. Most of us are still on the block struggling to make it through. You go against all odds for this shit…. why?

Simple… it’s because you have to.

Play your part, pimp’n… it’s keep’n Hip Hop alive.

I appreciate yall dropping by the new blog. May music and money rain down on all of us ’till we drown!

BOODA