God has a plan for you
And all you’ve got to do is believe, believe, believe
J. Cole – h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e
Man, J. Cole is arguably one of the most conscious rappers out there. There are many reasons why he’s so highly regarded alongside the likes of Kendrick. They didn’t just pioneer a different era of rap but they create music that hardly anyone else can match. And it’s not as if they changed from when they first started. If you go back to their mixtape days, you can see that they are the same people in essence. They discuss the same subjects but from different perspectives. They stuck to their original purpose. Apparently, money and fame change you, but in reality, as Benny The Butcher puts it:
“Money don’t make you solid, it just make you ten times more
Of the person you are before you got it”
Benny The Butcher – Legend
Cole has been real with us – his audience – from the beginning. And what I appreciate is that he didn’t forget. He didn’t forget the struggle, he didn’t forget where he came from, he didn’t forget what it’s like to be at the bottom, struggling, grinding, hustling. I mean, how would you be able to relate to your audience if you did? The struggle doesn’t stop, it just changes form. It’s like energy – it can’t be made or destroyed, it’s just converted into something else.
This reminds me of a JAY-Z bar from GOD DID where he says:
“You see the face I made that night, sh*t is that shockin’
Odds wasn’t great, we’d even be alive
Gotta be crazy to y’all ni**as, we surprised
Sh*t is too much how we grew up
Sh*t don’t even feel real to us”
JAY-Z – GOD DID
The struggle was so deep, so hopeless, that even now, sitting on millions upon millions, it still doesn’t feel real. This is what makes great rappers great. They know what it’s like, they’ve been there and they’ve done that. And now every move they make from the art they create to the deals they sign is with the mentality of “I know what the struggle is, I’m not trying to go back there”. A lot of times they also give back to their people, whether it’s physically through donations and projects in their local neighbourhoods or simply the game they drop in their music, which reminds me of another JAY-Z bar from The Story of O.J. where he says:
“I’m tryin’ to give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99”
JAY-Z – The Story of O.J.
We learn from these people in a way that applies to us, after all, they came from backgrounds similar to us or worse. So when JAY-Z tells me he’s giving me a million dollars worth of game for 9.99, I’m listening. When J. Cole tells me that sh*t’s gonna get hard it’s because he’s been there. But he gives us the solution too, he tells us to keep our heads strong.
Sh*t gon’ get hard, keep your head strong
If I quit now, then I’m dead wrong
J. Cole – h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e
It’s easier said than done. There are countless influences that can change the way we think. Heck, we could just wake up one morning feeling a little more tired or groggier than usual and think “yeah bun this I’m done”. We’re fragile. But we have to keep our heads strong. I remember watching an interview with Zlatan in which he says:
“Do not offend me, I don’t need to prove nothing. I believe so much in myself and I have a bulletproof mind. And when I go out there I know what I am able to do, and I do it good. I have a vision, I have my confidence, and I believe in myself. People call it arrogant, I call it confidence.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
How would you ever be able to break such a person? That’s what we should aim for, that’s what we’re told by the people who have already been there and done it. We could learn this ourselves through trial and error, and one who learns from their mistakes or shortcomings is bound to grow. But the one who can learn from others? Now that is a wise individual.
Fightin’ off this hunger for hours
Big stepper, ni**a, don’t get stepped on
J. Cole – h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e
Cole further says that if he quits now he would be dead wrong. The vision is clear. The ability is there. He’s hungry for something. He’s moving like a big stepper, warning people in his way that he’ll step all over them if they try to stop him. (For context, a big stepper is typically defined as someone who is a slightly selfish overachiever usually unwilling to negotiate when trying to “get the job done”)
The money might fade, but respect don’t
Still gon’ be me when success gone
J. Cole – h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e
Most people think that the goal is money. Yes, money is great and it helps lower your level of unhappiness which is not in direct correlation with happiness as it’s often confused to be. But Cole tells us that even if money fades away, respect doesn’t. Even if this notion of “success” that is directly linked to one’s net worth suddenly disappears, he’ll still be who he is.
The point Cole is making is that as long as your purpose is solid and you’re doing what you do for a cause greater than financial gain, you’re going to be remembered for who you are. Your identity isn’t defined by your net worth or the amount of money you make but by the purpose you serve. If your net worth increases as a consequence then sure, that’s great. But if it’s the be-all-end-all for your purpose in life then you won’t get far.
I don’t speak the language of cowards
I walk through the flame like I’m Teflon
J. Cole – h u n g e r . o n . h i l l s i d e
Cowardice is defined as a lack of courage or firmness of purpose according to Merriam-Webster. I think the latter is a more fitting definition for the context of this article. A lack of firmness of purpose is what drives most people to fail more than anything else. If you aren’t firm in your purpose then you’re already a coward. That very same firmness in purpose is what covers us in Teflon-like material to withstand and move through the flames of failure and rejection.
While money is a large indicator of success for most, J. Cole reminds us that it isn’t the only thing, in fact, it probably isn’t even that important. Of course, there’s a fine balance between having enough money to live comfortably and being able to live your purpose but as someone very dear to me put it –
“Your time isn’t wasted when you follow your purpose, nor do you lose income”
The question then is: What is your purpose?
Does it transcend the superficiality of money and fame? Are we firmly on whatever it is? These questions are for each one of us to figure out individually.
I ask The Almighty to grant us all firmness in our purpose. And for those of us who are yet to find their purpose, or rather to realise their purpose (apparently we discover our purpose by the late teens), I ask The Almighty to allow us to realise it.
I conclude this piece by asking The Almighty to grant us the optimal balance between living our purpose and having enough money not to need to worry about survival.
#HoodIntellectuals