STAY A STUDENT OF THE CULTURE - STAY HUNGRY FOR MORE
Before (Rapper's Delight) Hip Hop was just cultural and there were rules. If you were
"Down by law" you had a certain immunity within the community, the community trusted you.
The community wanted you to rise and to represent them because you lived according to the one rule in Hip Hop - RESPECT.
RESPECT
Respect leads to credibility and to authenticity. I am real.
But this branch of buisness established and for many years there was a fight.
Corporate vs. Cultural.
Are you in this for the money (Rappers) or are you in this for the love of the community (MCs)?
And neither of them is wrong.
Both determine who you are as a person.
Either you merely use rap to earn some money or you are a part of the culture and you turn the communitie's struggles into lyrics.
The MC tells you what is already on your mind. The rapper tells you what is on his or her mind.
It is your choice.
CHANGE
Something changed in the past 10 years. You guys are trying to get closer to reality while we back then wanted the facade.
See revolutionaries, when did you win your fight? A lot of revolutionaries fight until their enemy is gone but they keep stabbing air.
The desire for something real has grown that now people who remain on their principles are interesting for the buisness.
The cultural side has won.
NOT HOW IT WAS
Now the CEOs of buisnesses are the ones that grew up on Public enemy, on KRS. It is no longer how it was when I wrote Criminal Minded it is no longer us vs. them. Now it is us against us.
Every revolutionary tell you "We faught against the system." and then they became it. The same beast we were fighting against, we became that beast.
The new paradigm is understanding culture, why these people are so real, it means outgrowing prejudice (on both sites). When a company has a reputation of being real, they establish trust and can sell their products better.
Being able to look past a persons appaerance and and having a conversation to find out who that person really is - is your greatest asset. The young white woman is not ignorant any more, the young black woman is not disorganized any more, there are some well educated people who don't look like they are.
Stop fighting against buisnesses like the enemy they once were, you are stabbing air.
Now it is time for you to collect your spoils, it is time for you to reap your harvest. Reap your harvest!
It is not all about the money but there is nothing wrong with earning money.
Money does buy happiness.
Money does not buy joy.
Happiness is temporary, joy is ever lasting.
Happiness is your temporary security and then it goes away.
Well, that is the money trail.
Validating each other costs nothing.
And because the mainstream considered us wack, we were telling each other "Yo, you hot".
You can validate your partners self expression, his lyrics.
If you do not validate your friends it is you that remains in poverty.
You could take your clothes from today and frame them, make them a document, give them some value.
Why am I KRS One? Because I believe I am.