Rough beginnings, rites of passage, or so they say.
I've been on this grind for all of my adult life and all of my teenage life, hell, all of my pre teen life. My. Whole. Life. But during those late teen and early adult years I was introduced to the local Memphis rap/music scene. As a 16 year of kid still in High school I began hitting open mics and putting myself out there to perform. I was the youngest guy on the scene, most if my peers were 28+. Therefore I learned alot, not because the older guys were deliberately teaching me, but because I have a gift of discernment. But before I realized that gift, it was tested. Alot. In these 7 years since I've started taking this serious, I have been in more life threatening situations than I can count on both hands and feet. I'm still here.
Around 2011/2012 I met two other rappers that were more similar to me in age. First I met Preauxx. A hip hop artist that had put in quite a bit of work at the time. His name was buzzin on the scene. I intended for us to link. We did. Things turned sour pretty fast. Barring the useless details of this situation. We went on to continue our grinds on our separate paths. But we always continued to run into each and even do shows together. But we never linked up again. Until 2015 when we decided that we were both being childish and needed to squash any unnecessary drama. Then, he split, dramatically from his long time crew/label. He moved out to Atlanta and Boom. Then we started making some crazy moves.
Shortly after I met Preauxx in 2011/2012 I met another rapper, Ray Rebel from Harlem, with southern roots. We vibed with each from the jump. We just had different circumstances, but also very much the same. Specifically we had no good older energies around us, who wanted to hold us back. We went our separate ways. Ray Rebel had already made a name for himself in Memphis. He moved to Atlanta in 2014 to build. Shit got rough, because some of those same negative energies were still around. Long story short, he cut those off and got back to the basics. And started making moves.
2016, this is my first A3C and I come in the door on an official level. Matter fact, I has two official showcases with Stankonia and Swisher Sweets. It was only right that I linked up with Preauxx and Ray Rebel in Atlanta. That link up has made us all come to a realization, we really had been through a lot of shit on this grind. We were the young niggas on the scene and we built our brands big enough for them to be recognized in different cities and states across the country. But we also realized that we are STILL on it and ain't quit. Many rappers have come and gone in these last 5 years. We ain't gone no where.
The struggle to keep grinding. (An Official A3C artist)
Guys, I have been on the go so much, I have not had the time to stop and be grateful for the successes and advances in my career. I have come such a long way on this journey, sometimes I take for granted how far I have actually come.
Guys, I have been on the go so much, I have not had the time to stop and be grateful for the successes and advances in my career. I have came such a long way on this journey, sometimes I take it for granted, because I am struggling to "Keep Grinding."
The other day, I had a conversation with my good friend and fellow artist, Alfred Banks. We were talking about how people always want to tell you to "keep grinding" after you have accomplished something great. This may not seem like a big deal, but to an indie artist or any entrepreneur I am telling you, it is! "Keep grinding" assumes that you are sitting at the top watching us climb up an never-ending ladder, "Keep grinding" says, this wasn't impressive, keep grinding says you need to do more (that maybe true, but unless you are helping, hersh!). As a person that has been grinding towards my dreams since I was 9 years old, trust me, you don't have to tell me to keep grinding. That's not motivational. Here's a better way to encourage us:
“Hey man, that is a huge thing you’ve accomplished there, looking forward to seeing more from you”
Dude, looks like all your hard work is paying off.
Congratulations!
I am proud of you.
”
I will keep grinding guys, but I also want to sit the fuck down and be thankful for things like this:
A3C has been my dream for at least the past 4 years, and NOW it is a reality. Thanks to my fans who know that I will always "keep grinding", I won this years first A3C fan-challenge . This will be an amazing journey. Stay tuned for what happens next in ATL.
More on A3C:
A3C Festival & Conference
October 5th - 9th, 2016 | Atlanta, GA
A3C [All 3 Coasts] Festival & Conference is the preeminent Hip-Hop event in the US, commonly referred to as, “Hip-Hop’s family reunion.”
Empowering, inspiring and educating those that shape Hip-Hop culture for 12 years.
““Luv to the team at A3C for givin artists a platform to be heard and build their craft!!”
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“The festival offers something for every hip-hop fan, transcending generations and geography and welcoming both the trappers and the backpackers.”
“Top 12 ‘Must-Attend’ U.S. Music Festival”
Diddy, NPR and The Grammys think its a big deal, because they too, know the struggle to keep grinding. It's hard when you have dedicated your life to something and the only thing people see is a measly accolade, these moments mean way more than a Facebook post. They are a manifestation of the hard work already been put in.