The first thing that i took out of your last comments was a disgust with taking urinalyses. Without discussing legal matters...if artists themselves believe they cannot be great without illegal intoxicants, why should consumers believe differently? Though it hasnt been proven, the universal belief is that the majority of hip-hop music is purchased by caucasians of middle-to-upper class status. Now, what makes it so impossible for a rapper to relate to them on a PERSONAL level without using a vehicle such as Anger (Eminem) or Struggle (2pac)? This is where 'it' comes in.
Business is important, but isnt the most important thing when it comes to, in effect, selling 'artwork'. The thing thats most important, especially when you are attempting to relate to others, is to embody an 'ideal' that the majority can relate to. With Tupiac, his 'it' was struggle; with Biggie, it was opulence; with Cash Money, it was security/success. Essentially, what i am talking about is a personality trait that 50 years of business experience could NEVER teach you; insight was VERY VERY CLOSE, but not quite. It is a tad bit more specific than that...(hint: 'sight'/eyes/vision/etc. was VERY close!!)
The following is a list of what i think to be the 5 cornerstones of any successful artist: Creativity; Recognition (Memory); Articulance(being well-spoken); Potential (Talent); ? = _____ --- Is it all a load of CRAP?, or does this make sense?
Some artists have 4 of these, but not the fifth; the thumb, the "either", the "or", the ?; Consider this: Here (1), There (2), Everywhere (1&2), Nowhere (not 1 nor 2), and Anywhere (1or2). The first 4 are definate, but the 5th one is uncertain...this is why people who dont have 'it' dont even realize. Also consider: Computers are binary--0 (off) and 1 (on); yet, humans are able to think independantly--again, think 5: one, other, both, neither, either...there is no other possibilities! Now, according to the bible, 7 is the number of completion, yet, using my philosophy, you cannot get 2 more options. Could this possibly explain why religion itself will not EVER be universally acceptable or defined?(Strange shit to think about...it's even more eye-opening if you hear it as i explain it to you in words, right in front of you...)
The summary is like this (allow me to think in abstract terms for a second): artists believe that once they have 4, they'll be complete; however, think about what the fifth element actually means: the unknown! If your album doesnt sell, and you dont know the reason, then chances are, it was because of 'it'! If someone asks you "Did the red dog cross the road?" the answers could be: 1) Yes ("Yes, he did")--if you know for a fact the dog crossed the road.; 2) No ("No, he didnt"--if you know for a fact the dog did not cross the road.; 3) True and False ("He might have")--if you think its possible that the dog crossed the road.; 4) Neither True nor False--The dog is blue, not red.; 5) True or False ("I dont know")--you dont know if he did or didnt.
If that didnt help, think in terms of height (this, that, and, nor, or); for example, "What is Shelly's height?": Tall; Short; Average ("Tall and Short"); Undetermined ("Its open to debate"); I Dont Know ("I havent seen her") -- note the difference between the 4th and 5th.
There's also the concept of amounts, which breaks down like: 100 (and), 75/25 (yes/no), 50 (or), 0 (nor); it breaks down into fifths. (interestingly enough, broken into increments 25, which is 5 x 5 :classic: ); so its like..: To be smart is to know "75"; to be stupid is to know only "25";
BUT, to be "100" (Genius) is to know BOTH how smart AND stupid people think!; To be average is to be "50"; and to be "0" is to know nothing, OR, what
SEEMS TO BE nothing, a.k.a. "it", a.k.a. the unknown, etc... (which explains why some of you think im looney as hell for even typing all this out!!)
Alright, i just shared about 2 years of research with yall.....use it wisely....and seriously, think about that shit: 5 toes; 5 pillars of islam; 5 different 5-sided pyramids that people spent THOUSANDS of years to make, and most died trying! Now, as the 'link' between Africa and Asia, think about the power that Egyptians (2, both, and, all, Africasians, etc!) had back in ancient times...If that doesnt work, stare at your hand for a good 3-5 minutes, and try to figure out why you have 2 eyes, but 5 fingers. Ill leave you with this...
If you're attempting to get past a mountain, you have 5 options: 1) go over it, 2) go under it, 3/and) go through it, 4/nor) go around it, or 5) ....? How the fuck am i supposed to know
