What's in My Pockets My room in Northbrook
I just got back home from Bloomington for Spring Break and since I just started blogging a couple days ago, I figure I'd bring you back a couple weeks:
So I just had a great first day in the Big Apple... We met with Universal SRC and Mo-Town and we'll meet with the rest of the major labels
tomorrow or the next day. I'm chillin' in the W hotel room when I realized I just left my cell phone in a cab. I make a $44.30 hotel phone call (which I got my money back, fuck yeah... who do they think they are charging forty bucks for a five minute phone call?) to the New York 4-1-1 or whateverrrr. Vince (my producer) gets a call on his cell phone that a woman found my phone so we arrange to meet up for it the next day. There's only one reason I'm telling this story: the girl that left work to give me my cell phone was mad sexy -- definitely going to meet back up with her next time I'm in NY -- think she'll see this by then?
By the way, that hotel is dope; the fruit cider that comes out of the water jug is ridiculousssssly good ! If you ever get a chance, just run up to the lobby and grab some. I promise you won't regret it. Don't tell the W I sent you though!
So I'm back chillin' in the room with Vince and DJ Boogie Boy of B96 who helped put the whole trip together and get word that we're about to make a move over to the other side of town. On this special night, Boogie decided to introduce me to his Heavy-Hitter brother, the emperor of the HOT 97 traffic hour, DJ Enuff. It was an honor for me because in the eight years that Boogie's known Enuff he's never brought an artist or song to him... EVER! So for that opportunity Boogs, thank you.
Not only was I lucky enough to receive an introduction, but we also had the pleasure of sharing a great Italian dinner with him. So after dinner, we're back at Enuff's crib. He hears my records out and asks me who I am? What kind of person am I? And who do I wanna be?
The first thing that came to my mind was the greatest artist in the world. It's weird cuz I think about stuff like that so much, but the way it was phrased just put me on the spot. Not that there is a correct answer, but since then, the question has been on my mind. So if I could go back, here's how I would answer it:
The three most important priorities in life are
my family, my music, and my future. Thanks to my mentor, Tatiana Kolovou of Indiana University, I understand that these three priorities translate respectively to relationships, creativity, and vision. With every person I meet, I have a goal to establish the first and use the second to create the third in order to then, execute. While execution might be the most important, it rarely if ever happens successfully without the first three.
Over time, family has become more important to me. I guess when you do something the world disapproves of: aka a white kid becoming a rapper -- you see who is really there to support you.
My music is important to me because it's my creativity speaking. It's my voice. It's my life. It's what I live for everyday -- like why do you wake up? I wake up to make music. In fact, I love music so much that my #1 passion as well as previous success being business was overshadowed - I just jumped right in!
The music I create is universal: I'm a college kid who spent much of his time growing up chasing autographs in the city but originates from the suburbs. Now, I live half the time at school, half in the burbs, but most of the time that I'm home I'm in the city recording at Slang -- so... I feel like I'm part of all three in a sense -- and can relate with a lot of people because of that.
People can interpret making music for the general population however they want... yes... Pop music. You can judge, but in Hip-Hop 101 I'm pretty sure Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc were trying to get as many people to listen to them as possible... In fact, that sense of competition, seemed to stir hip-hop whether it was DJ'ing or breakdancing or rapping (MC'inggggg, ya dig) didn't it? What's different today?
For the past few years, I've realized hip-hop is empty. Tupac and Biggie ring in our ears... still. And most of today's stuff... well, just doesn't -- not the same way at least. But when artists come out with new music that sounds like Pac or Big's era, it doesn't feel the same way either. On this special trip, I think I might have found the answer.
The day after Enuff, one of the A&R’s at Interscope who has worked on projects for Eminem and 50 Cent enlightened me when he said, ‘hip-hop isn’t what it used to be… the guns, killings, money, bitches. That was so 10 years ago. A lot of people in the hoods got their kids in school and made better lives for themselves and their families. The demographic of people buying those old hip-hop records isn't there anymore. Burbetto – I get it -- This could be the next big thing…”
As far as my future, I don't know what it holds... Except BURBETTO!
"See No Limits. Hear No Limits."
-JQ
On April 24th, 2009 I will take the stage directly before Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
Me and Jermaine Dupri at Columbia
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