Proving Yourself as An Artist

I recently re-discovered the greatest cereal on the planet.

CURRENT LOCATION: My brother's computer (for some reason in my life, I never wind up using my own computer even though I have 3 of 'em lol)

Ok, it's 6:48 in the morning... And I've been thinking about this post for like two days now.

There have been so many sacrifices that have been made in the past 10 months to get me where I am. I can't count them on my ten fingers... Like Spinning off the highway going 70 MPH in the middle of nowhere Indiana after almost hitting a deer at approximately 4 in the morning on a Sunday night because I had left the studio at around 2. Or the time "we" spent 36 hours straight in the studio... Or when I had to skip school to get my mixtape crackin'. Or the 4.5 hour drive I took home every weekend both semesters, missing the greatest college weekends of my life that can never be replaced at the dopest fraternity in the country -- what up ZBT Beta Gamma?

I've heard some of the nicest things in the past few days... There's no better feeling to an artist than people connecting to their music. In just ten months, many who work with me or close to me believe I have made the impossible happen -- and I am proud of that despite it being just the beginning. We all have dreams when a new year begins and I think if you could show me where I am right now, I'd be satisfied.

With all that being said, never underestimate the grind of an artist. Don't think it can't happen or will never happen for someone... Cuz first off, things change, people change. I've changed... I used to not believe in God. Now I believe in God. I used to be anti-smoking weed... Now I'm promoting it. LMAO!

But a lot of people think these things "just happen" to me cuz... my parents are rich? Or cuz I live in a big house?

They really have no idea.... And it doesn't really matter -- I don't need them to because in the end, their hate will bring me to the top so I'm not standing in their way from trying to bring me down -- it's more fuel in my tank really. I wanna thank Vince Lawrence -- cuz despite all the shit I go through to get my music done, in the end, it's fucking dope, but that's not what I'm thanking him for... He was kinda the first person to believe I could be "that dude". He really helped me grow and a lot of my humbleness is owed to him.

On the other hand, there's one thing that nobody can give me and nobody can take from me... And that is my hustle. So for anyone that's ever talked shit or anybody that came out with some whack shit that never got played or to anybody with a dream that's sleeping right now and will sleep all day tomorrow or call me to party every night of the week but say "they wanna do this" -- let me tell you right now. that's not how it works. You can think that's how it works, but you're only biting yourself.

Boogie tells me almost everyday that whatever we do, we're gonna smash what anybody else is doing... He calls it being on smash. And I wanna thank him too... I got a bigillion things to thank this dude for, like y'all don't even know. I'm gonna make it its own post in the next couple days or something cuz this entire blog entry will turn into a Gangsta Boogie thank you note. Anyway, I think that's a cool way to live -- striving to beat expectation and the competition. Telling yourself that you're doing that and doing it are two different things -- I don't "need" others to see the struggle, but if you're reading my blog, I thought you might be interested:

I spent the last 6 hours putting them together and I have more to do so that means I won't be getting any sleep... Then I'll be headed straight to the city where luckily I have great street teams to distribute them -- shoutout to Ruben and his Smash Bros team. And coming home to sleep won't be an option, cuz I gotta get fitted for the music video this weekend. Then I'll probably wind up in a studio or something or a meeting -- and you get the picture. THIS IS A GRIND.

And I'm not saying I grinded like everybody else, cuz I didn't. I grinded smarter. Don't always try and take the shortcut, just make the best cut. Track. Rap.

"See No Limits. Hear No Limits."

-JQ

P.s. Fuck I'm tired. And now it's 7:25... lmao... took longer to write this blog post than a verse.

P.s.s. One click MIXTAPE DOWNLOAD: www.files.burbetto.com/JQ_TheOfficialBurbettoMixtape.zip