So you achieved an incredibly difficult accomplishment in your life? Congrats, now the whole world is waiting to take you down, you should feel proud. Society tends to focus plenty of energy on winning "the big score" but hardly ever prepare for what come afterwards. Once you've surpassed everyone in your competitive sphere you immediately paint a target on your back.
When Drake started to receive unprecedented praise as the biggest artist in the world people instantly went to "dethrone" him, sort of speak. The Patriots entered their season opener as winners on the biggest stage in football and went home with an L on the first night.
There's a quote from Dr.Dre that goes " You said you wanted a spot like mine But remember, anybody can get it The hard part is keeping it, motherfucker."
the quote above is taken from Kendrick Lamar's "Wesley's Theory" from his 2015 LP, TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY
The challenge isn't in winning it's the consistency of winning. Once you win you proved yourself to be the best but you give ammo into making others better. Take for example, the Golden State Warriors. After their acquisition of Kevin Durant, this past off-season left teams scrambling to compete with the juggernaut in Oakland, making trade deals left and right. But remember the KD trade happened as a result of Lebron being too good.
The best always make people readjust but the greatest always continue to readjust their game as well.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
I'm one week before law school "officially" starts but it's been feeling like two weeks already. Everyday I've been studying and briefing cases all of which have led me to allocate my time correctly.
MORNING
Probably the most effective way to take advantage of any day is getting your day started earlier than the average population. There's too many working advantages in this equation: the roads are clear, the lines are short, and the noise is non-existent. In my case my early rise has allowed me to get high demanded books checked out in the library before anyone could think of using them.
EVENING
Much like doing things very early, accomplishing tasks late at night also have unparalleled advantages. Usually everyone is sleep or locked away which can give you time to exercise without any interruptions, go for an unbothered swim or simply catch up on some much delayed reading. In my case I use the late night as a precursor for the next day of work so I won't have to get up as early all the time. Using the late night hours effectively allows for extra sleep in the morning.
As you move in your adult years you'll find the best time for getting things is done is either really early in the morning or really late at night. If you choose any time in between you can't complain about the horrors that comes with it , be prepared to deal with it and carry on!
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
In most recent news NBA fans have been turned on their heads after learning of the trade that landed Kyrie Irving in Boston and Isaiah Thomas & Company in Cleveland. Upon this news fans in Boston began to burn Isaiah Thomas' jersey. The disrespect sent the King himself, Lebron James on a rant about the disheartening act.
Lebron James speaks on the burning of jerseys via his twitter account, http://www.twitter.com/kingjames
This in turn led me to think how do people actually view these players? This isn't the first time a jersey is burnt and it won't be the last. Also, whenever players choose to speak their raw consciousness an uproar always seems to be caused. Naturally it's hard to show empathy for people who makes millions of dollars and live a life the average American could even dream about. However is that all people see in athletes , money makers that are sworn to undying loyalty or else ?
Boston fans burn Isaiah's Jersey
“You doing it for me, It’s all good,” Green said. “You doing it against me … you speaking out against my organization, it’s not good anymore? That’s a slave mentality. A slave master mentality. That’s ridiculous. It was all fine and dandy when he was laying people out, taking fines and all this stuff for your organization. But now all of a sudden when he says something that he feels, it’s a problem.”......excerpt from The Mercury News, article by Marcus Thompson II
Those statements were regarding the incident between Knicks owner James Dolan and NBALegend Charles Oakley.
Draymond speaks to the media about Charles Oakley
So what's the call of action here? Boycott the NBA? Call everyone racist? No none of that will be necessary. Fans and Owners need to simply adopt a 7 letter word emphasized by Aretha Franklin.RESPECT.
Respect the fact Isaiah Thomas led your favorite team to a NBA eastern conference finals. Respect the fact that Lebron led those 2007 Cavaliers to a finals and decided to come back to led them to more finals despite being disrespected by the owner.
Appreciation for the services of your favorite athletes is all it takes to keep basketball the competitive fun spirited sport it is. Most fans are emotionally invested but our emotions shouldn't be what makes us emotionless towards our favorite athletes, don't let that go over you head.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
During yesterday's adventure on the internet, I was going back and forth between Reddit and YouTube watching comedy videos,reading series theories etc. I noticed that some of the reddit users comments were so well thought out and analytical , I thought to myself they could really capitalize off their way of thinking if they put it into some form of brand.
Then as I watched certain YouTube videos I noticed how clean-cut and professional they were and the videos weren't even serious topics just people having fun. It made me think what separates hobbies and professions, what allow people to have a well funded career for something they would do for free?
MONETIZATION
For the most part when you seek to make money off of something it's just isn't fun and games anymore. For example, a graphic designer may just be a person who's good with photoshop and make flyers for people on occasion free of charge. However once that person decided to put a price on their services it's almost an instantaneous mind shift of "yeah,no problem" to "imma need a deposit".
monetized my hobby of drawing by creating clothes/accessories featuring my artwork, head to merchandise tab to purchase
COMMITMENT
This factor is the most crucial , just because someone makes a step towards monetization doesn't mean they're on the level of professionalism. A large group of people do things for money grab or as we like to call it "quick flips". When a person is operating from a mind state of the "quick flip" , the person is only attached to a thing as long as it brings them money. When the money stops so do they. It's the people who keep making videos when no one is watching , makes music when no one is listening, keeps auditioning when no one gives them a call back, those are the ones who gets to fulfill their dreams.
you need to have LEBRON JAMES level of commitment !
Overall, it's the commitment to your hobby that allows monetization to manifest. Quick grabs and easy hustles are all fool's gold. If you're not going to be serious with what you do , don't waste anyone's time, more importantly , don't waste your own!
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
If you're an avid viewer of HBO's hit series, Game of Thrones, you would know that Tyrion Lannister is among one of the most cleverest characters on the show. Known for being unusually skilled at reason and planning, his go to niche have been less than stellar this season. As most of his plans are foiled by his enemies outsmarting his moves every step of the way. Eventually his queen (Daenarys Targaryen ) eventually grows tired of his clever schemes and take matters into her own hands.
Which brings us to our key lesson of today , we have to learn when it is time to stop listening to the advice of others. Most of the time advice from your closest council (parents,friends,etc) stems for good intention. However we must remember that those who issue the advice don't have to live with the consequences of the decision completely like we would have to. Earlier Daenarys is even warned by an elderly lady ally of hers named Olenna Tyrell, that she should think twice about listening to every word of Tyrion's and she should harness more of what makes her unique in the first place. She is a fearless conqueror not a master thinker like Tyrion.
When we take advice from others it should be dissected and well evaluated before any of the said advice is implemented. Also it is important to note that a keen intuition triumphs an overly concocted plan any day. Therefore be weary of advice, double down on your instincts and make it a habit to double take the words of your advisors.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
I specifically remember playing MORTAL KOMBAT II for the SEGA GENESIS (nope I'm not that old, I was that young lol) and I almost instantly declared that it was better than the original. Due to the new character Kung Lao and his iconic move of throwing his hat, it was something I never seen before. In addition to knocking your opponent into a pool of acid or into a pit of spikes, MK II showed gruesome brutality at another level.
II. AWARENESS
This factor brings me to the days of TEKKEN 2. I didn't end up playing the original until after the second one released and I don't think many people in my radius even knew what TEKKEN was. However TEKKEN 2 was a different animal, the universe was expanded by a deeper story, a parallel animated movie, and the effect of word of mouth help cultivate TEKKEN 2 from cult hit to icon status.
My girl Sade Adu once said "It's Never as Good as the First Time" and in most cases she's correct, but when you can experience a second coming throughly surpassing the original, it is truly a moment to be cherished.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
When it seem like everything in life is going wrong it may be a good idea to pull back and start over (as opposed to giving up). My program would not act right so it would end my frustrations to save this task for another day but instead I chose to simply close it and restart it to attempt my project again.
II. THE TROUBLE IS WORTH IT
It seems as if every time I try to give the world something new and creative technology finds a way to sabotage it. However no amount of sabotage in the world could've stopped me from going after what I set out accomplishing and in the end the toiling was totally worth it. Our lives always puts us in positions where we question "why can't anything seem to go right"? Soon after we've endured long enough, we learn to appreciate the grueling experience of disappointments and set backs which leads us to enjoy the fruits of our labor with gratitude and satisfaction.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
Recently I've been working on multiple creative projects with much success. People usually despise multitasking but, I was amazed at how good it was working out for me. Then I remembered how someone told me that I had an ability in organization. That's when it struck me, I wasn't doing several different things , I was doing one thing several different ways.
PHENOMENA AND ALL IT'S HAPPENINGS by me, check out more of my art here 👉🏾 http://instagram.com/the__corner
head to the music tab to listen to my latest project, new music coming soon 🙏🏽
When I draw I'm essentially organizing shapes and color into beautiful compositions. When I make music it is simply the organization of words and melodies forming into a seamless tune. Our ability doesn't lies in the medium, it lies in the action.
photo credit: The New York Times
You may have the ability to read people really well and that skill can translate to playing defense in football to being a therapist. Once we understand our true nature of abilities we will be able to stretch our wings further and conquer more than what we previously limited ourselves too. Nothing is stopping us it's just up to each individual to figure out what their true abilities are and how to act upon them.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
Streaming now on TIDAL 👉🏾 https://tidal.com/album/76843279
Another day another lesson from JAY:Z it seems, huh? Yes indeed! This weekend I had plans on buying the physical copy of 4:44 because I wanted to hear the bonus tracks. To my surprise I see a notification that tells me the bonus tracks are now available for streaming on TIDAL. I then realized for most things you want you don't ever have to go out of your way, all you have to do is wait.
The waiting game is a difficult one to play living in an era where everything comes at a rapid pace. However jumping the gun can lead to unwanted money spent and unfavorable outcomes all of which could be avoided with just a little patience.
Just like how the bonus became available those who wanted the album but not TIDAL also won by waiting just a little longer and they were able to get 4:44 on their preferred streaming service without dishing out that extra 12.99/24.99 for TIDAL.
The key on waiting on what you want is reminding yourself that's it's only a want and not a need, which means you can go without it and when it finally comes you'll be glad you waited.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
Yesterday, I was getting out the shower and I went to put lotion on. When I pressed down on the bottle a sudden burst of lotion came out and it shot straight to my legs. I was like "well this worked out that's what I was going for first anyway". Then that sparked my mind and I thought this is how life is , something that seem like a mess actually ends up working out in your favor.
Even if the situation doesn't work out as perfectly described in my lotion story, you can still make the best out the mess life has dealt you. Think of when you squeeze too much sauce onto your hamburger, is your first thought to throw away the hamburger and start over? Of course not! You may wipe some off, lick it off or just take it as it is but you wouldn't discard it. Throwing away that hamburger would be like giving up on life. Just because we received more than we would have liked doesn't mean we stop the whole process of living.
Our expectation of life is everything will go smooth but we ought to expect twist and turns along the way, it's up to us to be equipped to deal with it.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
If you know me or actually seen me then you would know my style of dress is a bit eccentric (hahaha). However this weekend was maybe the most mellow I've been dressed in a long time. I had on a simple white tee, new ADIDAS SUPERSTARS and a pair of grey GAP shorts. Accompanied with a nice haircut it was an outfit that was just as good as me throwing on a tailored yellow suit.
Many times when we aren't left with many options we are forced to work with what we have and that lead us into making simplicity work. Just like this weekend I didn't have any shirts because I wasn't home so I made due with what I had and I still came out looking my best.
simple moment: tracksuit, which you can grab from here 👉🏾 www.mainslondon.com #supportthemandem
simple moment: flight suit featuring the history of flight XIIIs, get them from finishline.com
Simple moment: Vintage Jersey and Jeans
In these times where being flashy and designer names are everything it's imperative to know that it's actually isn't! All it takes is mastery of the simple things and you could still look above average. Keep it simple by not overthinking, stick to the essentials, and being bold/confident.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/kingdapperi
WE MAY LOVE TALKING ABOUT ART MORE THAN WE LOVE ENJOYING IT
Yesterday I was listening to Bill Simmons podcast as he and Judd Apatow(movie director best known for 40 year old virgin and Knocked Up) was discussing how television is digested different now that Netflix and streaming services are now heavily apart of our culture. Bill spoke on how there is something special about having to wait week to week for the next episode and spending that week indulging/analyzing the recent episode with friends until the next one airs. This made me think we may actually enjoy talking about art way more than we do partaking in it.
Back in high school we would have this thing called the "morning hook up" where every morning before class people would meet on the 3rd floor of the school to socialize. During those moments you would often hear people discussed a big moment in television from the previous night. Everyone would be excited to give their 2 cents and the shows would always be a great assist for jokes to be made for the day. That was especially valuable because during our high school years we were EXTREMELY silly. The conversation would definitely out last the content that provided the conversation, which in turned brought us closer and built camaraderie within our class.
Talking about the arts may definitely bring us more joy due to the power of word of mouth. When word of mouth is implicated it's almost as if you're an authoritative figure when you expose people to great things they haven't discovered yet. Noticed how whenever someone tells you about something new they go into great detail about the content, gives strong reasons why you should engage with it, and frequently make check ups to see if you have followed through.
Talking is clearly one of humanity strongest points especially when it comes to the arts. Being able to share orally what we experienced visually is a wonder all within it self.
Follow Me on Twitter www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
Every once in a while I go through my old drawings to track how far my improvement came. I was stunned to see my skill level go through a dramatic change over the years. It made me think that God's greatest gift is indeed progress. Knowing that in time things will inevitably change, its good to know that it's in your favor to wind up on the good side of that change.
Take for an example of how music is recorded in a studio. Years ago people would have to use actual plug ins and enough equipment to power a time machine. Now a days you can just have a mic laptop and a keyboard to make music that sounded like it came out of a fully furnished studio. Time is here to make things more proficient and adequate to our current circumstances. Imagine living with no electricity like the 1800s in today's time. I'll go as far as saying not improving in a stretch of time is a disrespect to God himself. All this time and you have nothing to show for it, what were you doing?!
Like every gift given from God it can only be appreciated if it is used in the right manner. It's time we use our biological clock wisely and our progress we'll show whether we used our minutes effectively or not.
Follow Me on Twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/king_dapper_i
