It seems like a lot of people spend time trying to portay an image of what they're not.
I consider myself part of the hip hop culture because I love a lot of things in and around it. Music, grafitti, dance etc, are all things about hip hop that I am a fan and/or participant in.
But let me tell you what I'm not... I'm not a playa, a pimp or a a hustler. I'm not a thug, a soldier or a gangsta. I'm not iced out, ridin on dubs or rockin the trendy gear. If you saw me on the street you would not guess that I make beats. If you talked to me on the phone you would not suspect that I have a love for hip hop.
Next I'll tell you what I am... I'm a father, a son, a brother, a husband, a hard working man, a deep thinker and some might say a teacher or mentor. Boring to some, but I'm keeping it real.
Too many people think "keeping it real" is portraying an image like being a thug, a gangsta, you know everything that I'm not. Especially if they come from an area similar to where I grew up in and still live to this day.
Keeping it real, means being honest with yourself and those around you.
If you know something is wrong or disagreeable with your inner morals and you continue to do it, you are fighting yourself. You are distracting your own self from accomplishing the things you really want in life.
The first step in keeping it real, is to know who "You" are. What defines "You"? I'm not talking about the physical part of you. What if your body ceased to be and your mind was somehow captured and stored in a bottle where your thoughts and ideas could still exist without any outside influence? You would no longer stress about impressing people. All material things would cease to exist. Cars, clothes, computers, websites, everything. What would you do? Who would you be? Are you completely that person today? If not, why not? What are you doing today to reach that ideal mind state?
And why do i think this important enough for me to write about?
Because it is vital for everyone to understand and embrace who they really are. Yes it's cliche and corny sounding, but that doesn't make it false.
The mind state of understanding yourself gives you the power to manifest your desires much more easily. When you know what your truly want and what direction your moral compass is pointing, it's easy to get those things without trying as hard because you are following a natural path. You are no longer sidetracked by the need to show off and impress people. You are no longer concerned with things that only serve to distract you from accomplishing your goals.
We are all human (I hope) so we are bound to get sidetracked occasionally. Many of us just forget our inner truths when we are busy chasing the idea that something outside of ourselves can make us happy.
It takes work to develop your mind state but it is simple to do. The first thing you have to learn is how to acknowledge what you truly believe. The second thing is to follow the beliefs as much as possible. Finally do your best to not let other influences take you off the path. Everything else falls into place naturally.
So how does this relate to music production?
When you are making music that is also honest to yourself (even if others arent feelin it) then you can truly shine and things will come easy. The easier something is the more fun it is and the faster you will grow and develop the skills around it.
Every great producer is great because they are being themselves and that makes them unique - just like you. So be you.
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