Becoming Famous :: 20/20 Vision

Hi guys, how are you today? So thanks for tuning back in. Um, we're almost coming to the end of 2020 Vision. I'm gonna be sad when it's gone, but I'm gonna really love having time to do my work. Um, so as you know, this series is an inspiration, um, to help you grow your brand and your projects, but I'm also covering aside from like the how-to the how-tos of exactly how to do that. I'm also trying to cover some more, like, inspirational shit and stuff that you can use that's not directly related to how to build your brand or how to make money with music. And today I wanna talk about fame because it's really an important part of this process. And it's something that most people don't really think about as they move forward with their careers because the fame just kind of comes, right? And I know that most of you are doing this, you're in the music business because you want to become famous. And in America and the world, not just America, but like the entire world, like fame has value and fame is almost like a drug. It's almost like we, catapult people that are famous to a level of acceptability that's even higher than money, than wealth, right? Like, we have a famous president, um, that's running the country, and we have people that are famous just for being famous, like the Kardashians. You know, they're— in the, in the past, the people that have achieved fame have achieved it because they, you know, successful in a sport, or movie stars, they were successful in their lane, or, you know, rock stars that were famous for filling stadiums with fans. But today we have people that are famous, um, just for being famous, and famous at the level they are on Instagram or on YouTube, right? We've got influencers. So When fame starts to come, the people around you are going to treat you a lot differently. They're— because fame is like a drug, they're going to elevate you to a status that you may not be ready for. You're going to feel like you're just the same person that you always were, and you might even be as broke as you've always been, But when the fame comes, people start to treat you like you're a millionaire. They're gonna start to ask you if they can borrow money. You're gonna find family members that you didn't know you had, cousins, etc. Um, one of my rapper friends, his uncle recently died, and he went to a funeral and people were taking selfies with him at the funeral. Like, he didn't even get a chance to go up to the casket. And say his own goodbyes to his uncle. And it was his favorite uncle because he was inundated with other people at the funeral that just wanted to chat with him and take pictures with him and get autographs. And that's kind of crazy to me, you know. Um, when the fame comes, you're not going to be able to just pop into Walmart or McDonald's the way you do now. You can't just go in and buy underwear and socks. Going into, um, Walmart is going to become an extended visit because so many people are going to recognize you and want to have conversations with you. And you can't just diss your fans, like you can't just run in and run out like you can today if you're, um, if you've got fame, you know. You've got to stop and take pictures with people, have conversations, you know. People are going to follow you around the store. They're going to be whispering to each other like, is that him? Is that her? Is that him? Is that her? Um, they're gonna approach you when you're trying to have, um, family time, or when you're with your kids at Chuck E. Cheese, or you're at the food store with your girl, or it's Valentine's Day and you're having a romantic meal. They're gonna come up and they're gonna want to interact with you, and they're gonna see it as their only chance to be near you. So it's not like you can just diss them and be like, leave me alone. Even though you're feeling like, leave me the fuck alone. These are your fans, and these are people that have given you the fame that you have to be able to get to the next level in your career. So you can't really be an asshole to them. I mean, you can be an asshole to them, but I'm saying that you shouldn't be an ass to them. You should really treat them with respect and with dignity and take the picture even when you don't feel like it. And then explain to them that you're trying to have dinner with your family or, you know, um, an event with whatever, and be respectful. Let them get what they came for, but just don't let it extend out. Even with me, like, I have such a tiny little bit of fame in the music industry that I can't go to a music conference and get my needs met. Like, if I'm trying to pay attention to a panel and, and learn, I've got a million people coming up to me in the sitting next to me trying to give me their music or ask me for advice. And even though it's annoying as fuck because I'm there to learn something so that I can build my company to the next level, I still can't brush people off and be disrespectful to them because I realize that they see this as, oh my God, that's Wendy Day and this is my only opportunity to reach out to her, to speak to her, or whatever. So I try to be respectful of that, but I also to explain to them that I'm there to learn. I also allow extra time, and this is what you're going to need to do— allow extra time to move through the crowd. So if you've only got 5 minutes to pop in and out of Walmart, you probably shouldn't be doing it yourself. You should send somebody for you because it's probably going to take you 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes to, to do what normally takes you 5 minutes today. And you've got to factor all of that into your schedule, especially when you've got places to be and things to do You don't want to be late to shoot a video because it took you extra time to buy the gear that you needed for that video, or to eat lunch before you went to that video, or breakfast, or whatever it is. You need to take all of that into consideration. So, um, I guess that's really all I have to say about fame. Just know that you're looking at it like it's going to change your life for the better, and it definitely will change your life for the better, but you also have to take into consideration the negative consequences. And I'm not even talking about like the security threat that steps up when you're famous because people are looking to get something from you or they're jealous of you. I'm not even talking about that side of it today. Um, that's something you're absolutely going to need to take into consideration with your team because threats are very real, especially in the rap music industry. This is a predator or prey industry. So definitely take all of that into consideration. But I'm talking about how people and their reaction to you, like people on your team, are gonna laugh a little bit longer at your jokes, and they're gonna be a little bit kinder, and they're gonna be a little bit less forthcoming and honest with you as the fame comes, because it's just what fame produces. You know, you're going to go out to restaurants and they're going to, um, not charge you for meals, but in exchange for that, they're going to want to pitch you their idea for, you know, an album, or they have a cousin that raps, or they have a nephew that makes beats, or they want to hang your picture on the wall and they want you to come to an opening that they're doing or an event that they're doing. Um, people that work for you will want you to come through to barbecues for their family, you know, birthday parties for, you know, relations that you didn't even know you had. People are going to be posting private information about you that may or may not be true, you know. Um, people are going to be wanting to bed you because of your fame, and then they're going to want to talk shit about that afterwards because it gives them a little bit of, you know, a little bit of fame, that, you know, um, moment of when they got to do something around you that they can talk about. And let's be real, negativity attracts more attention than positivity. So why would they make the incident seem positive when they could bitch and moan about you and get more viewers? You know, people will say if you raise your voice to them that you assaulted them. God forbid you put your hands on them and push them out of the way, or your security pushes somebody out of the way, now all of a sudden you beat them up and you've got a lawsuit coming. So there's a lot of negativity that comes with fame, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it. I'm not saying that it's not worth it. I'm just saying that you've got to prepare yourself for the negative, and nobody ever talks about it. They only ever talk about, you know, the positive, and you only see the positive side of it. You don't really get to see the negative side of it because you're not experiencing it. There's a really great book called Fame, um, and I can't remember Um, was it Justine Bateman? It might have been Justine Bateman that wrote it. Um, but she talks about when she was on Growing Pains and how the fame changed her life for the better and for the worse. And I recommend that you guys all read that. Also, there's, um, a song on Joe Button's first album when he was signed to Def Jam. Um, I think it's called Come and Take a Walk with Me, and I think that it should be required listening for everybody to listen to that song because it talks about how you don't really know what's real anymore. Like, is this person in your life because you're famous, or is this person in your life because they really give a shit about you and they love you? And it, it becomes really hard to tell because the fame, it's blinding sometimes. So that's all I'm gonna say about it. Um, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. I'm not saying that the positive doesn't overwhelm the negative. It really does. I'm just saying that it's something you need to consider. Okay guys, take care. I hope you all get super famous.