I remember in High-School I had a friend who used to rap. I thought he was super dope and had potential. I remember him rapping this crazy freestyle to me in the locker room during gym class one day. I was so blown away by my boy spitting that hot fire; I still remember my favorite line from the freestyle over 15 years later.
At the time my older brother Rob was starting a record label plus he had major ties to the music industry, so clearly I started thinking that I could be the next Puffy.
Later that day after my boy spit that hot fire to me in the locker room, I waited for my brother to get home so I could tell him all about it.
My plan was to spit a few of the lines from the freestyle and watch my brother go crazy in excitement…that was my plan.
So Rob comes home and I immediately start telling him about my boy. I spit a few of the lines…stop…and wait for my brother’s crazy response…it never came.
I figured he didn’t understand some of the hot fire that my boy was spitting, so I broke a few bars down for him, stepped back, and waited for the crazy response…it never came.
In fact, Rob’s response to my lyrical breakdown was literally…so what.
Are you coaching...being coached...or just playing??
I was bewildered, watching Rob walk away unfazed by my boy’s lyrical hot fire.
I felt like I just got laughed out of a record exec’s office and didn’t understand why. My boy was spitting that hot fire and I couldn’t understand why Rob didn’t see that.
Rob must have seen the confusing look on my face because he came back and offered some food for thought.
He said tell me some more about this guy. I gave him a basic description, but in the back of my mind, I’m thinking what did any of this have to do with the hot fire that my boy was spitting?
In just a few words, Rob gave me a whole new lens to see the world through…
Anybody can do something that’s hot, what makes this special?
Immediately, a light bulb went off in my head and it changed my thinking forever. Prior to that exchange, I was definitely chasing what was hot. It was easy, convenient, and what everybody else was doing.
Throughout the years, I’ve avoided so many pitfalls not chasing what was hot and I’m forever grateful to my big brother who took the time out to school me.
Some of us may not have biological little brothers running up to us with their version of hot fire, but there are so many open vacancies for coaches in the lives of our young brothers. And keeping it very real, some of us could benefit from some coaching right now too.
As we move further into this month, keep an eye out for where you could be a good coach to a young or older brother. We need it!
Everybody can’t be Mike…
only a few of us will ever get to be Phil…
but you always get to be you.
Song For The 10th
Concorde, Gregory Porter – I first heard this song while doing my routine digital “thumbin through records”, where I search through random playlists to uncover a new tune. The song sounds like it could have been made years ago, but it was actually made in 2020. I listened to this song A LOT, but one day, the song just resonated with me and made me think of Rob. And now I can’t listen to the song without thinking about Rob, nor can I just listen to it one time, nor can I listen to it without shedding a tear. I really appreciate this song.
