Good video

Thought this was a Hov thread

its crazy there's probably tens of thousands of people who didn't make it and feel the same way not just about rapping but athletes too

R u rapping for the fame or r u rapping for the game

If fame all u want for ur name then there was nothing you could gain

When you get older and still ain't popped like you want then you should also diversify what you can do in music

The front man, especially in Rap, is the shortest lived while being the most competitive (and the most limited slots available) - wether you make it or not

But also, some of the things he mentioned, he did do things more than the average try person, he should be happy with that

As always tho, don't get stagnant

Yoo lmao #realniggaalgorithm

Glad this made it here. Clicked play on the video a few days ago but had to stop watching when bro broke down all his regrets into “he shoulda been a producer or engineer who happened to rap” like he can’t get on YouTube and learn that at this very second (i get that he’s older now but for the past 15 years at least be could have done that lol)

Thought he was gonna say he wish he started a family and got a real job. Said he had a daughter who he presumably supports and i’ll assume a long term girl too.

Lmao foh OG. You didnt lose nothing fr and said he opened with young Nas and opened for people like Busta and others. Unc good

I wish most people felt like this at every age so it would be less bum ass niggas rapping ngl (not saying this dude is a bum)

Yall seeing this channel name @CutiePieHole

I see what he’s saying. I’m in my 30s and pivoting towards production, session work and behind the scenes songwriting. The touring grind is exhausting and burns you out. Spamming s*** on social media all day long isn’t for everyone.

You can produce and engineer forever. It’s a valuable skill that translates to your own music. I love networking and collaborating, but being the face and holding all the responsibility for self promotion isn’t really worth it when the music industry is in such a bad place.

the crazy part is he said all this only to wrap it up with him saying he should've been an engineer or producer, or videographer. engineering and producing is as saturated as mc-ing, especially in this era. Lots of producers and engineers get f***ed over and get pocket change, even if they work on huge projects. For every Alex Tumay or Timbaland or Noel, Cole Bennet, Benny Blanco there's 100,000 people who worked as hard or harder and got no return..

creative careers rarely pay.

It's not just about the money, it's about the lifestyle and longevity. He's 50. Many older musicians eventually become producers or engineers because it's flexible and less physically and psychologically taxing than being a performer.

Performing for a living really isn't sustainable past a certain age unless you're already so wealthy that you're afforded a relatively good life on the road.

I feel you but I mean, are most producers or engineers really making a living?

there's not always the psychological pressure to perform on stage per se, or physical demand on your body, but there's a similar psychological pressure to 'make it'.
especially with the rise of youtube beats people steal the mp3s of, AI Engineers, even AI production.

It's kind of a cruel irony that many people chase these creative careers because they feel like they can't function within a system that forces them to think one way, but for the creative person to make that their job, you almost have to doggedly pursue anything that pays, or even things that don't pay, due to lack of renewable opportunity. Even at the so called Top.

To your last point, we live in a society that takes advantage of creativity, both the products of it and people's own inherent need to create. We will pay whatever we have to in order to "make it," and as long as that desire is a known commodity, the powers that be will use that to their advantage. As he said in the video, at a gig, everyone but the artist is getting paid.

Until you are able to break out of that paradigm by reaching a self-sustaining level of success, you are the one paying into the system.

@raps I feel you but tbh the music industry is just a joke rn.

Do not pursue it full time or you will be disappointed full time.

I’m telling nighas if every “popping” artist rn was forced to have their total account balance on their head for the world to see, the increase in sewer cides would be astronomical.

You dont know how broke somebody really is until you get on tour wit em and have to deal with how much or late you get paid. And this includes motherfuckers with grammies. In contrast, niggas that got to tour with michael jackson in the 80s are STILL living good off that money lol.

And you dont know how many “rich” musicians have crooked connections/a war criminal for a parent (coughHAIMcough)

So many artists touring across the world off loans and a prayer. Off debts that will never get paid off. We get articles after articles after articles of artists testimony that they can do shows that are sold out and still they come back home in the red. Tours that get cancelled after shows are all sold out because they just cant afford it.

EVERYTHING just sucks rn dawg lol. I’d advise any artist hopeful to cop a 9-5 that wont make you wanna commit homicide so you at the very least have stability while you work on your craft. Not fair I know. This aint 1998 when everyone could just shack up in a nyc apartment cause the property value/neighborhood was low that niggas could survive off a part time job and be gucci.

You didnt come into this industry in 2005 or 2012 like a lot of your fav artists did. Niggas dont make cds no more. Niggas dont make blogs or magazines cause niggas dont read no more. Journalism turned into clout chasing so nobody giving good interviews. Everything is digital (except the liner notes.) your favorite big artist still cant be assed to put credits on his albums (drake a bozo for that)

S*** is over with until the CEOs of the real big 3 get they heads shot off lol.

Drake pays well. Watch it.

The deeply sickening and depressing, but accurate and true, reality. F*** life.

Lyrical miracle spiritual individuals

Not to mention all the life lessons and experience grinding this music s*** is something he can pass on to his kids.

Ice Spice, Destroy Lonely, and Babytron all have dads that were lesser known veteran rappers. Not that they’re nepo babies or plants but they came up having a better idea of what they’re doing and what to expect than the average artist because of their parents’ wisdom

as a musician that came to peace with this years ago, this reality was always bound to happen. COVID sped it up but we was always heading this way.

the music industry as a model was never sustainable in the first place. Like at all, especially when you look at how folks was getting paid back in the days.

the fact that the Amen Break drummer died broke is singular proof of this.

session players that singlehandedly carried some of your favorite classics weren't getting paid past the session itself which in itself is f***ed up when you think about it.

So many artists back then didn't make it (shoutout to Unsung) all just because of crooked business practices (e.g. Florence from the Supremes)

Art just aint really meant to prosper under capitalism because it forces people to emphasize commercial ability over creativity. What we are in now is the end stage/result of all that s***. But this was always coming.

Lots of wall of texts here, but did he make a living out of this?

Aspiring to be a career musician is a fool's errand in 2026. Most of your favorite rappers still got a foot in the streets or have expanded into other fields because the money just isn't there. Also a number of rappers, especially the fad artists/one hit wonders, just end up getting regular jobs lmfao, UglyGod climbing the ladder at Walmart as we speak

This but if ur cracked asf like me an my niggas its worth pursuing

Bars