This Kanye West interview has had me thinking...

[Grifter]

But I might later.

 

[*L*E*G*A*C*Y*]

cliffnotes?

Cliffnotes: We need OWNERS in our community. We need Doers.

 

[The ADD]

Nothing wrong with that.

I don't have a passion to run a business that makes more sense than what I do now

 

[*L*E*G*A*C*Y*]

Alright real talk. After all these bouts of unemployment and having crappy and promising jobs that end up being BS, I'm absolutely sick and tired of begging to someone for a job just so they can all come up with different and creative responses that all say the same thing; NO. Frankly, it's embarassing.

My roommate told me something and frankly it stuck. He told me, "you're a hard worker, you're dedicated, you have good taste, you're educated, you're talented, you have ideas, you have inspiration, but it seems no one wants to give you an opportunity". I feel that. These motherfukkers don't wanna hire someone like me and give me a chance. And if they do, they'll just do it because they know they can get over on someone like me.

I wanna start my own business and be my own boss. I'm trying to build MY dreams and help out my family and friends. I don't wanna be begging for someone to give me a job and to fund my ass when it's obvious (from experience) they don't want shyt to do with me.

 

[Tommy Knocks]

Kanye works under a record label probably largely owned and operated by someone else. eIn the end we all answer to someone. I consider Kanye to be sort of an idiot, though I agree with the notion entrepreneurship is best. I don't really consider Kanye to be much of a entrepreneur. He's really just a musician. Running a business and making music are similar, but the former requires more intellect.

ya but that label, his boss, is um...Jay-Z. his best friend.

 

[The ADD]

Alright real talk. After all these bouts of unemployment and having crappy and promising jobs that end up being BS, I'm absolutely sick and tired of begging to someone for a job just so they can all come up with different and creative responses that all say the same thing; NO. Frankly, it's embarassing.

My roommate told me something and frankly it stuck. He told me, "you're a hard worker, you're dedicated, you have good taste, you're educated, you're talented, you have ideas, you have inspiration, but it seems no one wants to give you an opportunity". I feel that. These motherfukkers don't wanna hire someone like me and give me a chance. And if they do, they'll just do it because they know they can get over on someone like me.

I wanna start my own business and be my own boss. I'm trying to build MY dreams and help out my family and friends. I don't wanna be begging for someone to give me a job and to fund my ass when it's obvious (from experience) they don't want shyt to do with me.

You realize that makes zero sense correct?

 

[Bathing Ape]

nikkas on a online forum but won't read

 

[Paradime]

Thing is though people like to pick sides, breh. Just cause you chose a side doesn't mean that everyone else has. The ones who say you ain't gonna do shyt are the ones dikk ridin' the people who are doin' what they never could, instead of actually tryna get better they are feelin' sorry for themselves n shyt.

breh sometimes I just hate people period for that fact. I just know people like that and I will always call them sheep.

They hate me too because they realize I know exactly what I'm talkin about

 

[*L*E*G*A*C*Y*]

You realize that makes zero sense correct?

Yea I know.

But being a black man, it does make a semblance of some sense sadly.

Not a cop out or nothing, cause there have been people that have gave me opportunities...but yea.

They don't call it a glass ceiling for nothing.

 

[jadillac]

I've never committed these type of thoughts to any type of online medium before, mainly because I felt like the points I was trying to get across were never fully fleshed out to point where others could understand it but I feel it's all made sense now.

Honestly, the older I get, the last thing I want to be doing is working for someone. I've been through more jobs than I can count, and I've always considered the fact that the majority of the money from those jobs has been spent trying to get dreams of mine off the ground. Whether it was buying my first set of turntables and records, trying to buy quality skateboards to try to get into skateboarding in my teen years, or buying art materials like spraypaint, I've always been trying to focus on my dreams and my passions.

As I have went through college and the corporate world, I realized that at the end of the day the last thing I want to be is answering to someone or begging for someone's approval to "put me on" when I can already do that on my own with what I want with the internet and other avenues. I'm trying to be a boss. It just sucks not having that capital, but it all starts somewhere. I'm trying to put the people that helped me ot in life on and help their dreams grow instead of I respect the fact that people are doing them and doing what they can to make a living and pay the bills, but I'm trying to do something greater than that.

I've been trying to start a skate/clothing brand since high school. I've been making music since I was 13. I could of given up on those, but trying to work those avenues and putting some effort into it has brought me some moderate success. I don't think I would be able to die happy if I didn't atleast try or gave up on them and wondered "what if" after the fact.

We need more leaders and more followers. More people willing to make big moves and not answer to anybody. I want to be that person that inspires others to live their dreams cause they saw someone like themselves do it and become successful.

The ideas that Kanye was conveying sparked something...but reading some of the comments in the Kanye vs Kimmel thread really had me thinking.

Even though the members of Odd Future are younger than me, I've always respected them because as a young black male that's been skateboarding since the age of 5, it was cool to see these black kids from Los Angeles come up with something that people liked and they weren't afraid to be themselves. Same with Pharrell an his appropriation of skate culture.

I guess, it was because back in the day when I was coming up, people used to see me skate and call me a "whiteboy" and an "oreo" cause they thought skateboarding was something only white people do. My mom even told me when I was a teen back in the late 90s that she "had never seen any black skaters". But, even then, seeing some of my favorite skaters in magazines like Kareem Campbell, Sal Barbier, Ray Barbee, etc...made me realize that wasn't the case. It makes me beyond happy to see skateboarding accepted more amongst the black community, especially here in NYC.

So, I'm trying to live my dreams and try to do something with my life with my passions and share that and hopefully see some success. But we need more owners, more doers, more movers, more shakers. More people that are willing to stand on their own and do them amongst the status quo. We need people that are more accepting of the dreams of others and are willing to accept their differences and put them aside to work for a common goal.

Only time will tell.

I'm not Kanye stan, but the name of the game really is "New Slaves"........the new american way is keep the really talented/ambitious ppl under the thumb of a few really powerful ppl. ie, pay ppl just enough to keep them coming back to work everyday, so they can buy their gadgets(tvs, cars, electronics), but not enough pay to where they can break off their independence from corporations and do their own thing.

And that goes for whites and blacks.

As far as ur skating thing, do it breh. Somebodies gotta break the ceiling. There's nothing about a skateboard that says, "whites only"

 

[HoloGraphic]

We are birds of a feather. Let's get this money.

 

[PhonZhi]

you said it breh when you said you wont die happy if you dont pursue it. i know its a cliche but Y.O.L.O. something i like to do is pretend that im a 90 year old man on my deathbed with a chance to go back in time and do things differently. the mindset i have now is me being granted that 2nd chance. whether its going on that vacation i put off or hollering at a female. good luck bro

 

[Kenyan West]

I could never for the life of me understand why niccas make jokes out of not reading something. Something that someone put their thoughts and time into. Something that you can read in under a minute.

That being said, I feel you, OP. We're actually similar. I just bought some turntables myself and I'm into skateboarding too. (Well, actually Longboarding) That Kanye interview was great. The most inspiring interview I have seen in quite some time.

I think he's very misunderstood, however. I dont think Kanye as an idiot. I think of him as someone who never censors himself and is actually very courageous. The people who usually criticize him the most, are people who wish that they had the audacity to speak their minds and truly be themselves. Does Kanye do/say obnoxious things? Of course. But they usually come from a good place and I'll forever respect that.

 

[Mr.Big Meat McGee]

Society as a collective is stronger than some people think. It can literally make or a break you. Society has come to a point where there are way too many followers ( New Slaves ) and not enough leaders ( especially in the Black community ). And those who are leaders are pretty much puppets ( ex. Obama ).

 

[Truth200]

I knew it was real when i seen skateboarding in North Philly like it was a normal part of black culture.

Don't give up on your dreams...