“I think, therefore I am”….therefore I write!

French philosopher Rene Descartes was known for this famous quote, but I’ve extended it a bit. His original quote in Latin was “Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum” meaning “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am.” I’ve added “ergo scribo”  to complete the process of contemplation. I Write. Writing is being. It’s existence. It’s stamping myself into the universe. 

One thing is for certain, I’ve had my fill of the “marketing advice for musicians” that proliferates on social media. “Do this! Don’t do that! If you want to be successful, you HAVE to do xyz!”

While I’m sure there are some gems in the advice that gets offered, my brain hurts after reading approximately 5 of these types of posts. Although social media and becoming a “content creator” (*barf) has been uphill for me, what has resonated from the marketing *influencers are two bits of advice: 1) the benefit of having a website, and 2) the need to let the audience into my life and thought patterns, letting you all know who I am and what I stand for.

I won’t say that I’m camera shy, but I seldom press record and share video. That’s a task is a mainstay on my to-do list on the road to becoming a social media maven. What I do LOVE to do though is write. I’m a writer. Always have been. I can’t count how many papers and essays I’ve written for school, but as a snapshot, in undergrad I had over 60 pages of essays to write during my last quarter of senior year in order to graduate on time. Thanks procrastination. Hella word count.

My writing hasn’t been just confined to the classroom though. I take great pride in writing my lyrics, which was born from a love of poetry. In fact, my most used iPhone app is Notes. If you see me glued to my phone, I’m not scrolling or trying to digest “expert advice” on social media. I’m most likely writing. 

I know some rappers pride themselves on going into the booth and freestyling songs. Jay-Z has been GOATed for his process of not writing his raps down, just visualizing the lyrics and extemporaneously dropping bar after bar. Hoping to aspire to this uncanny level of genius, some artists go in the booth and “punch in” (a process of picking up and recording a fresh take right where the previous one ends) or rap rap rapping and then piecing together a cohesive song at the end. I think this is impressive, when done well and with substance.

As for me, I don’t approach my songs as such. I feel like I’d be too scatterbrained to freestyle whole songs in the booth. I need a topic. I need to sit with it. I need to write and revise and edit.

In many ways, I consider myself a poet, thus my “raps” are poems over instrumentals. I appreciated 2pac’s approach to writing and sharing his poetry, because it highlights the duality of the artist as both spokesperson AND wordsmith. What’s more, in an age where artists get accused of having ghostwriters and not writing their own rhymes, I take solace in the fact that there’s 100% fidelity when I say “written and performed” by me. 

And here’s been a frequent piece of feedback I’ve received regarding the art that I’ve shared. Shit has gone over heads. My older cousin, “Professor E” Eric Davis, is “an Associate Professor of Sociology and Program Chair for the Cultural & Ethnic Studies (CES) Department at Bellevue College” in Washington. He’s smart as fuck, but also a lover and connoisseur of Hip Hop. Upon hearing my first offering “Bullet! A Trigga Warning” one thing he told me was,

“Cuz, it’s dope! But I wish I had the lyrics to read while I was listening…some of the stuff you dropped was deep and went over my head.”

This is a professor, someone who breaks down lyrics for college students in his Rap 101 class! Yet, he needed an aid when trying to break down my writing! I’m going to address the idea of “going over people’s heads” in another post because I think it warrants more consideration. But what he said rang true and was constructive feedback. Of course, I know what I’m writing and where it comes from and the intricacies and double (and sometimes triple entendre) in my bars…but does my listener also catch the meanings and messages? Is all lost if the listener doesn’t have a clue what in the hell I’m talking about? 

While I think it’s a worthy exercise for the listener to find meaning for themselves, for me, it’s front and center in my purpose for making music in the first place. My songs won’t likely come with a dance or be in rotation at your local strip club. However, I do want you to gain some deep insight and understanding from what I offer….maybe it’s the teacher in me. Perhaps it’ll deepen your connection to my art. That would be dope.

I’m grateful for your company on this journey as we listen and vibe out together. As always, I welcome feedback and kicking off dialogue, so let me know what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling!

Peace and Love,

Rankofa