I'm writing this not only for the benefit of those of you reading this, but this is also a reminder to myself.
Travis Scott
https://www.thefader.com/2017/05/25/travis-scott-nike-air-vapormax-campaign
Jacques Webster grew up in the affluent Houston suburb of Missouri City. He was always into music as a teenager, being the son of a soul musician. He would get into fist fights with his dad because of the loud music he would produce in his room. He wasn't playing! He would later go off to college at the University of Texas San Antonio where he soon dropped out. Without his parents' knowledge, he would take plane trips to Los Angeles and New York City with the money they loaned him for school. They soon found out and eventually laid him off right before he stepped into the music scene as a household name. He never quit.
SZA
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/sza-covers-id-magazine-petra-collins
Solana Rowe, St. Louis bred and New Jersey native, saw herself as a loser most of her life. She grew up with strict parents, get bullied, and had no friends. She grew up getting into a lot of mischief from doing things things like bartending at the strip club at 17 to failing out of college to go do drugs with friends. Due to her depression from the adversities, her brother forced her to sing a chorus for his song he was recording. She recalls herself doing it because she "didn't suck" at it and continued. Working for an apparel company with her at-the-time boyfriend, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment happened to eavesdrop on what her coworker was listening to in her earphones. Her coworker was listening to Solana! The rest manifested into what we have now as SZA.
Many people would not consider these two legendary status but they definitely are the voice of us youth. When you see the greats of our world, it's rare that you see anybody who got it solely off of talent and connections. Many people who happen to be legends of our time were constantly let down, stomped on, spit out and pushed thru to be where they at now. I'm saying this to remind myself that nothing comes free or easy. Many of us didn't come from crystal stairs or were fed from a silver spoon and it seems as though the little privilege that we do get like getting into college, exposes us to this entitled sense of being. As for me, I don't know where I'm going with the degree I'm pursuing and to be honest I don't think I want to be in that field. I really want to go after my dreams. But the thing about life and dreams is that we have to roll with the punches and persist through obstacles, it's what makes us stronger in the long run and it's what the two people above did. So if you're feeling discouraged, I'm telling you that this is all a part of the process. You're going to be just fine. This thing we call life is meant to shake you up and disrupt you. That is all in God's plan. But what separates the legendary from the rest is that we have to wipe our tears in the face of adversity and truck on.
