Kanye Wanted To Rap But Most People Didn’t Want That Side of Him

They only wanted him to make beats

Most trips to success are not rosy.

I remember seeing Dr. Dre’s documentary.

He has been making beats for years and decided to produce an album.

If you know Dr. Dre, you know how much he prides himself on producing quality content. Think of someone who knows how many days he’s been outside his studio working on a production. As Zach Pogrob would put it, that is obsession.

He knocked on so many record labels but none of them wanted his album.

So what does a frustrated, skilled but determined guy do? He starts his own.

Fortune waited for him to make a door, just so that it could knock on it. He made a path for himself. Now everyone looks in admiration.

Three letters — D. R. E.

But there’s a story of one with two letters — Ye.

Otherwise known as Kanye West.

He wanted to rap but nobody wanted to listen — or at least, have him record his music

Chicago can be cold, so I’ve heard.

Barely as cold as the treatment Kanye West received from top-selling artists at the time.

Kanye is a production genius. A super producer. That’s what most people knew him as. Period.

Ever since I made the change in medical school to listen to beats as much as the music, I rediscovered Kanye’s unique beats. I had to include him in my book, as a tribute to his mastery.

His is a deep understanding of beats mashed and cooked to produce eargasms.

That’s what most artists wanted from him. His beats. And he kept on producing them.

It earned him entry into the record labels, where he could showcase his rapping talent. Regardless, most only wanted him for the beats.

It’s an important lesson we don’t factor in when discussing individual growth.

Access vs persistence

I’ve subscribed to Tim Denning’s newsletters.

I loved his writing and his persuasiveness in trying to convince people to get his products.

He’s relentless.

Every other day, if not every day, he’d hit you with an email trying to convince you of the opportunity you’ll be missing if you don’t hop onto a teaching cohort or a course.

It’s a concept I’ve come to learn called aggressive marketing.

The principle is persistence, not just access. He has a 6-figure email list. He has access. But that doesn’t earn him cash. What does are these two things:

His products and his persistence.

If you have a product, you push for it. Hip-hop artists have been saying this all along. Talib Kweli even makes it literal when he sings:

This is my product and I gotta move it.

I use his emails as lessons in copywriting, but also in the importance of persistence.

Now, back to Kanye West.

He had access to these record labels.

He had a product — his rap music.

Well, music known only to him, but not to the world.

Yet.

While he would sell his beats to artists and record labels, he would use this small audience to showcase his ability.

I remember seeing Pharell Williams listen to his lyrical prowess and walking out of the studio. Not because it was garbage, but because he could not believe what he was hearing.

It was fire.

A dragon was spitting flames.

It’s hard to impress anyone like Pharell. When he’s impressed, you’re good. And Kanye is not just good. He’s great.

His audiences were high-agency individuals. They had a massive influence. Pharell, Jay Z, and Black Star.

But as far as rapping in studios goes, he barely had anyone willing to write him up as a rapper.

He had a product.

He had access.

But I believe the single defining factor that pushed him to greatness was neither of these two. Yes, they were important, but not as important as persistence.

He persistently rapped.

Even through the wire, after his surgery.

To these artists in recording studios. To his mother; and with his mother.

Persistence eventually had Jay Z signing him up as a Roc Boy.

Then it all changed.

The returns were superlinear.

He was not just a producer, but a producer who raps. Two routes of superlinear returns. No wonder he’s the richest rapper alive.

Here’s how I’m replicating Ye’s strategy

Dr. Dre used this strategy.

Independently, Kanye used the same strategy.

Without knowing, I have been using the same strategy.

How?

Through writing.

Initially, I started with my website. I had a blog page, where I’d discuss the topic I am passionate about. It lies at the intersection of evolutionary biology, complexity, and microbiology. I even wrote a book about it.

But who would listen to me?

Mostly friends, who were my fans at the start of this journey. I don’t speak as if the journey is done. I’m in this until I die.

What I’ve come to realize is most people who read my work love my articles. I love writing them as well. I wouldn’t want to write something I’d never read. I even enjoy the several times I edit my work.

But my most viewed articles are barely about the topics I love.

In comparison, Kanye West was loved because of his beats. Barely anyone listened to his rap songs. But when they did, it was a game changer. It won a Grammy.

He did it through the wire.

But I’m a champion, so we turned tragedy to triumph — Kanye West

I want to do the same with my theory of evolution.

It might sound boring to many people, but it’s very, very interesting to me. Every day is a learning session. Every day is a chance to teach it to people in a unique way.

Kanye samples songs and adds a few sound instruments to make his work electric. I write using music and everyday examples to teach what I know about evolution, complexity, and microbiology.

Will I ever ascend to the level of such greatness?

I can never know.

I have access. I write on a platform with eyes. Millions of people read articles on Medium.

I have the product. My words, laced and pieced together to form articles.

What of persistence?

It’s kept me writing consistently for over half a year. Daily. Without failure. Even when everything around me was crumbling. I wrote.

I will continue to write about what I’m passionate about

A close friend asked me how I’ll continue writing if I post every day.

She was concerned that I’d run out of ideas. Maybe you have had a similar thought cross your mind about my daily production.

Newsflash: As I write this, I have enough content to continue writing for over two years. Daily. Nonstop. All drafts in the making are waiting for their chance to get picked.

Writing through the wire.

Through the wire, to the limit, to the wall

For the chance to be with you, I’d gladly risk it all

Through the wire, through whatever, come what may

For a chance to be with you, I’d take it all the way

Right down to the wire, even through the fire

— Kanye West

I hope to get more readers. I hope to get better by the day. Every day the accountability to my readers mounts.

As a lover of quality, I hope I continue to deliver quality pieces.

As I close…

Kanye’s story has lessons.

Access is nothing. Having a product is nothing. Pushing your product to these people to whom you have access, persistently, is perhaps one of the most pivotal defining factors you can choose.

I hope to convince the world about my theory of evolution. I would only wish they would listen.

I even pinned one crucial article so you can access an important element I left from my book. You can find it here.

The same story teaches the persistent use of your networks. I have developed a five-day course on building your networks from scratch.

I didn’t know about its relevance until I launched my book and had returns on my investments in a little over 5 weeks. I had access, the book was my product, and I persisted until I got my investment back.

You too can learn how to build your networks through the same course. You can find it here at a Christmas Season discount of 90%. You too can learn how I made my ROI in such a short time.

Until then, I’ll continue to write. About you, the atom, the electron, the molecule, and the peculiar creatures we see but hardly encounter through the lens of someone interested in the intersection of evolutionary biology, microbiology, and complexity. And more importantly, through the theory of Organismal Selection, the theory of evolution I so dearly love.

I’ll continue to do it through the wire, because:

This one here, history in the makin’, man— Kanye West

You can also check out the other courses in my school, The One Alternative Academy.