Life and Wisdom is a t-shirt brand from Toronto that is looking to expand their product line from printed tees to cut and sew pieces. Formed by a group of guys who bring their individual expertise to the service of the brand, Life and Wisdom is equipped with the creative minds necessary to take it to the top. With a visionary founder, savvy public relations director and fearless designers and graphic artists, the Life and Wisdom team is replete with the energy, creativity, and technical know how that is at the genesis of all great clothing brands.

The guys from Life and Wisdom gave justalilhype! a peek into their hectic lives. Each member of the core team juggles full time jobs along with their responsibilities to the brand and it is this very enthusiasm and drive to create that should make the public excited about Life and Wisdom.

Tell us more about yourselves.

N: My name is Nico and I am the founder of Life and Wisdom. I came here from the Philippines when I was six and have been kicking it here in Toronto since.

H: I am Hollywood and I am the director of public relations. I have a background in broadcasting and I do a lot of journalism projects myself. I handle the marketing responsibilities and making sure that we are spreading awareness of Life and Wisdom.

P: Peter. I am the t-shirt designer for Life and Wisdom and I am a tattoo artist myself. I have been tattooing for about eight months now and I am currently in an apprenticeship. I also run my own business called Get Real. It is a collaboration with Life and Wisdom and we have a collection set to be released in the fall.

E: My name is Errol aka Carlos. I am a graphic designer from George Brown College and I have been freelancing it ever since I graduated.

Tell us more about the start of the brand. What compelled you guys to start it?

N: It started when my friends and I thought of spending our money on starting our own brand instead of giving our money to established brands. The three of us grew up together and went to the same high school. The brand kicked off after high school, when I established the name and registered it. Peter here caught my eye with his designs on Facebook and I didn’t even know that he did that before. I gave him a call to see if he would be interested and then he became my designer. Hollywood and I clicked two years ago when he was doing his broadcasting work.

Tells us more about the brand’s name.

N: It’s pretty self-explanatory. You need the life and wisdom. We wanted to create something that would resonate with any individual.

What products do you have? Where do you guys produce your products?

N: We are sending our stuff off to a production company right now. We have a warehouse down on the Westside too. Our shirts are of a good quality but soon we will process our own screen prints and possibly getting into embroidery just to kick off the game a bit more.

Is cut and sew a goal for you guys and if so, why?

N: We are playing around with cut and sew sweaters for the fall line. Cut and sew is very important because the product is made out of individual pieces by hand and will become a special garment that is unique afterwards. It will be different than anyone else’. There are lots of challenges and competition in the cut and sew arena but when you see the piece that you made yourself and you realize that it is unique, the feeling is very gratifying.

What are some challenges that come with bringing up the brand?

H: A major challenge that we face coming out of Toronto is being able to convince a city that sees nothing but one off t-shirts and to convince them that we are not just a one off t-shirt brand. It’s all about seeing and believing. You can say that you are doing something cool but no one will believe you until they see it. Finding the correct resources is a challenge as well. There are a lot more manufacturers in the states. We are always looking to do things economically, like finding cheaper prices and thinking about the customer. Two major challenges we face are the need for more resources and convincing the public that we are not just a one off t-shirt brand.

E: As a graphic designer, one hurdle is designing something that stands out. Personally, I see a lot of crap out there because the politics in the industry will impede artists’ creativity. Some people make it because they have connections. We put in so much effort because we know we have to make it through hard work.

This question is for Peter. How do you put your tattoo background to use in Life and Wisdom?

P: Tattooing is a passion of mine and airbrushing is a strong facet of Get Real. There are a lot of styles in tattooing. My whole style is west coast inspired. I use a lot of black and gray and I focus on realism. That is my style. This influence will bring a new flavour to the lettering and images in the clothing industry.

Tell us more about the things people should look out for when they buy one of your shirts?

N: We put time and effort to sew tags onto our shirts. It is possible that we will be doing a patch. For now, we have every detail meticulously inspected.

Because of finances, the amount of detail and quality of the brand may not be at the level you want. How do you work around this?

E: When we design, there is a lot of detail before printing. We get a quote, it comes back, and we have to sit down, look at the design and see what can be eliminated. We want to make it cost effective but dope too.

This question is for Hollywood. With new technologies, it is becoming easier to market things. Do you feel that you have used your tools effectively to market this brand and how would you want to improve on that?

H: I think the material in the clothes speak for themselves. I can only bring it to the public’s attention but that is as far as it goes. It’s easy because I have confidence in the brand. I can rely on the design so I don’t need to second guess myself when it comes to marketing it. Targeting your demographic is important as well.

You guys all have full-time jobs aside from running this brand. What is it about this brand that keeps you guys motivated?

N: It’s pretty much the support of family and friends. Seeing individuals wearing our stuff gives us a good feeling as well. My work is being recognized and it makes me feel great. I would rather do this as a full time job for minimum wage than what I am doing what now. I just love designing things. I am not the best artist and that’s why I have artists right here, but my mind is creative and for me to collaborate with these talented guys is a great privilege.

You guys come from a multi-ethnic background. How have your individual backgrounds added to what you do with the brand?

P: Culture is Toronto. Once you leave here it isn’t the same. You love and cherish your own culture but you learn to appreciate the other lifestyles as well. The fact that you can connect to others and have further knowledge about other cultures will present new opportunities for your life. Each culture is creative and traditions are different, and that’s where you can find different art, technology, and ways of communicating to broaden your horizons. What I bring to my designs do not speak to one culture. It speaks to a community of cultures. Typically, I am going to be engaging where I am from and connecting it to different cultures.

What is HYPE?

N: HYPE is pretty much designing that one thing and seeing an individual or a group of people going bananas over it. This interview is HYPE. We’re definitely going to remember this day.

H: This experience alone is HYPE. Having a passion towards something and feeling thrilled about it is HYPE already.

P: HYPE has to be a game changer. Someone who does something different than somebody else and creates something new that everyone can follow is HYPE.

E: HYPE is becoming successful with a bunch of guys who have stuck with you from day one.

DJ Mel Boogie has been a major force in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada hip-hop scene for eighteen years, both as a radio host and as a DJ. Mel has spent much of her time in the college radio circuit as the host and co-DJ of the Droppin’ Dimez show, giving airtime to female DJs with the talent but not the exposure to make it to the top. Coming from a musical family and having been interested in hip-hop since she was a child, Mel believes in the importance of understanding the music that one plays and knowing the history behind the evolution of the genre. This is knowledge she believes is essential to anybody trying to make it in the hip-hop industry.

Mel tells justalilhype! about how her relationship with her father planted the musical roots that now form the foundation of her current career in Toronto’s music industry. She also shares her thoughts on Toronto status as Canada’s hip-hop mecca, what Canadian scenes need to do to support their local artists, and the overall importance of college radio in showcasing up and coming talent. Mel has dedicated her life to her musical passions and with her recent decision to take time away from the airwaves to focus on her own music, we are keeping an ear to the streets in anticipation of Mel’s latest boogie.

Tell us more about yourself.

I am DJ Mel Boogie. I have been DJing on radio for 18 years now. I’ve been the host and co-DJ of Droppin’ Dimez  Canada’s only all female hip-hop radio show show, for the past 10 years. I’ve been in love with hip-hop since the ‘80s. My older brother is an MC, my younger brother is a producer, and my husband is a DJ. It runs in the family.

What inspired you to be a DJ?

A couple of things inspired me to be a DJ. Growing up, my brothers and I would listen to Ron Nelson on CKLN. Back in the 80’s, he had a show called the Fantastic Voyage. Back then, he was one of the main sources from which people learned about hip-hop and he was the bridge between the hip-hop communities of Toronto and New York. A lot of people got introduced to hip-hop by his show. Growing up listening to him, i realized that I wanted to be involved in hip-hop. I was a little too shy to get up on stage and I didn’t crave all the attention that comes with being a DJ but I loved playing music. My love for music stems from my relationship with my dad, who was a huge record collector. He exposed us to many different types of music and we grew up with an appreciation for music and we got to see the natural progression of hip-hop evolution. I really loved it and now it’s my life.

How did you get your DJ name?  

My older brother suggested it. It stuck.

Who is your favourite DJ and why?

There are a lot of DJs that I really admire, both locally and internationally. DJ Starting from Scratch started out before me and I love him because he understands music. There is a difference between just playing music and understanding it. I like DJ Mensa too. He is dope. I also like A-Trak as well.  There is a difference between Canadian and American DJs. Canadian DJs tell stories between each song. There is a certain logical progression throughout the set. The DJs are not just dropping random tracks. A true DJ knows the music and can control and manipulate a crowd through the turntable.

A lot of DJs say that you have to know how to manipulate the turntable and not just know how to mix. How do you feel about some of the newer guys who only know how to mix?

I like mix DJs. I consider myself more of a mix DJ than a turntablist. I can scratch but I won’t be winning many competitions, let’s be serious. I think that for most DJs, they are either one or the other. I am fine with any DJ as long as they know what they are good at, tries to excel at that, and as long as they know the music and the history of hip-hop.

You have been involved with college radio for many years. What is it about college radio that got you hooked?

There is a certain level of freedom. There aren’t many rules and regulations on introducing new artists and supporting new artists. Most commercial stations mostly have, especially nowadays, only six to ten songs that are in rotation the whole day. College radio hosts and DJs have an opportunity to introduce a new artist to a whole new audience by having more freedom in the songs they want to play. College radio knew about artists like Rich Kidd and Drake before they made it big. Drake got some support at the college radio level. Commercial radio stations don’t really support true hip-hop. Artists need to rely on college radio stations and the relationships that they have with artists. A whole slew of great hip-hop acts that can’t get their material out can use the foundation of college radio to have their music heard.

Is the college radio scene more prominent in Canada versus the U.S.?

Essentially, the basic elements of college radio stations like an ear to the streets and relationships with new artists are the same here and south of the border. However, I do notice that a lot of U.S. radio stations support artists that come up in the scene a lot more than radio stations here. We are beginning to notice more of that in Toronto than Montreal and Vancouver as well. I think if you are an artist from Vancouver, you really got to work hard and you have to have connections with somebody. Otherwise, people don’t want to hear what you have to say. You can be a wicked MC, but it will still be difficult. Toronto is the hip-hop mecca of Canada and it has been this way for a while. That is the one thing I notice. American’s support their local artists a lot and we don’t do that enough here.

What plans do you have now that your current college radio post is over?

I want to refocus on Mel Boogie. For the past ten years, Droppin’ Dimez has been very proactive in getting female DJs to perform. We are the only radio show that invites female DJs to come in and drop a set. We know how few outlets there are for that. As far as what my plans are, I still want to do something along those same lines but not necessarily under the Droppin’ Dimez umbrella. I think I have earned the right to be a little selfish and focus on myself instead of only focusing on being a mother figure to up and comers.

As a woman, how does it feel to be such a dominant force in the local scene in a male dominated industry?

I am just me. I have been doing this for so long that I don’t really see my sex and gender as being anything extraordinary. I love hip-hop as much as the next person and I am a female. There are things that unite us all, regardless of gender, and it gradually becomes all about the music.

How did you establish yourself as a DJ after working in the radio industry for such a long time?

When I first started, I learned through trial and error. I worked hard to get respect. Once people saw that I knew music and hip-hop history, that all changed. I cannot stress this enough: do not burn bridges. The person you call an asshole today might be influential in the scene later on. Building relationships is extremely important. Respect and treat others how you would like to be treated. Stand up for yourself if you need to but make sure you help people if you can. People remember those things for the most part.

Have you had any humbling experiences with artists that you admire or artists that you have worked with and seen rise to the top?

Throughout my radio career I have been able to interview some people that I really look up to. I would not have had the opportunity to speak to them had it not been for radio. One of them is Pete Rock. I also got to interview Silk Smooth and Common. Probably one of the biggest interviews I did is one with DJ Premiere and MC Guru.  Premiere gave me the moniker “Canada’s Ambassador” because I gave him a bunch of Canadian records. There are local artists who I admire as well, like Rumble. Grant Knight is another one. Growing up, Knight and Smooth was my everyday soundtrack in high school. Then we were in the studio together, playing together and hanging out. it was a priceless moment. I was interviewing someone I looked up to for so long. Aya is an artist who I saw rise up in the scene. She progressed a lot. She didn’t have a lot of material when I first started playing her but she had raw talent and an amazing voice. She went from meeting Jazzy Jeff on MySpace to working on an album with Jazzy Jeff. It was amazing. I am really proud of her and I am happy to see all the good stuff going on for her. On the MC side, I really admire Boi-1da. We had him in the studio and he was really fresh and new. It was crazy to see him go from being a young dude to a global superstar.

What’s next for you?

I am finally going to get my own website. I have been so focused on other things that I am finally deciding to focus on myself. It’s basic to others but I have been pushing it aside for a while. The time I will rededicate to myself will give me an outlet to do my podcast and blog.

What is HYPE?

HYPE can be a good thing or a bad thing. A regular joe who can express his love and enthusiasm for something in a positive way and spreads it to the masses like a crazy laugh is positive. The negative side of HYPE is when you have somebody who is a DJ or artist and uses certain tools, like the internet, to build a certain type of awareness about them but then can’t deliver when it comes time to do it, like in a live setting. That is negative HYPE.

CALiPH is a Canadian rapper, singer and songwriter who resides in Toronto. Originally born in Prince George, British Columbia, he moved to the Greater Toronto Area at the age of 5 with his family. He experienced his first performances as a child singing in the church choir. He began writing his own music around the age of 12. His debut single ‘Dedicated’ was placed in rotation on Canada’s most listened to urban radio station Flow 93.5 FM. Equally capable singing or rapping, his clever lyricism and insightful subject matter encompasses a variety of themes drawn from his life.

The justalilhype! Crew got a chance to catch up with CALiPH to discuss about his early life, his music career, and his vision for his future. He describes about the standard that has been set in Toronto’s hip-hop scene, and tells us why it is extremely challenging to succeed in this industry. Furthermore, he explains to us why he wants to pursue to do music for a living and how he is determined to make this happen with the goal to release his debut album titled “The Resignation”.

 Please introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a rapper, singer, songwriter. I write all my own material. I’ve got some in-house producers that I work with like Donnie Keys, he’s my homie out of Scarborough.

I’ve been working on The Resignation for the past two years. That will be my debut album off the independent label Nasty North Records. Although that’s subject to change sometime soon.

Tell us about your name. Why is the ‘i’ the only letter that is lower case?

CALiPH is a brand. It’s a team, it’s not just me. People call me CALiPH cause that’s my rap name but there’s a lot more behind it. So why I lowercased the ‘i’, it’s like the saying there’s no “i” in team. There’s where I got that from and it’s a good representation of my team.

It started as my own name. There was a time when I was 16 and I was heavy into Islam and reading the Quran. I was even considering converting at the time. There was that word that I kept coming across but I didn’t know what it meant. So I looked it up and CALiPH basically means “the successor of Muhammad.” When Muhammad had past, there were people that took his position and carried the religion forward — they were successors. I mixed that into my own version. If you look at the rap game now there’s a lot of shit out there. There wasn’t a lot of good authentic hip-hop then and I felt like in some sense the essence was dying so I took it upon myself to be one of those guys to carry it forward. Luckily now there are guys that are doing great things like Drake, Wale and all these guys that are taking it back to the roots of hip-hop and staying real to the art. Not buying in to all the mainstream shit. I’m just the successor of hip-hop. Just another cat trying to carry on the essence.

What do you see as the biggest difference between the up-and-coming rappers vs the mainstream rappers?

The biggest difference I see is the creative control. When a lot of rappers sign these deals, the record label has a lot over the creative outcome of the project. I don’t necessarily agree with that but unfortunately that’s the reality of the game. Some guys get lucky. If you look at guys like Wale and Drake, they were signed by guys that believed in their talent and their progress. I’d say the majority of the time when comparing independent to established, it’s all about creativity and how they have boundaries and we don’t. We can do whatever we feel like and put out whatever the fuck we want. That’s definitely something I would have to deal with if I were to ever get signed. That’s definitely something I would have to consider; like, would I be willing to sacrifice creativity. The deal would have to be right.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve experienced while trying to build a career out of rapping?

That’s an easy question. It’s all financials man. The grind is ridiculous. I’m back in school now and I’m trying to balance a part-time job, class, homework, exams and on top of that I’ve got the music and my passion. It get really tough at times just to keep up with bills. That kind of restricts me from doing a lot of things unfortunately. I wish I could have put this album out last year but due to financials, projects take a lot longer to come out. So I guess you just have to dedicate more time into your art and try to make it the best that you can so when the time does come, you can make an impression on people.

What are you going to school for?

I’m going to school for independent music production. It’s a one-year specialized program at Seneca at York. It basically just teaches you how to survive and stay afloat as an independent artist. My manager Chris looks after a lot of that aspect but I took it upon myself to get to his level so we can work together. So school is helping a lot right now.

It’s not only about business. There are some classes there that are pushing me to write in a way that I don’t usually write. It pushes me creatively. For example, I had to write a country song last night. You can only imagine how hard that was cause I don’t know the first thing about country. I hated it but believe it or not, country has a lot of similarities to hip-hop.

 Coming from Toronto there must be a lot more pressure when it comes to hip-hop. How you do find the standard of quality in the hip-hop capital of Canada?

Ever since Drake popped off, the standards have been set. Prior to that you had Kardi and such but nobody really reached the status of Drake. He’s known and loved globally, so he definitely set the standard. I think that coming from this city, every rapper has to step their game up and thrown down some hot shit. There’s no slacking now.

Is there pressure? Yeah there’s a little pressure but as long as you love what you’re doing, pressure or no pressure, you’re going to do it.

From a business aspect, what you doing to build momentum and put yourself out there?

Pretty much for the last two years it’s been a creative process in developing this album. A lot of time was put into just making this thing as good as possible. We only recently started getting into our marketing plan and how to handle the business side so it’s still in the early stages of the business push and the album release.

Some things we’ve already done now though: we shot a music video on Sunday and we’ll put that out sometime soon. We’ll hit up all the blogs with it. That’s kind of how it is now. Everybody wants video. We’ll also be doing release parties and minor tours across Southern Ontario. We’ll be attending hip-hop conferences and socializing with industry heads and get them to know our name. This is more of a question that you’ll have to ask my homie Chris cause he can give you a lot more detail than I can. Like I said, I’m still in the learning process of handling this whole business thing.

What’s the worst experience you’ve had during a live performance?

There was one situation where I was asked to be part of a show called Friday Night Live. It’s shot out of Ryerson University. It’s a television show that only airs in Toronto. They asked me to come out and do the season opener episode and close down the show. That was probably the worst performance I ever did. It was my first time on television and it wasn’t too well organized. I was wearing this collared shirt with a tie and it was tucked in my jeans. I was sitting on the side of the stage; kind of nervous. When I got up, my shirt pulled out of my pants and looked all bunched up and stupid as fuck. So I get on stage and I’m already looking stupid when the beat comes on and I can’t even hear the beat cause the guys had it too low. On top of that, the audience was told to be quiet during the performance. So I’m in this room, nobody’s talking and it’s just me trying to go off the energy of myself while I can’t even hear myself. That was probably the most uncomfortable experience. I went through it and it turned out to be okay, but I wish I could go back and do that one again. But you need to go through experiences like that cause it make you stronger as an artist. It also helps you strengthen your reaction time when something fucks up on stage.

What was your biggest learning experience as an artist?

The biggest mistake I’ve made was paying big studios to track my music. We spent a lot of money at big name studios downtown and later when the money dried up we resorted to renting equipment. Top of the line equipment. And we just did it out of our own studio and we achieved the exact same sound that we were getting from the expensive studios. You go through those things and learn off of experience.

How would you describe your style and where do draw inspiration from?

When I first started with music I was a singer, but when I got to high school, singing wasn’t cool anymore. That’s when I got into the rap thing. Now I find myself going back to my roots with the singing. My goal is to be respected in hip-hop for being extremely artistic and creative. A lot of the shit out there is really simple and not very inspiring. There’s not a lot of heart that’s put into the music out there and these guys aren’t very versatile creatively. My goal is to be respected and appreciated from people that enjoy all types of music. I’d like to help people out through my music, you know, help people that can relate to my music. I just want to be able to reach people from a creative level.

What artists do you look up to?

Right now I’d have to say Wale and Drizzy. Obviously all the big names like Hova, Kanye, Nas. All those cats. You can even go back to Tupac and BIG.

Have you ever been compared to another rapper?

One of my favorite things is that a lot of people have trouble comparing me to somebody but everybody tries to do it. They’ll say something like “oh you sound like J Cole” or “you sound like Nas” or whatever. The good thing is that they’re constantly saying different people. I never get the same guy. I guess we just naturally want to associate something new with something we’re familiar with. I’m happy that nobody has nailed me to sounding like one single dude, it’s always a jumble. So clearly I’m doing something right cause my mission is not to sound like anybody. I want my own voice and I want to be my own person.

What is HYPE?

If you got something that people like, I say that’s HYPE.

Life is about time and timing. People always complain about one’s luck, but how can you rant about something that is not even measurable? Time is consistent and while people live according to time, there are always methods to play around the clock, especially in terms of timing.

One simple idea of better using your time is managing time more effectively. People nowadays have developed new sleep-cycle strategies to aid them in recovering from long hours of work, which allow people to stay healthy and sleep less. Power naps are more common, and with the aid of caffeine, staying awake for a longer period of time isn’t too much of a challenge today.

Talking about time measurement in duration of minutes and seconds is not enough because even if you work for long hours, you might not be able to achieve your goals. On the other hand, being able to measure and predict timing can aid you sufficiently. In the world of street culture, the timing for breaking dancers to execute a move, the right time to drop a track in a club for a DJ, or the right time to start the next verse for a rapper demonstrates how much of a difference it makes when the timing is correct. Aside from being efficient in the usage of your time, being able to predict timings is extremely important for success.

Evidently, this is seen in economics and finance, but also in trends. Trends are dynamic and always run in timings, for fashion brands and street wear labels, being able to time a season launch, or being able to drop a specific style of product is extremely important in assuring that your product launch will be in demand.

Stop for a second, and start thinking to plan your timings, instead of time.

I was eating a slice of pizza when I realized that I have a need to wipe my mouth and fingers clear of grease and crumbs after every bite. I am borderline OCD and it got me wondering about perfectionists.

I wondered for the longest time how a perfectionist lives his life. They nitpick at every little detail, striving to make it exactly to their liming. They meticulously spend each and every second; focused on creating the best product they can create, or do every task to their exact liking. By that definition, if perfectionists strive to make everything they do or make to be perfect, then wouldn’t their lives be defined by themselves to be perfect?

Obviously this isn’t the case yet perfectionists soldier on to make every aspect of their lives perfect. Their lives are endless pursuits to perfection, I suppose. However, perfection such an unimaginal and subjective Utopia. In fact, perfection today may not be perfection in the future. If you consider something perfect now, that’s only because your opinion hasn’t changed yet – you don’t know if your opinion can change or not. Even something as absolute as the laws of physics, which we have known to be absolute for centuries, are now being challenged in an earth-shattering way. Perfection, the absolute nirvana that one holds so dear and high on a pedestal, has been reduced and whittled over time to represent but a point in time. By this definition, certainty as an extension of perfection is questioned along side it. You can’t have perfection unless you are certain it is perfect. If such a notion is slowly going to fade, why even have a notion of perfection?

Perfection should be never be someone’s goal. The idea of perfection and the never ending and self-encroaching pursuit of it is tedious enough to drive a man to the brink and beyond insanity. It becomes a vicious cycle of unmet satisfaction, leading to frustration and resentment towards what you do.

Rather than perfection, perhaps it is slightly less than perfect that is what you should pursue. That fabled 10/10 exists because there will always be something or someone better, it just depends on when you will find it or them. Instead, shoot for the 9/10’s because we have all seen that certain person walk down the street.

Perhaps one of the strongest ability of the human mind is to truly be able to focus on an assigned task. With the growth of technical devices hindering our ability to concentrate due to constant alerts, and an increasing level of connectivity in our daily lives. Our ability to multitask have inarguably become stronger, but leaving us the inability to concentrate.

Developing a sense of greater urgency is the basis of being able to focus. Add in consequences and punishments and this level of urgency escalates even more. While some people are able to focus on any task that are assigned to them, urgency applies pressure to people that procrastinate to face their upcoming deadline immediately. With the way we are trained in school and institutions, human beings are adapted to complete assigned tasks because of due dates.

That being said, if people are only able to focus due to an increased level of urgency, then it leads to the issue of procrastination when tasks do not have deadlines. Aside from your principle tasks and responsibilities in school and work, the greater challenge is then perhaps your side goals in life. To many, this might be your New Year’s Resolutions, or perhaps side projects that you always want to start but never got a time to. Without a deadline, focusing is extremely difficult but it is important for people to learning how to focus on them because we are becoming programs, following set paths and instructions, and losing the freedom to be able to focus on matters that we truly care in life.

In street culture, to support one another at crucial times is important. Each and every successful story in this culture shares the similarity filled with supporting agents within one’s life. With this aid, it allows their talents to be finally recognized. This kind notion of helping others sounds undeniably correct, but in hip-hop, over supporting could lead to negative effects as well. When someone backs you up, it is imperative that you return this debt someday by either giving back, or being associated closely with your sponsors. This is a problem because people at the top of the ladder use this method to control and dictate the future careers of new artists.  When such powerful people are supporting artists, they lose freedom of control in their craft. To draw a reasonable line between being over controlled and having the appropriate amount of assistance isn’t simple, and requires the two parties, the giver and the receiver to fully understand what is going on in this relationship.

Ask and you shall receive, but be careful on what you are demanding, as there are always consequences. With so many hidden agendas behind every action, one must be absolutely careful and attentive to people around them. And also be mindful that one day this debt must be paid in one way or another. What is your view in giving and receiving support? What’s the best way to repay someone?