Rap is better than self-help books
It seems that the US is obsessed with self-help books. My opinion is that if you read one self-help book and you like it, you should stick with it. If you read ten of them, you will, for the most part, read ten different ways of saying the same thing.
We all need inspiration and guidance, but you don’t have to read ten self-help books to get it. Read a couple of them and combine them in a way that works for you.
If you need more inspiration in your daily life, I think you should listen to rap. Here are some rap songs that I enjoy listening to when I need some inspiration about how to make money and enjoy life.
We can call it business rap. There are so many of them because rappers love to talk about money.
C.R.E.A.M — Wutang Clan
If you like rap, you like Wu-Tang Clan. I’m from a middle-class home in Denmark, and nothing seems further away from my life than selling drugs in Brooklyn. But everybody can relate to making money and the importance of hustling.
The hook has a universal message.
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y’all
Cash rules everything around me
C.R.E.A.M., get the money
Dollar dollar bill, y’all
Bounce Back — Big Sean
If you feel like everything is going in the wrong direction with your business, this is the perfect song for you. When you are broke, you can choose between giving up or bounce back.
Last night took an L, but tonight I bounce back
Wake up every morning, by the night, I count stacks
Knew that ass was real when I hit, it bounce back
(You ain’t getting checks)
Last night took an L, but tonight I bounce back
Boy, I been broke as hell, cashed a check and bounced back
D town LAX, every week I bounce back
If you a real one, then you know how to bounce back
It Was A Good Day — Ice Cube
This song is not about money, but it teaches you to enjoy a good day. Every self-help book in the US will tell you that you need to be positive.
Ice Cube shows you how to enjoy a simple day. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a good day.
Work — Gang Starr
It’s all about the work. If you want to be the best lawyer or rapper, you need to work, and you need to believe in yourself.
Ayo, I’m gonna be on ti-dop, that’s all my eyes can see
Victory is mine, yeah, surprisingly
I’ve been laying, waiting for your next mistake
I put in work and watch my status escalate
School Spirit — Kanye West
I love School Spirit because it was the first Kanye West song I heard and because it’s about how you can be a successful dropout student.
Would you rather have a master degree or be a genius like Kanye?
Do like Kanye. Go start a business and learn from it.
Told ’em I finished school and I started my own business
They say “Oh you graduated?” No, I decided I was finished
Chasing y’all dreams and what you’ve got planned
Now I spit it so hot, you got tanned
Back to school and I hate it there, I hate it there
Everything I want, I gotta wait a year, I wait a year
This nigga graduated at the top of our class
I went to Cheesecake, he was a motherfucking waiter there
Heavy in the Game — 2Pac
There is so much energy in all of 2pac’s songs. On his Makaveli album, he raps a lot about revenge with phrases like “revenge is the sweetest joy next to getting pussy.”
Hey, I want to spread a positive message, but if revenge is the kick you need I say go for it.
Now how can I explain how this game laced me, plus with this fame
I got enemies do anything to break me, my attitude changed
Got to the point where I was driven, twenty-four/seven
Money’s my mission, just a nigga tryin’ to make a livin’
Down — Run the Jewels
If you want a lot of inspiration, you should follow Killer Mike on Instagram (killermike).
In this song you learn that you should always keep your eye on your goal (dream.)
My my, y’all
I coulda died, y’all
A couple times I took my eyes off the prize, y’all
I know a few people pray for my demise, y’all
But like cream, I had to rise, I had to rise, y’all
Who am I, y’all
I coulda died, y’all
A couple times, I took my eyes off the prize, y’all
I know a couple people pray for my demise, y’all
But even birds with broken wings want to fly, y’all
Outside — Childish Gambino
I like his album Camp because it’s about a guy who doesn’t fit in anywhere. He isn’t ghetto enough, and he isn’t white, so he ends up alone in the world.
When we read self-help books, it’s because we don’t want to be alone. It’s important for us that someone else has been through the same struggle and succeeded. If you don’t have a mentor, you can always read books.
When I first read 4-hour workweek I didn’t love it because it told me that I didn’t have to work all week. I loved it because it went against everything I was taught about life.
It’s the same message Childish Gambino gives us in his song.
There’s a world we can visit if we go outside
Outside, outside
We can follow the road
There’s a world we can visit if we go outside
Outside, outside
No one knows
There’s a world we can visit if we go outside
Outside, outside
We can follow the road
There’s a world we can visit if we go outside
Outside, outside
No one knows
I hope you can find some inspiration from these songs.
