The One-Person Genre
The path toward extreme value creation
I got a story to tell, you know that I cherish thee — Kendrick Lamar
Mona Lisa.
Very obvious. The painting is a strange one not because of what everyone says, but because I’ve never understood it. Maybe I need to visit the city and see the real thing.
I had the same feeling about sunsets and sunrises — I never knew why people loved them. Until I witnessed one. My perspective changed. Maybe seeing the real painting of the Mona Lisa will change my perspective about it.
Regardless, it is a famous painting. No two alike. It’s unique.
It has the kind of success that transcends territorial boundaries, generations, and historical timelines. Uttering the name evokes only one picture.
With the portrait lies value. As a metric, value is noted by other people. When someone recommends a movie to you that has a rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes of IMBD, you have to give it a go.
Most people see value in the Mona Lisa. For different people to have the same conclusion, it must also be original or at least, borderline original.
When we merge the two concepts — unique and valuable, you’ve hit the jackpot. Now consider the name:
Mona Lisa.
First, it’s unique.
Secondly, it’s considered valuable.
Bullseye.
You can develop something unique but it might not be valuable. Say, for instance, I write these posts daily, merging my ideas with music but millions are yet to read my work. Yet. The same goes for anyone who loves to create — music, writing, acting, paintings, buildings, theories, blueprints, models.
They are unique.
But are they valuable?
Let’s start by seeing those who are unique and valuable then we can trace the path backward. As Charlie Munger liked to reiterate — Invert. Always invert.
Sp invert we shall.
Leonardo — the difficult one
I knew about Leonardo da Vinci before Leonardo DiCaprio.
Reading was the defining factor. I’d mostly prefer comedies and documentaries to movies such as Titanic. I watched this classic motion picture when I was in class 7. Fourteen years old. By then, I had read several books and watched many documentaries to have da Vinci living in my brain rent-free.
Both are Leonardos. One is known as the polymath and the other as a great actor.
The distinction between them is a single name. Why not think of single names then?
The full name is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, but most people don’t even know the second name, Giselle.
Beyoncé is a one-person genre.
The same goes for Madonna, Kobe, Steph, Durant, Okocha, Nyashinski, Octopizzo, Ellen, Dawkins, Trump, Obama, Thor, Odin, Ragnar, Heisenberg, Feynman, Einstein, Superman, Batman, Tom and Jerry, Scooby, Spielberg, Popper, Buffet, Musk, Vusi, Mandela, Kwame, Hitler, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, God, Satan, Lucifer, Kanye, Beethoven, Mozart, Nas.
The list is long.
The names, however, are distinct.
They are one-person genres.
But more than names, what of initials?
MJ — all the more difficult
If you go to the lakeside, in Kenya, and ask my upcountry people whether they know MJ, they will agree.
But they will not say Michael Jackson. They’ll say Musa Juma.
In the court, however, MJ is unique — Michael Jordan.
Initials tend to come with territories. MJ on the court differs from MJ on the stage, in sold-out arenas — I’m talking about Michael Jackson.
In the Nyanza region of Kenya, Musa Juma is more popular than Michael Jackson, even though both produced music.
What of LBJ?
On the basketball court, it’s undebatable — LeBron James.
I have a pair of LBJs, his signature sneakers.
But in politics, it’s the 36th U.S. president, Lyndon B. Johnson.
For a rapper who dominated in his craft, I have to include DMX. There’s only one DMX and will only be one.
These personalities, despite their territorial dominance, are one-person genres. Distinct. Unique. Territorial.
How did they climb to these unshakable levels? It would be foolish to think there’s one single path to such unquestionable acclaim, but I can track one possible way.
Start with value
For a minute on the clock, Black Mamba with the ball — Kendrick Lamar
For those who love documentaries, Black Mamba is one of the most venomous and feared snakes. It’s fast. It’s lethal. It’s unforgiving.
It’s the nickname that was given to Kobe Bryant, another one-person genre. He’s fast, lethal, and unforgiving.
Kobe Bryant is so differently unique that the 24 Laker Jersey is unlikely to be won by any other future player on the team.
After the U. S. basketball team had suffered tournament after tournament of defeat, the then coach, Mike Krzyzewski, made a call. He brought Kobe Bryant to the team. Not just as any player, but as the captain.
He was 29 years old then. The Netflix documentary says it all, how he inspired the members to aim for nothing but the gold medal.
From high school, he was picked for his unique skill. In the 2008 Olympic games, he was a valuable addition to the team and led his country to the finals.
In the same team, there were unique and valuable assets too — LeBron, Boozer, Wade, Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony to name a few. These players are one-person genres. The only person who could lead such a team would have to be uniquely valuable.
A Black Mamba.
Value is established by what other people say about you. Unchanging qualities say a lot about an individual.
Therein lies a path.
It starts with value.
When my sister was giving me lessons on how to play this beautiful game, she told me to watch what the others do. Mimic, watch their game, and try to replicate them, a cheat sheet.
At the time, I was a huge fan of Derrick Rose, the youngest ever in the NBA to have ever won the MVP award. I’d watch so many of his highlight games and would try to mimic his game.
Escobar, another one-person genre has qualities that many can agree on. So many people in South America thus tried to replicate his rise to the seat of the don.
In the song, Never Let Me Down, Jay-Z says:
Hov’s a living legend and I’ll tell you why
Everybody wanna be Hov, and Hov’s still alive
In hip-hop, Jay-Z is a legend. Like Kobe, he too has another name — Hov.
Those who want to be like Hov start by mimicking. It’s an easy strategy to improve your value as an upcoming hip-hop artist simply by copying those who came before you, as a sure bet in upping your value.
J. Cole confessed to it:
Whole style obviously copied, pasted
Plagiarized swag, may arrive last,
But when it’s all said and done, I’mma be ahead of them
Copying the style is one huge leap. You familiarize yourself with valuable work by aiming at the same ballpark as those who have established their value in their respective fields.
But it doesn’t stop there.
There’s the next big step.
Finding your voice
No introductions are necessary when you hear certain voices.
Whitney Houston’s voice is one of a kind — the kind you only see once in your lifetime. I could say the same thing about Mariah Carey, Tina Turner, Michael Bolton, or Luther Vandross. Legendary singers and one-person-genres in their own right have their voices.
Singular and identifiable.
Whitney’s voice is like taking a sip of cold water after walking for hours under the scorching sun — I go crazy when the DJ plays her songs. Maria Carey’s high notes are as smooth as smoothness can get. Tina’s energy is evident, simply the best. Michael Bolton sang like two souls merged into one. Luther Vandross’ hits would calm a fast-beating heart with his slow music. I could say the same thing about Bob Marley.
These artists have their voices.
It’s difficult to mimic them.
Tusker Project Fame, historic in East Africa, used to call for auditions, to find the next M’bilia Bel or Eric Wainaina. Contestants could try to mimic some of these artists in the most horrendous of ways. Those who would stand out, however, were the ones who tried to hit the notes of the legends but infused with their own style.
They stood out because they were not just good singers, but because they personalized their demos. They struck at the heart of original creation — value and uniqueness to create something original.
Mimic Celine Dion and you’re on the right track to high value. Infuse it with your style and you create something original. Right there, you’ve hit the bullseye. Original creation.
Cassidy wrote a song I will always love — I’m A Hustla.
In this song, he uses the words from Jay-Z’s song U Don’t Know from The Blueprint. The Blueprint is a classic album by Jay, the kind every hip-hop artist wishes to produce.
What Cassidy did was take two lines, and infuse them with his style:
I’m a hustla
Aks about me.
Value, by using what a rapper of immense value used, and uniqueness by injecting your style into it.
Cassidy has a laid-back, simple but powerful punch in his lines. When he raps, it’s evident who he is — a one-person-genre.
Today’s rappers are somewhat stuck at the first step — almost all of them mumble-rap. Some then tweak their voices through auto-tune. However, those who add their voices become unique. For that reason, they stand out.
Pop Smoke and Future stood out because they added their voices to the commoditized style.
Snoop Dogg’s voice is so distinct, I doubt anyone can copy it. Kendrick's style is so versatile, it’s pointless to perfect it. Eminem’s diverse rhymes, merging wordplay and speed are respected in all of hip-hop. Twista is known for his fast raps. Kanye’s haaaa is so Kanye.
These are one-persona genres who’ve developed their voices.
You too can develop your unique style. It starts by copying. It will not be perfect, because the ones who stand out are unique in that they have found their voices. But you won’t be shooting in the dark. You’ll literally be shooting for the stars.
Then you can morph into one.
What I’m trying to say is…
Good artists copy. Great artists steal.
A formula to develop something people will pay top dollar to experience is by following these two steps:
1. Copy the greats, then
2. Inject yourself in it
That’s how you invent and reinvent yourself.
That’s how you become a one-person genre. You don’t become the best, you become the only one.
This lengthy post started with Mona Lisa, but I hope that…
Now you get the picture,
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa
— Lil Wayne
PS: I’m preparing a course to help writers make leaps in their craft, to become one-person-genres and get instant results — guaranteed. It’s the same formula I used to make leaps in my writing. If you’re a writer, you can join the waitlist by clicking here. But if not, you can join the 55+ others and subscribe to my weekly atomic newsletter, which is packed with timeless value aimed to edge you towards extreme value.
