ICONS: GRACE CUM HARD WORK

Urban Central
Urban Central
Published in
3 min readSep 29, 2020

The word ‘grace’ literally means ‘favour’ In Hebrew. It is CHEN from a root word CHANAN meaning to bend or stoop in kindness to another as a superior to an inferior.

We can say that Laycon (Olamilekan Agbeleshe) found grace in the sight of God and men for him to move from being an underdog at the beginning of the show to winning the grand prize. A lot of things definitely worked together for his good.

But could it have been Grace alone that crowned him King after 71 days? I do not think so.

He released his first Extended Play (EP) as far back as 2016 titled Young Black and Gifted.

Laycon released another EP before he went for the competition, this is proof that he was intentional about it and had a game plan.

He was talked down, body shamed and belittled as soon as he climbed the stage on the first day. Fast forward to Day 2 in the house, and almost everyone that slandered him became supporters. Why? They saw raw talent and intelligence.

He was not modest with his content; he threw it all over their faces and within a short while fellow housemates were singing his songs word for word. Surprised? Well, if he didn’t have a dope song prior to the competition there won’t be any song to be sung.

Even though the show was all about entertainment, I am certain we can draw one or two lessons from it .So, let’s learn from Mr. Olamilekan Agbeleshe’s story.

  • Never let the impression people have about you define your life. The fact that some people gave up on you or do not believe in your dreams does not mean your dream is not valid.
  • Even if your current hard work is not being noticed yet, continue being diligent. Your competence will one day be rewarded, just like Laycon’s was.

Do not be deceived, Grace will not work for you in Isolation.

I will end with this analogy: You are on a high sea and you need a boat to move. You need to sail the boat yourself (Hard work) but at the same time you need the help of the wind (Grace).

It will be difficult for you to do well without these two things on the sea, same is applicable on the Sea of Life.

Congratulations Laycon!!!

Written by: Damilare. J. Oyetunji

Social Media Handle: @omooyelast

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Urban Central
Urban Central

Urban Central is the Internet Magazine for the millennial mind, focused on documenting and developing the music culture in Africa