Diary of a Rhymer

Part 3

Rise to fame

Michael J Fox said; ‘No matter how much fame you have, it’s not something that belongs to you. If I’m famous, that doesn’t belong to me -- that belongs to you. If you can’t remember who I am, I’m no longer famous.’ I opened my eyes, it was still dark, backstage was softly lit. My senses heightened, I was so pumped everything else seemed like it was in slow motion. Something instinctively told me that I had to seize the moment, it was now or never. My heart felt like it was going to explode; it felt like everyone could hear it. Breathing in the cocktail of alcohol, perfumes and tobacco only strengthen my resolve. The building was animated, the ceiling sweating from the toxic atmosphere within. I looked at my Gucci time piece and quickly straightened my clothes. It was organised chaos, I was its architect. They call me KG Demo and I write rhymes. The whole venue was alive, swaying back and forth like a snake. The bass line was hypnotic sending its hungry listeners into a trance.  The music was building to a crescendo. This was my hour the arena erupted into a near deafening eruption of pure emotion. The curtain rolled back as I made my entrance.

What would a nine to five give me? I had no choice but to give up the 9 to 5 that stifled my creativity. I found myself drifting from job to job, from career to career. I sensed that I was destined for more than I had so far achieved. I am here for a reason, now I need to walk in it. I cannot live to work, I work to live. What would my family say about pursuing a fledgling career in rap, it wasn’t even an accepted art form? How would I make money? To fulfil any dream you first have to wake up. There were no career paths that I desired to follow; all I had was the desire to be more than what they told me I could be.

Amateurs built the Ark and professionals built the Titanic, so expect the unexpected. So called intellectuals devise courses so they can control the creative content and how its delivered. We can’t be afraid to express who we are. Wiping the sweat from my palms, I battled against my nervous energy. My tracksuit sticking to my body m y tongue was clinging to the roof of my mouth.

My first appearance on stage taught me a harsh lesson. I was supporting Cash Money and Marvellous at the Astoria theatre. It was packed with people from all over London; there wasn’t even room to swing your arms. What an opportunity to announce myself as the new king of rap, instant stardom awaited me. I nervously watched the crowd. The deejay introduced me and the crowd roared as I strolled out like a Gangsta. All of sudden the backing track jumped, and then it jumped again, to make things worse the crowd suddenly turned. They booed like I was some kind of pantomime villain, from a state of ecstasy to despair all in a matter of seconds. Why do we put down the efforts of others?

I walked off stage with my whole world in pieces, I felt like a failure. “What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” Wisdom takes every experience and uses it as building blocks to pave the way ahead. Every professional was first an amateur. ‘Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.’ Quote by Booker T. Washington.

“Listen with your eyes and see with your ears fam.

Take a deep breath, now take my hand.

Understand it’s like a journey we travel on.

Step by step, together got to be strong.

So many places, races, who holds the aces, while I pack my suitcases.

I wanted to be free from ages, inside the rages.

I struggle in stages through life’s little mazes.