It’s time for you to stop rapping.

Let that settle in for a second.

For some of you reading this article that was the most liberating thing you’ve heard in weeks. But it’s time. There are a myriad of reasons that explain why it’s time for you to stop rapping but right now you just need to embrace the joyous, liberating reality of your musical retirement.

For some, you need to hear the reality of something you know deep down is true but no one around you has the guts to tell you: you’re just not that good. And I’m not talking to people just starting out and trying to sharpen your craft. You’re off the hook here. I’m talking to you Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. 3 to 4 albums strong and all just aren’t that good. No one is saying you’re a bad person, but plenty of people are saying behind your back what you need to hear to your face – you’re not a good rapper and you haven’t been one for a while now. Deep down, you know it’s true but pride won’t let you accept it. Well allow me to be the voice of reason, conscious and honesty – you’re not that good and it’s time for you to stop rapping. I’m not being mean but, for once someone is telling you the honest truth you’ve been waiting to hear and it’s time to hang up the pen, blackberry, iPad “Notes” app or whatever you use to write rhymes with. But hang on with me, I’ll go deeper with you in a minute.

For others, it’s a bit more complicated. You are actually good at rhyming. People other than your grandma and the nice church folk actually compliment you on your skill. You’ve even had the opportunity to share your music with other people you respect musically and even THEY think you’re good. And not in a “keep it up brutha/sista, you on your way!” trying and not hurt your feelings kind of way either. They actually think you’re good. You rock crowds, you have the respect of your contemporaries and producers love working with you yet there’s a reality you must come face to face with – it’s time for you to stop rapping. At a minimum it’s time for you to stop pursuing a “career” in music. it’s not because you’re not good, it’s because you know deep in your heart of hearts that your heart isn’t in it.

Let me tell you a story from my own experience. I did music for YEARS with varying levels of passion when it came to how hard I was trying to be “full time.” During that time I took a position at a local church doing ministry. After focusing on local church ministry for a couple years exclusively, I returned to doing music with renewed vigor. Had some good songs, a different perspective of being an artist that pastors & parrishoner’s could connect with and a heart to do it well. I ALSO had a full-time job, still leading ministry, a wife and eventually a daughter. Add all of that together and let’s just summarize it all by saying Steve was a busy man. A friend of mine once said to me, in a COMPLETELY unrelated conversation, “you have to ask yourself ‘is what I’m doing worth trading my life for?’ Because WHATEVER you do, you have to trade something else to get it done. So you have to ask yourself that or that you’ll be trading your life for something you don’t even care about.” Musically, things were going descent. I rocked some decent sized crowds (decent meaning over 1,000 people) and sales were OK. One day, after a particularly LONG week of work, ministry, marriage, discipleship and fatherhood I was on my way to gig that I had to drive about 45-50 minutes to get to. I was getting paid for the gig so my wife wasn’t too mad that I was gone. As I was driving to the location on a rainy Friday night, I began to think about the time I was spending traveling, doing shows, recording, etc and the time I WASN’T spending with my beautiful wife and newborn daughter. Somewhere between listening to the instrumentals of that night’s set and looking at the “Maps” app on my phone for directions to the location I had a moment of clarity and I realized that I was trading my life at that particular moment. I was trading my time with my daughter, wife and time sleeping (my daughter was only 2 months at the time and if you’ve had kids you know how valuable sleep is at that time) and I realized the crowds, signing CDs, and a few hundred bucks a show wasn’t something I wanted to trade my life for. That night I realized that it was time for me to stop rapping.

I had friends who, almost simultaneously, were making the move to go full time doing music. They were actually paying bills, buying their kids clothes, taking vacations, feeding their families off of doing music. I was so happy for them but to my surprise, I wasn’t jealous. We’d talk about them being on the road as much as they were and the things they were trading their lives for and for them it was worth it. For me, it was repulsive and it was time for me to stop rapping.

I’m not trying to make you “miss your calling” or anything like that. In fact, I’m trying to help you fulfill it.

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It’s Time For You To Stop Rapping | Rapzilla.