Why J Cole and Drake Fell Off (and what it has to do with your creator business)

I love rap music (especially 90’s rap).

I listen to some modern stuff too, like J Cole and Drake.

But I rarely like any new songs they release.

The last couple albums they released were garbage.

But, the older stuff is great.

What’s the difference?

In the old songs, they talk about things we can relate to:

*Finding love *money struggles *dealing with stress *wanting more out of life *being a parent

However…

The new songs are all about how great THEY are.

J Cole’s last two albums are literally all about how he’s the best rapper ever.

No one cares. It has no depth. We turn it off.

Here’s why this matters for creators:

When you’re starting and you’re small, you don’t have a big ego about your business and brand.

You put out content from your heart — made for your PEOPLE.

As you grow and get more praise, your focus can being to shift away from your audience and your mission — and onto YOURSELF.

You start to believe YOU are the reason everyone is showing up.

Your content starts to become all about how you’re so great.

The original mission dies and your ego comes to life.

That’s when creators stop growing.

That’s when rappers fall off.

It’s the ego trap.

Even Ali Abdaal (5M YouTube subs) has talked about this, as it’s something he’s making sure to stay aware of (and has done a great job so far).

This is a reminder that we are here to further a mission for the betterment of other people.

This creator (or influencer) business isn’t about US.

It’s about what we can do to help OTHERS.

So as you grow, watch out for the trap.

Create more — ego less.

Brian