Segment: Read The Fine Prints - Contracts Will Make or Break Your Career

0:00Do you seek adventure and want to serve your country? The Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations is hiring. As a member of our team, you'll work on high-impact operations around the world, safeguarding our nation and making a difference. We are looking for individuals with a can-do attitude and a collaborative mindset. If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding role, explore available opportunities and apply online at CIA.gov slash careers. I remember I was giving, I've never mentioned his name in any interview, but today I was mentioning his name. Sena Baita. We used to be in the University of Ghana together. We used to have like, he happened to have studio equipment and stuff. He was like, oh, he was rich. You know, he had a home, studio set up. Like, come, come, come, we want to record. Oh, come, come, come, come, record. So I have never had to go through the process of, I'm looking for money to go and pay for studio session. So it never was a thing in my mind.

1:01You know, in life, you're only exposed to what your reality is. So my reality was people were always ready to offer help to me, because anytime they heard me sing, I'm like, talent, talent. This is something I want to be part of. So they were always like, so going into the conversation, getting signed, it never was a thing in my mind of how I'd struggle to pay studio sessions and how I'd struggle to get money. Like I said, money, even though I had none, it was still never a thing in my mind. Today, what decisions would you have made differently? I would have not been an overexcited young man who wanted to just make music for their passion, because no matter how much passion you have, it's show business. You know, there's a business aspect of it. And yes, you can make all the music, make all the lost songs, make the world dance. But if you don't read the fine prints,

2:02you work your whole life. And then you realize that you worked, but there's nothing to show for it. Conversation about masters of the record. You own all of masters. Not all of it. Like I said, to go into detail about this conversation would have to dive deep, deep, deep, deep, deep. So I'll leave it at here. I wish I read the fine prints, but I didn't. So I'll deal with the consequences of not reading the fine prints. I'll show you a lot of kids, you know, get into your DM, talented kids. You get to hear one of them, and he's so talented in here, like, I really want to help this kid. What are you going to tell him about record labels and how to deal with management? Read the fine prints. It's such a powerful one-life sentence that you need, because the music industry

3:06is a world, world place. I was about to draw it out a few episodes back, if I didn't have the passion for what I'm doing, year five, out of hung my mic, So he started to ask himself questions about this work. worth what you're even getting at the end of it. It's not. But guess what is worth the passion? I have so much passion that now obviously now I balance it with the business because it's very important. You need to be able to survive and keep doing what you're doing. You have to keep putting the money back into your business. But I always tell them, you're not out hungry, you are. Anyways, my one I wasn't hungry. I was hungry. But I didn't go into it because I was hungry.

4:08I went into it because I was just a kid that loved music. I just wanted to sing. I did not care what I sang. Man, you know, you're very, like you're very diplomatic and political in your statements about this. And I really appreciate it. Actually, you're not worth to be diplomatic and political. But for this specific conversation, I recognize that there's depths and depths and depths and depths of it that we will need an actual conversation based on this to delve deeper into it. So I don't want to have to say and then leave it shallal for interpretation. I also appreciate the fact that you recognize that regardless of what happened, the path you took through is what has made you who you are today. And I hear that in every conversation you have about management. I hear that. And that's the appreciative part of you. I'm super, super, super, super, super. I can't even

5:13emphasize how much super I mean, but I'm super grateful for the opportunities. One thing when I was growing up, there was one thing that I hated lots that as an adult, as an adult, that has a mind of my own. I've realized as false. They say something, no credit here, but I could pay. Means the truth is only one. But that's false. Because as an adult, one thing I've come to learn, is that two things can be true. Even three things can be true. So a situation might be in front of us on the table where you obviously see me, it's a very negative situation. But two things can be true. It's a negative situation. But that situation also helped. Like when we speak now on my childhood, I told you about how somebody who listens to all of this and say, hey, and I, what bro, but I recognize that. I don't like I neglect that part of it. I recognize that. It's a negative situation. But two things can be true. Right. It's also a situation that has shaped

6:18the point of your life. Yeah. Man, anytime I speak to artists about this money stuff, because I even heard conversation where artists are selling their catalogues, there's so many things that don't own my steps. Anytime I get myself involved in conversations like that, for me, it's there's always a thought that there is somebody that is always trying to use somebody. That's something you're going to have to learn the difficult way in the industry. Yeah. Everybody's using everybody. But in a situation where you're going to industry where this is using this and this is using that, I always tell like when I get the chance to have conversations with people that are budding and coming up, I told them one of the best things you're going to have to have is leverage. Because leverage is what allows people to not be used. Huh. It's not just a music thing in any industry. Leverage. And leverage shows up

7:21in so many different ways. Like when you know what you have, when you know who you are, when you know what you are, when you know what you bring to the table, when you go into any round table, when you walk into any room, nobody can believe. They aim to believe you because that's just what corporate is. Corporate is just set up in a way that they're supposed to get more than you. But when you're able to recognize who you are, what you are, what you bring your value is very difficult to be bullied. Like also, um, can you spend many years, you know, under record labels. Yeah. But I'm sure maybe after year two, three, you kind of started realizing certain things. You know, why did you stay stay in there for so long? So very early on in the record label. I kind of every year taught me something, you know, and lots of the things I lens from I probably started learning them from year

8:25four, five. I lens very early on that. I was in my own. I had my own values. I had my own vision. I had my own thoughts. I had my own how I wanted life to be. But I was working with people who are amazing at what they did. Right. So what I had to do is I recognize that yes, this is me and how I want to be my, but so far as I'm here, I recognize I'm working with people who are also very good at what they do. So the mental strength to take a back seat and allow them to do what they agree to at because I know eventually there will be a time where the student becomes a master. That's right. And when you a student becomes a master, you need everything you lens as a student. And these will are great at something that you are going to need when you become a master. You have to humble yourself. There was a lot of friction. There was a lot of different ideologies and different

9:29principles and different ways of things being done. But it was such a battle to sometimes just hold yourself back and understand that people you're working with, they are really good at what they do. So allow them to do them and just a lens from what they are doing. Lens. Lens. There is no expiration to where you're going to go and how you're going to be. It's not like you need to be this now. Not five years. Lens. They're 10 years. Lens. Because eventually you're going to the bed is going to develop wings. You're going to have to fly. You're going to have to know altitude of wind and how to balance your wings and how to go this and how to do that and how to do that. But you only know that if you're able to humble yourself to learn in the time that it was time for learning. If you grow wings too quickly, you fly. All right. When you hit a plane as a bed, you go into the wrong, you go into the bimita triangle and you'll be drowned.

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