Note: as you are probably aware, some rap and hip hop music have strong and potentially offensive lyrics. If you prefer not to listen to them, please don’t click any of the links in this article.
For those of you that don’t regularly listen to rap and hip hop music, here is a quick overview of the three artists I am going to be referencing to in this article—Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Rihanna. These three artists are on the top of their game right now and seem to be the most popular, and they happen to be my favorite artists (at the moment). With their most recent hits (at time of writing) including “Moment 4 Life (featuring Drake),” “Miss Me,” and “What’s My Name (featuring Drake),” respectively, every time you listen to the radio you can’t help but run across one of these songs, or the many, many other songs that they are featured on.
Well, that is great and all, but what do these artists, and those similar in rap and hip hop, have to do with freelancing? Below I list a couple of things that both freelancing and rap and hip hop music have in common, and how you can take these aspects and use them to expand and grow your freelancing as a student.
Collaborating with other artists and designers can increase your exposure, fast.
Drake and Nicki Minaj both quickly rose to the top of the charts and became household names once they started collaborating with big name stars such as T.I., Lil Wayne, Timbaland, Will.i.am, Eminem, Usher, Trey Songz, and not to mention each other. Rihanna, who used to never collaborate, has recently started collaborating with everyone, including Drake and Nicki Minaj, along with T.I., Eminem, and Justin Timberlake.
In freelancing, it is becoming increasingly popular to team up with another freelancer that is in your field, or related field, to bring about a project. Take for instance the guys over at Digging into WordPress. Chris Coyier and Jeff Starr collaborated to bring together this amazing resource on how to work with WordPress, and they even wrote a book in the same manner as well. From my point of view, as this site grew in popularity, so did their names in the freelancing and design world. Instantly, whenever this resource is mentioned, everyone knows who is behind it, just like the popular songs I rattled off earlier.
So just as it is true in the rap and hip hop realm, teaming up with others to bring to life a project or any other creation can lead fruitful for not only you but for whoever you team up with as well. Find ways in which you can get your name out there and team up with others. Any exposure is good exposure these days. There is definitely a power in numbers.
Finding ways to shoot your confidence level through the roof.
Rap and hip hop music is notorious for this: they constantly make songs promoting themselves and how cocky and confident they are. Let’s take for instance Nicki Minaj’s new single (featuring Drake), “Moment 4 Life.” If that title doesn’t say that she is on top her game, then maybe her lyrics will: “I fly with the stars in the skies; I am no longer trying to survive; I believe that life is a prize; But to live doesn’t mean you’re alive; Don’t worry ‘bout me, and who I fire; I get what I desire, it’s my empire; And yes I call the shots, I am the umpire; I sprinkle holy water, upon the vampire; In this very moment I’m king; In this very moment I slay Goliath with a sling.” Pretty confident huh?
How can you translate this into your freelancing? Pretty simply really. It is all in the way you present yourself. As a student freelancer, you may feel a bit uneasy about what you can offer your clients, but I am sure there is something that you are really good at that fits into your offering. When presenting yourself, present yourself as if you are on the top of your game. This won’t fade fast because the more and more you learn and work at getting projects and building your portfolio, you will always be on top of your game, and isn’t that what you want from your freelancing anyways?
So, just for fun, I thought I would post my favorite video of the moment that is my personal “anthem” when I start working on freelance work. Mentioned above, Nicki Minaj featuring Drake performing “Moment 4 Life.”
In what other ways can rap and hip hop music (or any other music) help you with your freelancing?
This is the first time I’ve read a blog attempting to teach freelancing tips via hiphop…and I love it! 😀
As a student and a fledgling freelancer, I often get cold feet about whether I’m “suited” to this sort of work, despite how well I’m received. Sometimes when I stick out my chest and tell people I’m awesome, I’ll get the gig and immediately start doubting myself, wondering if I really deserve it.
That kind of thinking will only screw you up in the end. I love Nicki Minaj (despite my trying so hard not to), so it’s actually really encouraging to take some of that strong confidence of hers and use it as my own. Thanks for the tip!
I appreciate the kind words! I thought it would be a different kind of freelancing post, but also thought it wouldn’t be very well received. I apparently wrong though 😀