hello can you hear me there we go that
feels good
how’s it going everybody all right so
I’m Lawrence Matthews I’m an artist
photographer musician lots and lots of
things filmmaker all that good old stuff
and when Ted this whole situation
reached out to me and they told me what
the theme was and it was my story I was
like okay I see I can do this I’m gonna
be talking like high school students I’m
gonna start from where I was in high
school and in high school I actually I
really hated it it was like really bad
for me I wasn’t popular at all
I wasn’t liked at all about women or my
male peers
I was really antisocial introverted but
also very passionate about the things I
did care about and that doesn’t make for
a good person to be around I guess and
because of that I was very had a lot of
angst a lot of frustration listening a
lot of Nirvana it’s really mad all the
time
had an emo phase I painted my nails
black like I was just I really hated
everybody so because of that the main
thing I wanted to do when I got out of
school was get out of Memphis and I
blamed Memphis for a lot of my problems
a lot of frustrations I was having
because I felt like if we weren’t
cultured enough and we didn’t understand
a lot of different things and so because
of that I spent a lot of time trying to
plot and get out but at the same time I
wasn’t that good of a student I went to
school we really weren’t at least I
really wasn’t encouraged to pursue
college the way you supposed to so I
didn’t even think I could go to school
to be honest with you and at the time I
was making art but not really the way
that I am now was making music I just
learned to play guitar playing piano
writing a few songs really wasn’t into
what I was doing yet so
the options and the things that I wanted
to do with my life were very slim at the
time and I didn’t expect much from my
life at the time because when you come
from a certain environment you deal with
certain people just kind of honestly
sadly expect not to be around that long
so because of that I didn’t really think
about my future often I thought about
the things I wanted to do in the dreams
that I had but I knew they were very far
fetched it seemed to be very far fetched
just so happened I meet a young lady I
fall in love with a young lady she
decides to move to DC so what did I do
I went to DC with her so when that
happened to me and my mind I was like
okay I’m gonna be able to do all the
things that I want to do I’m in DC it’s
a bigger city than Memphis is I can
handle this it’s nothing it was the dude
so hard it’s way harder than anybody can
understand moving from Memphis Tennessee
to a major metropolitan city or even
trying to go to New York or whatever so
this is when the story gets kind of like
sad or whatever but so I’ve always
struggled with emotional stability in
different ways whether it’s like I’m
very passionate or I’m like super low so
it goes back and forth and when I was up
there a lot of different things happen a
lot of the environment that we were in
the things were going so we didn’t have
any money I was poor like I was
struggling in schools failing out of
every single one of my classes because I
was working like a slave but then coming
to class in the morning and like just
loafing path eating
I’m skinny now and I was like way
skinnier then cuz I was like losing
waiting like malnourished just I wasn’t
taking care of myself it was my first
time being away from home I did not act
I didn’t know what to do I just was
messing up really really bad so spend
all this time up here I’m working I’m
working so in my mind I realized okay
I’m gonna flunk out
but I’m pursuing music if I can get to
New York City my second semester and my
mind I’ll make it that was my whole
thing regardless of what our fun
or whatever I was like I can get to New
York second semester I’m a recorder
album while I’m in DC in my dorm and
then next semester I’m going to New York
everything will be cool I get kicked out
of school so that didn’t happen like at
all so I couldn’t afford to stay my
second semester they wouldn’t give me
any loans nothing I wrote letters to
people begging them to please allow me
to stay in school please please please
I’ll be better in all this crap they
said no I got kicked out of school had
to come back to Memphis so when I come
back to Memphis depression kind of sits
on because I left Memphis with an
attitude of I’m never coming back here
and I was right back where I was and
probably a worse situation than I had
left with so I was broke depressed
heartbroken frustrated all these
different things so when that happened
the thing about depression is that it
pulls on you in different different like
different ways and it makes you feel
different ways and I became kind of
suicidal not kind of I was suicidal and
that was something that kind of like
weighed on me in still ways with me to
this day like the person is another
thing you just oh I’m just gonna kick it
off and just go on down my day like it
kind of lingers with you in the stays
with you and things trigger you and it
brings you back into that emotional
state so do my whole pursuing of
everything that I was doing it was kind
of always on my back so move back to
Memphis I’m struggling I’m working a job
I hate it to death I’d go back to the U
of M I go back to the U of M and I’m
still not doing well like I was doing so
bad that like teachers were forget that
I was on the roll like we would have
like critiques in art class and like I
would put my work out with everybody
else’s and they would go through
everybody’s work and like just forget
about mine cuz it was so just born you
didn’t exist and for me as an artist I
was like I don’t know what I’m gonna do
like all I can do is make art if I don’t
do this I’m gonna die like I don’t
understand what else I can do
because of that I was like man I’m just
going to drop out like I just had to
drop out I can’t I can’t do this I’m not
good enough all my peers are way better
than me
this music thing I’m trying to do the
music thing but it’s not really working
because the scene in Memphis is not what
it needs to be to kind of understand the
alternative hip-hop kind of thing that
I’m doing this is like pre chance the
rapper pre all the people who are like
really cool now pre Kendrick Lamar pre
kid cudi like all that nobody was cool
like no me looking characters in hip-hop
like there was none of that
there was no guys sampling Band of
Horses none of that stuff was happening
none of this no Bon Iver none of this so
it’s pre all of that so I’m trying to
make this music trying to give it to
people and they’re like what is woody
what are you doing this pre Tyler the
Creator all they’re like this is all
that all that so I’m a weirdo
essentially in a lot of people’s minds
so I’m failing I’m taking ill after a
laughter air like Meek Mill and it’s
just not doing well I’m having bad shows
all those stuff is happening so I had a
professor
somehow someway he saw some potential in
me and he pulled me to the side of the
class one day I was like dude what are
you doing you have the vision the ideas
and the abilities to do something really
really great with your art but your bull
crappin like he liked your you’re just
half doing everything and I was like man
I don’t even think I can do this you
know and he sat with me and worked with
me and pretty much pulled out of me the
mentality that I needed to be able to
pursue what I wanted to do like I said
all I all I know is to create all I all
I do is create that’s what I do now and
I was very very lost very frustrated
very low and so what I decided to do was
make work about the things I was
interested in the most
before I was trying to like kind of fit
in and make work that I felt like
academically would take me where I need
to go and I just decided I’m just gonna
pursue what I want to do regardless of
how anybody feels about it
I’m very very interested in black
history just black I’m in I’m into it so
I’m very into it so I started making
work about that I started writing music
about how I was feeling about my angst
about my frustrations about my mental
state about my emotional state and I
couldn’t get ahead I was making good
stuff but I couldn’t get ahead couldnt
get ahead and I was like all right
there’s something taking up my time and
it was work I was working at American
Eagle and it sucked so bad
Oh sucked okay I was working this job
went to another job was working retail
and every time I was there folding jeans
I was like man I would much rather be
writing songs I would much rather be
painting paintings I would much rather
be writing films or something like that
and it came to a head where I was like I
got I’m gonna make a decision I’m gonna
quit this job and I’m put 100% of my
energy into my craft and if I fail I’ll
just go back to being normal or whatever
so I quit the job I’m broke as a joke
for like six months and I’m just like
eating like bad every day but I’m
painting every day my whole energy
everything I’m doing I don’t know if you
guys know about 10,000 hours I really
put 10,000 hours of my time into my
craft into my work I sacrificed so much
I was like forget friends my
relationship starts suffering like my
family life starts suffering cuz I just
like I knew that if I didn’t figure out
what I was gonna do with my
I would look up and nothing had happened
and I knew that I always felt like I was
running out of time for some reason and
I don’t know why I’m 25 now I don’t feel
like that anymore but at the time I felt
like I was running out of time and I
started doing this and started working
my work got better I painted all summer
I got together with a friend in a
Arkansas September it was like September
we decided to put our art show together
I said all right
if I do this art show and a succeeds I’m
gonna keep making art I’m gonna keep
doing this
because we knew statistically it’s
dating they’re impossible to make a
career out of being an artist there’s a
lot of art related fields like a lot of
art related careers surrounding being an
artist but the actual artists most times
you hear the the stereotype of starving
artists the struggling artists and also
the miss and so I knew that the
percentage of success was very small but
I’m a very determined person it was
really always do or die for me because I
wasn’t oh I’m a great math I’m great in
math like I sucked in math like I’m
something every other academic thing
that I was doing I sucked in all of it
so I knew that if I didn’t become an
artist and I didn’t figure out a way to
to live off of that I was gonna turn
into dust or whatever so we have to show
I sold half the work that I put in there
and made more money that night then I
would have if I stayed all that time at
the job so I said alright I can do this
started painting use that money REE up
did like took that money put it into
more paintings kept painting made better
work got better resources just kept
working kept working kept working I went
from being the kid that got ignored and
critiques to the kid that was winning
awards for best to show at the school
you know student exhibitions and stuff
like that so through all this time I’m
going I’m going I’m going
then my grandmother passes away and that
sent me right back into the mental space
that I was when I was living in Maryland
and I was depressed again I was
frustrated again
and what I decided to do was to make
work about that feeling about what I
wanted about nostalgia about wanting to
be young again when you know everything
was better and your parents weren’t
divorced and you know all these
different things all these different
themes that I felt like I was dealing
with my life started making work about
it and that work started getting my name
out started get my name out more and
more and more and then graduated school
like super top of my class which was
crazy because I was always like never in
the school but like I was like the top
art student where I went and was winning
awards was having shows in commercial
galleries while I was still in school
and all these different things that were
happening that I didn’t ever expect or
see for myself and that’s kind of the
message that I have for you guys like
being high school students and I know
there’s more people here but it’s
predominately I feel like high school
students but it’s just like where you
are right now isn’t necessarily where
you will be a few years from now whether
it be three years from now if you talk
to me at 21 I wouldn’t believe any of
the things I’ve been able to accomplish
since I got on a certain type of role or
certain type of path but in the same
thing for you talk to me it’s 17 like I
didn’t know that I would be able to
accomplish some of the things I’ve been
able to accomplish with music or art and
win awards and stuff like that
I’ve only been painting for a few years
but I’ve won awards for it I’ve done
amazing things with my painting is
reached all over the world it’s been
everywhere that it needs to go like I
didn’t see none of that I wanted it but
I didn’t know I was capable of it I
didn’t know that the world will respond
to it I don’t know that people respond
to it the same thing with my music I
didn’t know that none of that was gonna
happen for me the same thing with
filmmaking I just was trying all this
stuff and when I look back at my life
and I look back when I was a kid all of
the things I’m doing today
are a manifestation of things that I was
playing around with when I was a kid so
I grew up skateboarding obviously grew
up skateboarding and we used to shoot
the videos so I had
experience behind the camera experience
with editing experience with all these
different things and that translated
into what I wanted to make films and
documentaries and different things like
that and the same thing with the music I
was always around the music I was always
around the art and it just manifested
itself into Who I am today so started
doing well got rid of that annoying job
and people were still kind of like it’s
nice that you’re you know doing well and
stuff like that but you’re not really
making that much money you can’t take
care of yourself you should probably get
a job and it was like no I stopped doing
that to do this just trust me just wait
on me for a second
so I keep working I keep working start
getting more and more opportunities
start getting bigger opportunities and
next thing you know I’m in museums I’m
performing in museums I’m showing my art
and plethora of galleries all over the
mid-south the people that I’m connected
to the people that I’ve networked with
are people that I never ever thought
that I would meet never thought that I
would come in contact with when I was
growing up in Memphis Tennessee you know
it’s like a young black kid like I had
no idea that this future was for me and
every single blessing and opportunity
that I’ve been able to give
is a product of a larger plan or a
larger thing like I always wanted to be
a vessel I always wanted to be somebody
who spoke for other people who inspired
other people through what I had and do
my talents and stuff like that I knew I
had gifts I knew that I was meant to do
something with my life but I wasn’t sure
what it was because there was so much
clouding it so many external life
factors that kind of blocked me from
those things early on and with that I
started seeing the manifestation of the
things that I could be coming to cook
the things I could do and that’s kind of
my main message just like man like you
might be really messed up right now like
you might be really lost you might be
really depressed you might be even be
suicidal and if you can beat those
things like I beat those things like if
that nobody can tell me I can’t create
something nobody can tell me I can’t do
anything because I beat things way
harder than that way deeper than that I
beat depression I beat suicide I beat
people hating on your down in your name
and stuff like that like I’m doing stuff
down there every week that I never
thought I would ever do with my life and
I tell people all the time and like if I
was not here tomorrow
I’ve already surpassed everything I ever
thought I would be able to do with my
life because I just had no clue cuz
nobody around me didn’t in those things
none of my peers none of my friends a
lot of them are dead in jail like you
know I’m selling drugs like a lot of
different things so I never thought
being a successful visual artist a
successful musician a successful
filmmaker whatever happened for me and
I’ve literally been walking in there and
I’m not all I’m not exactly where I want
to be in my life but I’m very very close
yeah I’m saying I’m only 25 so it’s like
if I’ve been able to do this and this a
little amount of time I can’t imagine
what I’ll be able to do when I’m 60 when
I’m 70 or whatever and that’s kind of my
main message it’s like man like despite
where you are in your life like you can
do more you can accomplish more you can
see more
and you just got to keep working you
can’t let people distract you you can’t
let people hold you down you can’t let
depression or any of these external
things or peer pressure any of these
things kind of bind you and keep you in
a place where you you aren’t able to
pursue your passion find what you want
to do with your life and pursue it at
all costs
yeah I’m saying all costs follow it
completely and utterly in every single
way because you will not regret it at
the end of your life you’ll look up and
be like that like I was able to do this
and inspire so many people but if you
live based on what other people want you
to do what people think you are capable
of doing you won’t never reach any of
that stuff you know I’m saying and hey
that’s all I just want to share with you
guys I’m sure there’s like a million
other things I could say but thank you
guys so much this has been a beautiful
honor thank you
feels good
how’s it going everybody all right so
I’m Lawrence Matthews I’m an artist
photographer musician lots and lots of
things filmmaker all that good old stuff
and when Ted this whole situation
reached out to me and they told me what
the theme was and it was my story I was
like okay I see I can do this I’m gonna
be talking like high school students I’m
gonna start from where I was in high
school and in high school I actually I
really hated it it was like really bad
for me I wasn’t popular at all
I wasn’t liked at all about women or my
male peers
I was really antisocial introverted but
also very passionate about the things I
did care about and that doesn’t make for
a good person to be around I guess and
because of that I was very had a lot of
angst a lot of frustration listening a
lot of Nirvana it’s really mad all the
time
had an emo phase I painted my nails
black like I was just I really hated
everybody so because of that the main
thing I wanted to do when I got out of
school was get out of Memphis and I
blamed Memphis for a lot of my problems
a lot of frustrations I was having
because I felt like if we weren’t
cultured enough and we didn’t understand
a lot of different things and so because
of that I spent a lot of time trying to
plot and get out but at the same time I
wasn’t that good of a student I went to
school we really weren’t at least I
really wasn’t encouraged to pursue
college the way you supposed to so I
didn’t even think I could go to school
to be honest with you and at the time I
was making art but not really the way
that I am now was making music I just
learned to play guitar playing piano
writing a few songs really wasn’t into
what I was doing yet so
the options and the things that I wanted
to do with my life were very slim at the
time and I didn’t expect much from my
life at the time because when you come
from a certain environment you deal with
certain people just kind of honestly
sadly expect not to be around that long
so because of that I didn’t really think
about my future often I thought about
the things I wanted to do in the dreams
that I had but I knew they were very far
fetched it seemed to be very far fetched
just so happened I meet a young lady I
fall in love with a young lady she
decides to move to DC so what did I do
I went to DC with her so when that
happened to me and my mind I was like
okay I’m gonna be able to do all the
things that I want to do I’m in DC it’s
a bigger city than Memphis is I can
handle this it’s nothing it was the dude
so hard it’s way harder than anybody can
understand moving from Memphis Tennessee
to a major metropolitan city or even
trying to go to New York or whatever so
this is when the story gets kind of like
sad or whatever but so I’ve always
struggled with emotional stability in
different ways whether it’s like I’m
very passionate or I’m like super low so
it goes back and forth and when I was up
there a lot of different things happen a
lot of the environment that we were in
the things were going so we didn’t have
any money I was poor like I was
struggling in schools failing out of
every single one of my classes because I
was working like a slave but then coming
to class in the morning and like just
loafing path eating
I’m skinny now and I was like way
skinnier then cuz I was like losing
waiting like malnourished just I wasn’t
taking care of myself it was my first
time being away from home I did not act
I didn’t know what to do I just was
messing up really really bad so spend
all this time up here I’m working I’m
working so in my mind I realized okay
I’m gonna flunk out
but I’m pursuing music if I can get to
New York City my second semester and my
mind I’ll make it that was my whole
thing regardless of what our fun
or whatever I was like I can get to New
York second semester I’m a recorder
album while I’m in DC in my dorm and
then next semester I’m going to New York
everything will be cool I get kicked out
of school so that didn’t happen like at
all so I couldn’t afford to stay my
second semester they wouldn’t give me
any loans nothing I wrote letters to
people begging them to please allow me
to stay in school please please please
I’ll be better in all this crap they
said no I got kicked out of school had
to come back to Memphis so when I come
back to Memphis depression kind of sits
on because I left Memphis with an
attitude of I’m never coming back here
and I was right back where I was and
probably a worse situation than I had
left with so I was broke depressed
heartbroken frustrated all these
different things so when that happened
the thing about depression is that it
pulls on you in different different like
different ways and it makes you feel
different ways and I became kind of
suicidal not kind of I was suicidal and
that was something that kind of like
weighed on me in still ways with me to
this day like the person is another
thing you just oh I’m just gonna kick it
off and just go on down my day like it
kind of lingers with you in the stays
with you and things trigger you and it
brings you back into that emotional
state so do my whole pursuing of
everything that I was doing it was kind
of always on my back so move back to
Memphis I’m struggling I’m working a job
I hate it to death I’d go back to the U
of M I go back to the U of M and I’m
still not doing well like I was doing so
bad that like teachers were forget that
I was on the roll like we would have
like critiques in art class and like I
would put my work out with everybody
else’s and they would go through
everybody’s work and like just forget
about mine cuz it was so just born you
didn’t exist and for me as an artist I
was like I don’t know what I’m gonna do
like all I can do is make art if I don’t
do this I’m gonna die like I don’t
understand what else I can do
because of that I was like man I’m just
going to drop out like I just had to
drop out I can’t I can’t do this I’m not
good enough all my peers are way better
than me
this music thing I’m trying to do the
music thing but it’s not really working
because the scene in Memphis is not what
it needs to be to kind of understand the
alternative hip-hop kind of thing that
I’m doing this is like pre chance the
rapper pre all the people who are like
really cool now pre Kendrick Lamar pre
kid cudi like all that nobody was cool
like no me looking characters in hip-hop
like there was none of that
there was no guys sampling Band of
Horses none of that stuff was happening
none of this no Bon Iver none of this so
it’s pre all of that so I’m trying to
make this music trying to give it to
people and they’re like what is woody
what are you doing this pre Tyler the
Creator all they’re like this is all
that all that so I’m a weirdo
essentially in a lot of people’s minds
so I’m failing I’m taking ill after a
laughter air like Meek Mill and it’s
just not doing well I’m having bad shows
all those stuff is happening so I had a
professor
somehow someway he saw some potential in
me and he pulled me to the side of the
class one day I was like dude what are
you doing you have the vision the ideas
and the abilities to do something really
really great with your art but your bull
crappin like he liked your you’re just
half doing everything and I was like man
I don’t even think I can do this you
know and he sat with me and worked with
me and pretty much pulled out of me the
mentality that I needed to be able to
pursue what I wanted to do like I said
all I all I know is to create all I all
I do is create that’s what I do now and
I was very very lost very frustrated
very low and so what I decided to do was
make work about the things I was
interested in the most
before I was trying to like kind of fit
in and make work that I felt like
academically would take me where I need
to go and I just decided I’m just gonna
pursue what I want to do regardless of
how anybody feels about it
I’m very very interested in black
history just black I’m in I’m into it so
I’m very into it so I started making
work about that I started writing music
about how I was feeling about my angst
about my frustrations about my mental
state about my emotional state and I
couldn’t get ahead I was making good
stuff but I couldn’t get ahead couldnt
get ahead and I was like all right
there’s something taking up my time and
it was work I was working at American
Eagle and it sucked so bad
Oh sucked okay I was working this job
went to another job was working retail
and every time I was there folding jeans
I was like man I would much rather be
writing songs I would much rather be
painting paintings I would much rather
be writing films or something like that
and it came to a head where I was like I
got I’m gonna make a decision I’m gonna
quit this job and I’m put 100% of my
energy into my craft and if I fail I’ll
just go back to being normal or whatever
so I quit the job I’m broke as a joke
for like six months and I’m just like
eating like bad every day but I’m
painting every day my whole energy
everything I’m doing I don’t know if you
guys know about 10,000 hours I really
put 10,000 hours of my time into my
craft into my work I sacrificed so much
I was like forget friends my
relationship starts suffering like my
family life starts suffering cuz I just
like I knew that if I didn’t figure out
what I was gonna do with my
I would look up and nothing had happened
and I knew that I always felt like I was
running out of time for some reason and
I don’t know why I’m 25 now I don’t feel
like that anymore but at the time I felt
like I was running out of time and I
started doing this and started working
my work got better I painted all summer
I got together with a friend in a
Arkansas September it was like September
we decided to put our art show together
I said all right
if I do this art show and a succeeds I’m
gonna keep making art I’m gonna keep
doing this
because we knew statistically it’s
dating they’re impossible to make a
career out of being an artist there’s a
lot of art related fields like a lot of
art related careers surrounding being an
artist but the actual artists most times
you hear the the stereotype of starving
artists the struggling artists and also
the miss and so I knew that the
percentage of success was very small but
I’m a very determined person it was
really always do or die for me because I
wasn’t oh I’m a great math I’m great in
math like I sucked in math like I’m
something every other academic thing
that I was doing I sucked in all of it
so I knew that if I didn’t become an
artist and I didn’t figure out a way to
to live off of that I was gonna turn
into dust or whatever so we have to show
I sold half the work that I put in there
and made more money that night then I
would have if I stayed all that time at
the job so I said alright I can do this
started painting use that money REE up
did like took that money put it into
more paintings kept painting made better
work got better resources just kept
working kept working kept working I went
from being the kid that got ignored and
critiques to the kid that was winning
awards for best to show at the school
you know student exhibitions and stuff
like that so through all this time I’m
going I’m going I’m going
then my grandmother passes away and that
sent me right back into the mental space
that I was when I was living in Maryland
and I was depressed again I was
frustrated again
and what I decided to do was to make
work about that feeling about what I
wanted about nostalgia about wanting to
be young again when you know everything
was better and your parents weren’t
divorced and you know all these
different things all these different
themes that I felt like I was dealing
with my life started making work about
it and that work started getting my name
out started get my name out more and
more and more and then graduated school
like super top of my class which was
crazy because I was always like never in
the school but like I was like the top
art student where I went and was winning
awards was having shows in commercial
galleries while I was still in school
and all these different things that were
happening that I didn’t ever expect or
see for myself and that’s kind of the
message that I have for you guys like
being high school students and I know
there’s more people here but it’s
predominately I feel like high school
students but it’s just like where you
are right now isn’t necessarily where
you will be a few years from now whether
it be three years from now if you talk
to me at 21 I wouldn’t believe any of
the things I’ve been able to accomplish
since I got on a certain type of role or
certain type of path but in the same
thing for you talk to me it’s 17 like I
didn’t know that I would be able to
accomplish some of the things I’ve been
able to accomplish with music or art and
win awards and stuff like that
I’ve only been painting for a few years
but I’ve won awards for it I’ve done
amazing things with my painting is
reached all over the world it’s been
everywhere that it needs to go like I
didn’t see none of that I wanted it but
I didn’t know I was capable of it I
didn’t know that the world will respond
to it I don’t know that people respond
to it the same thing with my music I
didn’t know that none of that was gonna
happen for me the same thing with
filmmaking I just was trying all this
stuff and when I look back at my life
and I look back when I was a kid all of
the things I’m doing today
are a manifestation of things that I was
playing around with when I was a kid so
I grew up skateboarding obviously grew
up skateboarding and we used to shoot
the videos so I had
experience behind the camera experience
with editing experience with all these
different things and that translated
into what I wanted to make films and
documentaries and different things like
that and the same thing with the music I
was always around the music I was always
around the art and it just manifested
itself into Who I am today so started
doing well got rid of that annoying job
and people were still kind of like it’s
nice that you’re you know doing well and
stuff like that but you’re not really
making that much money you can’t take
care of yourself you should probably get
a job and it was like no I stopped doing
that to do this just trust me just wait
on me for a second
so I keep working I keep working start
getting more and more opportunities
start getting bigger opportunities and
next thing you know I’m in museums I’m
performing in museums I’m showing my art
and plethora of galleries all over the
mid-south the people that I’m connected
to the people that I’ve networked with
are people that I never ever thought
that I would meet never thought that I
would come in contact with when I was
growing up in Memphis Tennessee you know
it’s like a young black kid like I had
no idea that this future was for me and
every single blessing and opportunity
that I’ve been able to give
is a product of a larger plan or a
larger thing like I always wanted to be
a vessel I always wanted to be somebody
who spoke for other people who inspired
other people through what I had and do
my talents and stuff like that I knew I
had gifts I knew that I was meant to do
something with my life but I wasn’t sure
what it was because there was so much
clouding it so many external life
factors that kind of blocked me from
those things early on and with that I
started seeing the manifestation of the
things that I could be coming to cook
the things I could do and that’s kind of
my main message just like man like you
might be really messed up right now like
you might be really lost you might be
really depressed you might be even be
suicidal and if you can beat those
things like I beat those things like if
that nobody can tell me I can’t create
something nobody can tell me I can’t do
anything because I beat things way
harder than that way deeper than that I
beat depression I beat suicide I beat
people hating on your down in your name
and stuff like that like I’m doing stuff
down there every week that I never
thought I would ever do with my life and
I tell people all the time and like if I
was not here tomorrow
I’ve already surpassed everything I ever
thought I would be able to do with my
life because I just had no clue cuz
nobody around me didn’t in those things
none of my peers none of my friends a
lot of them are dead in jail like you
know I’m selling drugs like a lot of
different things so I never thought
being a successful visual artist a
successful musician a successful
filmmaker whatever happened for me and
I’ve literally been walking in there and
I’m not all I’m not exactly where I want
to be in my life but I’m very very close
yeah I’m saying I’m only 25 so it’s like
if I’ve been able to do this and this a
little amount of time I can’t imagine
what I’ll be able to do when I’m 60 when
I’m 70 or whatever and that’s kind of my
main message it’s like man like despite
where you are in your life like you can
do more you can accomplish more you can
see more
and you just got to keep working you
can’t let people distract you you can’t
let people hold you down you can’t let
depression or any of these external
things or peer pressure any of these
things kind of bind you and keep you in
a place where you you aren’t able to
pursue your passion find what you want
to do with your life and pursue it at
all costs
yeah I’m saying all costs follow it
completely and utterly in every single
way because you will not regret it at
the end of your life you’ll look up and
be like that like I was able to do this
and inspire so many people but if you
live based on what other people want you
to do what people think you are capable
of doing you won’t never reach any of
that stuff you know I’m saying and hey
that’s all I just want to share with you
guys I’m sure there’s like a million
other things I could say but thank you
guys so much this has been a beautiful
honor thank you
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