the TECH game reminds me of the RAP game, which reminds me of the CRACK game.

that's my queen/gangsta of a wife. she's there because that's the best recent original photograph of anything that i've taken.

i go to Jay-Z's discography when i'm looking for the clues to uncover the blueprint to unlock hypergrowth and sustainable success in the unforgiving and fickle world of American business. his lyrics give one the "inside look" and the unvarnished truth in a manner even the most well-intentioned mentor cannot. it's like he ingested truth serum and locked himself inside the recording studio to produce his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt.

i return often to the lyrics below when meditating on business strategies and experiments. there's so much game packed in the lyrical scheme. for those of you not yet meaningfully exposed to hip hop/rap. try to experience the music as CODED messaging - which it is.

Rap Game / Crack Game by Jay-Z

Uhh... Uhh, yeah Won't stop niggaz "Somehow the rap game remind me of the crack game" -- [Nas] Jigga! Feel me People, told ya motherfuckers, told ya "See that rap shit is really just like sellin smoke" -- [OutKast] Uhh, Roc-a-Fella Geyeah

We treat this rap shit just like, handlin weight What they want we give it to em, what they abandon we take Hit a rapper with consignment, let him know it's at stake Put his ass in the studio, let him cook up a cake When it's hot, get on my money spot in every state Like the wiz in Camelot, the mom-and-pop's is the gate But first we scope shit, advertise in every area Let the fiends know hey, we got some dope shit Gon' need a middle man, so we look to radio Let em test the product, give em a promo show Just a breeze, not enough to catch a real vibe Then we drop a maxi single and charge em two for five Ain't tryin to, kill em at first just, buildin clientele So when the album drops the first weeks it's on sale But when demand grows it's time to expand yo You don't want no garbage papi it's ten grand per blow, fo' sho'

"Somehow the rap game reminds me of the crack game" -- [Nas] "See that rap shit is really just like sellin smoke" -- [OutKast]

Ge-ge-geyeah I got that uncut raw to make a fiend's body jerk Got your whole block now, pumpin my work My CD's is like keys for you Willie's who Like to floss my cassette tapes in sixty-two's And my singles like gems, you know the treys Get you high for a while, but the, high don't stay You need another fix, you better cop these last two bricks Cause when this shit flip, I'ma get on some other shit Never pitchin for a label, Jigga's the hook-up You know my shit is fish scale, y'all niggaz is cook up Just blow up, scream my name from Brooklyn to Da-kota They know my shit stretch without the baking soda Went from an eighth, to a quarter, to a half a key Priority's work wasn't right so I switched factories Now I'm the new nigga, who figured I'd get the game locked Now watch how the prices of your cocaine drop, ha ha

"Somehow the rap game reminds me of the crack game" -- [Nas] "See that rap shit is really just like sellin smoke" -- [OutKast]

term of the day: equitable monetization. to me, this means making money: (1) in a way that doesn't subjugate or exploit other human beings, and (2) in a way that returns material and tangible benefits to those whose resources (labor, time, data, etc.) you rely upon to produce general value.

song of the day: Allure by Jay-Z ft. Pharrell. i'd be hustling this way anyway. now it's my "work" =)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oznuoC1Ax74