Class...... I used to always tell my children’s mother that in this business, reputation is everything. Once you develop a bad reputation, then your chance of being included in anything that people are organizing is pretty much thrown away. That goes for drawing an audience for anything you want to put together. Lord knows that I have been involved in plenty of bootleg, second rate shows, showcases and contests; so many that sometimes I wonder why in the hell I continue. As an artist, or rather as artists (since I know that many of you who are reading this have the same aspirations as I do) we all chase that dream. Not a dream of stardom as much as that dream of coming to the point where we can do our art full time and actually make a living from it. I believe that for the true artist, the chance to reach people is worth more than a bank full of money. However, in order to achieve that realization and artist must maintain a good reputation. The best way to get and keep a good reputation is to do everything with class.
Class is probably one of the most misunderstood things in American Culture. I remember hearing Trina, the ghetto fabulous (emphasis on the ghetto, not so much on the fabulous) rapper who had a line in one of her songs, “I’m a classy bitch.” Now, I’m not one to pass judgments, but in my own small, myopic view of the world, NOTHING about Trina says class…but that’s just me. Class isn’t something that you wear, or drive or say. Class is something that you just are. Too many people in Atlanta who organize shows, showcases and contests just simply have no class.
First off, the venues that most of these people use are simply awful. I remember talking with a friend one night and he said something that made a whole lot of sense. We were waking up Auburn Ave and he picked up a flier for the Royal Peacock. There was a beautiful, scantily clad woman on both sides. He looked at it and said, “The Peacock used to have classy entertainment. James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington used to be on that stage. Now look at it.” True. The Royal Peacock has very little class. Most of Auburn Avenue has very little class, it just screams second rate. There’s no way I could see myself inviting my mom out to an event at the Royal Peacock or the Black Lion.
There’s a serious lack of standards in this city. Anyone having a showcase or a contest will allow ANYONE with the registration fee to be a part of their show; and I do mean anybody. I had the “pleasure” of being in a show with a sista with whom I have worked before. I really don’t know what I expected…well, that’s not entirely true. I knew what to expect, and it was exactly like I expected it to be. It’s a shame because I really like this woman: she gave me the first opportunity I ever had to perform on a show. But truth is truth…after a certain period of time of doing something; you should achieve a certain level of professionalism and status. Bottom line, she’s been doing this too long to be getting the same shitty results. And, in my estimation, the reason for that is because her events lack a certain amount of class. I know how this next statement is gonna sound, but about 98% of the people who are in these talent shows and what have you are just plain and simply garbage. GOBBAGE if you will. And if you build a series of shows around people of this caliber, then you develop a reputation; one that’s negative AND hard to live down. When I won the “Battle of Atlanta’s Hottest Unsigned artists” back in 2002, I told a friend that, while I was appreciative and happy, I wasn’t satisfied because there was no real glory in beating these people. It may sound like I’m being stuck up, but I didn’t have any respect for the depth of their art. When I said that to her, she chided me for being too self effacing and not willing to claim the greatness in what I did. Later on that year, she had the opportunity to see the people I competed against in a different showcase. She then turned to me and said “Ok. NOW I see what you mean.” That was the first time she had been to one of this sistas’ showcases, and it was the last time because her reputation was sealed.
To be continued...