Excess IQ or Xsiq from the famous rap Trio “2wone” took time to pen an article about the reality of the Music Industry. Xsiq whose real names are Michael Phiri talks about the importance of education to those who would love to take Music for a carer. Below is his Facebook post written in form of a letter.
DEAR PARENTS: THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT YOUR CHILD AND THE LOVE OF MUSIC
Recently, I changed my Facebook name back to Michael Phiri from “xsiQ So Good.” I did this because i met someone who claimed to love my music so much that he wanted to be “just like me” and focus on rap so he dropped out of University. Now, this is not the first kid I’ve met who has given up school because he wants to be like Krytic So’Good RapEntertainer or Chef or Slap Dee. Every bloody day, some kid out there watches a music video with thick chicks in it and fast cars and thinks “damn, i want to live that.”
These music videos have misguided these kids so much that they lose sight of what is real. They don’t know about artists having to rent the cars they use in their videos, they don’t know about the struggles out there in this music industry, they don’t know that musicians are the perfect example of underpaid skill. And you can’t blame them because all they are given to see is the fake side of it.
Don’t get me wrong, not all artists are broke, some of them actually have the kind of money they depict in their videos and lyrics; but at the cost of confusing the youth.
I hear people talking about students dropping out of school because of pregnancies, child-marriages, financial problems, etc. and something is being done by the government about each of these. But no one talks about the numbers of kids dropping out of school because Davido dropped out of school and has nice women in his videos. Kids watch these things and take them literally. In their minds: dropping out of school + music = hot chicks and nice cars. The government obviously can not do anything about this problem, but the artists themselves can. This is Zambia. Out of 100 kids that drop out of school to be musicians, maybe only 2 could make it. It is not easy. I am not saying it is impossible, but it is not worth giving up a good career to provide for your family just so people can like your posts or hype up your new song and make you feel so important when they won’t pay you.
Dear parents, when your son sits on his laptop for hours making beats, wanting to be the next DJ Khaled, don’t shoot down his dreams, but remind him of the risks involved and make sure he is ready to get himself into