Notes From The Week #31

What’s good my people? I trust we’re all doing well. Greetings from the Big Apple. I’m spending some days in New York to catch up with friends and catch Nas perform at Madison Square Garden for the first time. New York holds a special place in my heart. It was the place where I spent the first few months of my post-academic life when I participated on the Global Training program J.P. Morgan provided. New York was the muse for one of the first pieces of writing I ever published on the internet. My favorite rappers throughout my life call New York home: 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Nas. Today I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Queensbridge Houses very own poet laureate: Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones.

God’s Son Across The Belly

I had heard of Nas in passing. I really began to be drawn to Nas, not from his music but when I heard of his feats as a venture investor in early 2017. I was drawn to his ability to capture and leverage his social capital as an iconic Hip Hop artist. His debut album Illmatic, which he dropped at 20 years old is considered by many to be the greatest album in Hip Hop history. His sharp, honest and piercing reveal of life as a young black American navigating the Queensbridge projects resonated with everyone who put it on the wax, pushed the CD or turned on the radio. It was real. Word was bond and that bond stretched beyond the stairwells of his projects buildings. It stretched to the townships in South Africa, it stretched to the favelas in Rio. So when the kid from the Queensbridge Projects tells the different boroughs in New York that the world is theirs; he makes a profound assessment of what their future will look like. Providing not only them but also us with the confidence and hope that we also have a right to exist and flourish in this world despite what we may have heard.

One of the most important realisations for me last year was the importance of accepting who you are in your entirety. In a dinner table conversation with Oprah, Toni Morrison was asked where she gained her profound knowledge of self from - she replied; “well I have to admit that I’m very comfortable with my flaws and I’m very comfortable with my gifts.” In Nas Is Good I get the same sentiment when he says; “I deserve the threads in my closet / Big boy deposits, Nike shares and stock tips”. This line is more than flexing. It’s an affirmation to himself for himself. It’s a reminder that the Presidents he sought to represent him back when he was a teenager have done exactly that as a byproduct of his respect for the process. As a black man, this is particularly profound. All it takes is a quick look on social media to see people branding you as undeserving and Nas stands above the noise - elevated like a king who has more important affairs to manage. The opinions of people who have limited insight into you shouldn’t matter more than the thoughts you have about yourself. This requires a level of personal vulnerability that a lot of us would admit we haven’t developed yet. However, this personal relationship is vital for our esteem and confidence. Are you able to look yourself in the mirror and say you like the person staring back at you, that you are inspired by his strength and resolve or that his confidence is admirable? Nas’ confidence looks both innate and cultivated. Innate from the strong background his family and Queensbridge provided him with but was also cultivated personally as he put his feet forward to learn about himself and his history, to embrace new opportunities and to learn from mistakes.

As Nas prepared to leave the stage on Friday he let us know that the moment was special for him as his late mother used to work at the post office across the road. With tears coming down his eyes he screamed: “We made it Ma!”. He saluted the projects aswell saying that him selling out Madison Square Garden was for all his people from the projects.

The name Nasir is an Arabic name that means "helper" or "one who gives victory" and for so many of us, his words have done exactly that. His songs have provided the tempo and cadence for our own stories. Every bar encouraged us to raise the bar in our own endeavours. For kids coming from the other side of the tracks - he’s a blueprint. From sitting on the benches in the projects to sitting on cap tables. From Queensbridge Houses to Queensbridge Ventures. From Life’s a B**** to Life is a Bible. You’re representing for all of us, more power to you Uncle Esco.

Pass Me The Aux

I’m halfway through this and this is a special one. It provides a comprehensive breakdown behind one of the largest companies in the world: LVMH. I’ve been really interested in the career of Bernard Arnault over the last year and have even compiled a document running through his career. Feel free to check out the podcast and the document. It’s a long one so it will be my only recommendation this week.

What have you been listening to or reading? Hit me up with your recommendations. Some of the articles, podcasts and investment plays you’ve provided me with have been gamechangers so please keep them coming.

Until next week. Peace.