When Hip-Hop Lyrics From the Past Hit Different in the Present...

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today might be one of, if not the realist episode
I've ever recorded. We all have those songs that we
go to when we need some relatability, hope, or pick
me up, And at this stage in my life, there
are some lyrics that are hitting harder than they once did.
This line definitely hits harder nowadays too. When I'm having
these moments like this. It's been very easy for me

(00:23):
to go throughout my life watching others succeed and not
have a place in the game myself. Comparison is truly
the thief of joy. But I do resonate with that pressure. Again,
Like I said, I'm getting closer to thirty and sometimes
I'm living these days and it feels like my life
won't change. Welcome to Hip to the Games, the podcast

(00:43):
for you, the Basketball Junkie and the Hip Hop Hit.
I'm your host Desmond and I too have had hoop
dreams and enjoy the beautiful genre of hip hop and
its history. Together, we will enjoy some of the greatest albums, songs, artists, players, moments, teams,
and so much more, even mixing the two on occasion.
All in my hope that you remember why you left

(01:04):
both or either of these to begin with. You'll soon
understand that Hip to the Games is more than just
a podcast. It's a lifestyle and if you were looking
for a platform that combines both basketball and hip hop,
you've come to the right place. They play my kind
of basketball and a lot of layers to this song.
If you're really paying attention, there's a huge shout out
to you for being Hip to the Games. Welcome to

(01:33):
another episode of Hip to the Games. Whether you are
new to the h TRUDG family or a Day one supporter,
I appreciate you listening or watching today's show. All praise
to the creative director Jesus christ As is always a
blessing to get in front of this microphone and share
what he's put in my heart with you. And a
special shout out to the home team nineteen Media group
for the opportunity to represent a network filled with passionate

(01:56):
independent podcasters. If you consider yourself Hip to the Games,
I would really appreciate it if you took a few
seconds to give the show an honest rating and review
on audio platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I'm really
trying to get those up so we can continue to
grow the h Twodg Family. But in the meantime, today
might be one of, if not the realist episode I've

(02:19):
ever recorded. I have very limited notes compared to what
I typically script for the show. In fact, I'll even
go as far as letting you behind the curtain and
saying that starting the previous episode. In this episode, I've
been challenging myself to not rely as much on my
notes because I always had this notion that I could
write it better than I could say it. So I

(02:41):
always gave the perfect, quote unquote perfect version on my notes,
and because I have a radio background, I'm able to
I know how to deliver that in a way that
makes it sound like I'm not reading notes sometimes, right,
And it takes me back to college. I remember one
of my professors even told me when I was taking
speech classes and whatnot. She was telling me, like, you know, Desmond,

(03:03):
I think I can see that in your work sometimes
that you're so used to the radio student, You're so
used to writing things down and having a script, that
it can be a little hard for you to speak
off the top of the dome. And so I've been
trying to get back to that and strengthen that muscle
you know, like they say, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

(03:24):
You know that's something again. I graduated college in twenty
twenty one, and even in twenty twenty five, I'm still like, Okay,
I need to work on strengthening that muscle, and so
I kind of want to do that today and start
doing that more often on the show again, just for
authenticity purposes and whatnot. So you know, this isn't going
to be some dressed up episode how I usually do.

(03:45):
I'm really just trying to speak from the heart because
you almost didn't get an episode today. I'll be one
hundred percent honest if you're a regular listener. You know,
the one thing I always told myself growing up is
that if I had any kind of platform, on any
kind of level, I want to show people the real journey. Because,
for example, right, I look at somebody like Lebron James,
who I was the biggest fan of Lebron James from

(04:07):
like twenty seven to twenty ten. Back then, his life
was my dream, right, NBA superstar, arguably the best player
in the league, had everything, the money, the fame, the success.
You know, from the outside, everything looked great. But now
at twenty seven, years old, Like I look at him
and now like instead of back then being like, Oh, Lebron,

(04:29):
what's it like to be in the NBA? What's it
like to play against Kobe Bryant? What's it like like
all these things? What's it like to be an All Star? Now,
my questions would be way different, Like I want to
know what Lebron james hard days are, Like I feel
like nobody asks him that question in media. Right, as
successful as he is and as much as he's committed
to striving for greatness, does he have days where he

(04:52):
just wants to stay at the crib with Savannah and Zuri? Right,
does he ever feel like skipping the gym? As swoll
as he is? Does he ever feel like Gepp in
the gym? Does he ever get exhausted from that same
chase for greatness? Or is he just that one of one?
Is he that superhuman? And I ask those questions because
I've been in that boat a lot, especially recently. Like

(05:14):
some might call it burnout, but for me, I think
it's been a lot of emotional burnout. Like I'm not
tired from the work itself, I'm tired of the emotions
behind the work. I'm tired of checking all the boxes right.
Bring structure to the show, stay in your niche, your niche,
record the show, edit the show, make it look great

(05:34):
because it's got to be on YouTube to promote the show.
Don't stop posting post at this time. Evaluate your numbers.
If it's not this many numbers, you're doing it wrong.
You need to fix it. Post on the socials, rinse
and repeat, right and then only to have a hopeless
viewpoint of the results. The experts, quote unquote say I'm
due to have right. They say, if I do all

(05:56):
those things, I'm pretty much putting myself in a better position.
For says, But what if it feels like I've been
doing those things and it's not really manifesting, Like I'm
tired of finding the drive to believe that tomorrow is
the day everything changes, only for it to end up
being a loop of the previous day. And oftentimes I've

(06:17):
been in that trap where rest feels detrimental, like if
I take a second off, all the progress I've gained
the past four years will be lost. I know that's
not right, but that's that's me being a hundred. But
still I keep showing up and after all, like I
try to keep big picture in mind always, right, Like

(06:37):
I'm not homeless, I'm not a single parent, Like I'm
not looking genocide in the face, right if we're looking
at the state of the world. Man Like I'm just
an aspiring podcaster, like and even that, I don't even
know if that's a title that I'm truly pursuing, Right,
is that something I even desire anymore? So? Most days

(06:58):
you see me, I come up, I keep a g
and honestly speaking, I mask it. I mask it and
I choose to show up because at the end of
the day, the work has to be done, and my
struggle ain't really that dire in comparison. Right. But I
say all that to say, God is funny because just

(07:19):
when I was ready to take an extra week, or
an extra two weeks, or an extra three weeks off,
he dropped the idea that you're hearing today on my spirit.
As a hip hop head, we all have those songs
that we go to when we need some relatability, hope,
or pick me up. And at this stage in my life,
there are some lyrics that are hitting harder than they

(07:41):
once did. Write some of these songs that you'll hear
me pull from were either songs from literally when I
was a kid, like like single digits, or songs where
I was, you know, in my teenage years, or like approaching,
you know, my preteen years. Songs that you know, we're
inspiring back then, but like are truly relatable now as
an adult, and I wanted to share with those with

(08:01):
you today. I kept it light today, as I'm sure
I have plenty to say on all of these topics,
but I got lyrics from four different songs that I
pulled from that I'm gonna share, and I would love
for you to also comment and share with me some
lines of your own, so we can pick each other
up with the music we love best. That's that's like
big picture goal for me here. You know, I really

(08:22):
try to keep it together and I try to maintain
my professionalism. But as much as I like to give
my best on my show, I'm realizing as I get
older that sometimes my best looks like this, like the
moments where I'm just Dez, not Desmond Pole the podcaster,
Desmond Powell the media personality. Sometimes I just I just
gotta give y'all, Daz, and I feel like I haven't

(08:43):
always done the best job of that. So today again
I would like all that to change. So these first
two songs that I'm gonna share, just getting right into it,
are ones that I posted on my Instagram story before,
so if you follow me on their these are gonna
be familiar to you. And the first lyric that come
to mine is from the great Nipsey Hustle, who asked
the very question I find myself asking every day on

(09:06):
his album Victory Lap in Dedication featuring Kendrick Lamar, he
raps this, how long should I stay dedicated? How long
to opportunity meet preparation? And that really resonates with me
because the thing about Nipsey is that, like, again I'll
be honest, like I wasn't fully hipped to Nipsey's work
and whatnot. I was aware of his him being a

(09:30):
you know, one of the better artists of the West Coast.
I was aware of him having a great fan base
of loyal fan base. But again, unfortunately, you know, once
he passed, like this song became one of those songs
that I was playing like every day, and again at
that time, I'm trying to think Victory Lap came out,

(09:50):
I want to say what twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen, So yeah,
I was still in college. So again it was like
I'm preparing for like the last three two years of
my college career. So the lyrics were hitting me back then,
but especially now that I have like my own endeavor
and whatnot, this is like exactly how I feel. And

(10:12):
first off, I want to give like Nipsey his credit
for how his music resonates with so many people, because
what I love about Nipsey's rap style is that nip
was not always punchline. You know, again, a lot of
West Coast artists, you realize their bars are game, right,
you hear E forty say that a lot. You hear
too Short say it out a lot. Their bars are
the game. They're not here for punchlines and you know, lyrical, miracle,

(10:36):
spiritual individual like that type of stuff. They not here
for the double and tandras all the time. They just
want to tell you their life story and make it
relatable and throw some West Coast slang in there, and
they good. And I think that's why Nipsey's music resonates
with so many people, because it was authentic, it was inspiring,
and it was relatable. So again It's simple lines like this,

(10:56):
how long should I stay dedicated? How long to opportunity be? Prepparaight?
And you know the quote that I live by from
Nipsey is when he was on the radio. It might
have been breakfast, breakfast club or somewhere where they asked him,
like honestly, I don't even remember what they asked him,
but he was saying like he credited his success to
him not giving up. He says, like, I just didn't quit.

(11:17):
That's what I got to give it to. I didn't
quit when everybody else wanted to quit. I didn't quit.
And that's something that I lived by because and ever
since I was a teenager, I just always told myself,
like I can't throw in the towel, Like right back
then it was my hoop dreams, which again didn't at
all pan out how I thought they would. Right and

(11:38):
again I've said this in my first episode ever, like
it was my fault, you know, my lack of work ethic.
But back then I always said, like, I can't give
up on this dream because I have to find out
if I make it. I'd rather find out that I
didn't make it than quit and know that I never
made it, and so this line definitely hits harder nowadays

(12:00):
to when I'm having these moments like this, because there's
this struggle of I think, chasing success and more specifically
in an environment, in a podcast environment that is pretty oversaturated,
and you know, it's it's unfortunate because like even for me, right,

(12:20):
I started my mind, like the birth of Hip to
the Games was like the seed was planted in twenty
eighteen around there, Like I would always want to tell
people like, you know, don't get it twisted. Like I
know a lot of people when everybody was stuck in
the house in twenty twenty and everybody decided to make
a podcast, like that became the thing to do. But

(12:40):
like understand the root of it, right, Like a lot
of these people had radio shows, or a lot of
these people had were sports personalities or media personalities, right,
and they couldn't go to their networks, but you know,
like their their production companies. They acted fast and everything
and they're like, hey, you know, you get your microphone,
as long as you got a laptop, you can still
do your show. So a lot of that was happening.

(13:01):
And then for me, right, I like, you know, nobody
was there in twenty eighteen, before the popularity of podcasts
be really took off. When I was sitting in my
radio class and the first few weeks of radio, we're
learning all the basics and this is what audio production is.
These are all the fields that you can go into
at radio. You don't even have to be on air personality.

(13:23):
You can be an engineer, you can be in the
on the business side of things. You know, you can
be the music director. You can you know, just focus
on picking this what's going to be played on the radio,
and reaching out to record labels and reaching out to
artists and things of that nature. You know, there was
so much and that was really cool for me to see.
But the minute my professor said, yeah, there's this things
called podcasts, and you can do it by yourself like

(13:45):
it's it's you know, it can be an individual endeavor,
it can be all up to you, your your own
creative control all those things. And obviously as as if
you know me, like you know, my mom always said
growing up, like you know, Dez, I can always picture
you working for yourself. Not that not that I was

(14:05):
like defiant and I didn't want to listen to anybody,
but she always saw how much I valued control, like
creative control, and honestly to a fault, right, one of
my many issues is my desire for control. But you know,
I think of that, and so the light bulb came
on instantly, like, oh no, like that's that's what I'm
gonna do, Like okay, I'm gonna get my degree, I'm

(14:28):
gonna finish this out. You know, I'm gonna do my
radio stuff, and I'm gonna build however way I can
build there. But I think that right there is what
I'm supposed to be doing. And I think, you know,
again a shout out to my sister. You know, she
always put that in me, like you're gonna be podcasting
one day, Like you're gonna be podcasting, Like I'm gonna
need you to start that podcast. You know. She's always
been my biggest cheerleader and my biggest challenger. Like I

(14:49):
love her to death for it. But you know, and
so eventually, right twenty nineteen comes, twenty twenty comes, I'm
finishing my college career. Obviously, I have to take a
fifth year twenty twenty one. So like Hips of the
Game started in February twenty twenty one, because that previous December.
You know, I had done the work to be like, oh,
like this is my lane, Like I can talk about

(15:11):
the two things that I could talk about, the thing
that I've always loved and the thing that I've grown
to love, right which is basketball and hip hop. And
I felt like I had something to say, you know,
I felt like I had I think that's what a
lot of it comes down to, you know, like I
felt like I had something to say. I felt like
there was for some reason, I felt like my voice
as a you know, a kid from you know, Joliet, Illinois,

(15:33):
I felt like my voice mattered. I felt like I
had something to say. I had something to contribute with
these with these respective cultures. And you know, it was cool,
and it's still cool. But again, now we're in a
place where, like I've been struggling with, like does my
voice even matter anymore? Right? There's I look at people
on TikTok every day who don't even have an established podcast,

(15:55):
but they got thousands of followers. They were able to
build thousands of followers just off talking hip hop, and
they pajamas right like, and they're well spoken, they articulate themselves,
they're well researched, and I envy that, right cause I've
always been a simple dude, you know. And I know
I'm talking about hip hop now, but like even in

(16:15):
the basketball side of things, you know what, I've always said,
one of the many inspirations of my basketball life was
Kobe Bryant, and at such a small scale. One reason
why that was is because I loved how simple he was.
Like I felt like me and him were like I
saw myself in some ways because he was just simple. Anytime,

(16:36):
like kids would ask him like, oh, Kobe, how do
I get better at this? Like I want to do
my fade away like yours, or I want to dribble
like you, And he would say, if you want to
get better at a fade away, you practice the fade away.
You just lab it's just you and the basketball. You fade,
you fade this way, you fade that way, you fade back.
You know, maybe get a friend if you're playing with
a friend, you know. Lucky for me, you know, I

(16:57):
was blessed to have my brother. So a lot of times, hey, vallon,
come guard me in the post. I'm trying to work
on my footwork. Like just I drilled those things It
wasn't like I was doing anything crazy. I wasn't doing
anything with a tennis ball. I wasn't you know. I
had no resistance bands around my ankles, like nothing like that.
And I always felt like that's how it was with me,
Like I just I call things how I see it,

(17:21):
how I hear it in the hip hop side, and
I struggle with that though, even to this day, I
struggle with that because I look at people and I'm like,
you know, they're they're a little more well spoken than I.
They're a little more experienced than I. You know, I've
always said I'm still climbing the hip hop tree. I
don't know everybody's upbringing. I'm not one of those people

(17:41):
that has the mass collection of vinyls and and I
can tell you everybody's upbringing in their first album, first mixtape,
how they got to be, like you know what group
they were on on the side that helped put them
on Like I don't have that. I don't have that,
but I do got this right. I do know how
to be all authentic. I do know how to be relatable.

(18:01):
I do understand what this hip hop thing is really about.
And and to me, I think the game needs more
of that. So I contributed that right, same thing with basketball.
I felt like in a world where everybody wants to
be seeing Stephen A. Smith, there's not it's not cool
to be positive. It's not cool to be positive. Like
I I think I've been on the side of that
with hip to the game sometimes, where it's not it's

(18:23):
not cool to be positive. Like, let's be real. Positivity
doesn't get clicks. It just doesn't. It doesn't because it's cute, right, Like, oh,
I appreciate what you said about this person, But obviously
the person that's that's going to challenge them or critique
them is going to get more clicks because they saying
how they really feel, whether they're right or wrong. They're
loud about it, and then it's going to get attraction. Right.

(18:46):
So again I'm kind of going on a tangent, but
like I struggle with all that, Like you know, now
now the athletes, right, athletes are dropping podcasts NonStop now,
So now it's like, again, my voice probably does matter
as much because now the athletes are able to control
their narratives. You don't. You don't even have to be
somebody like me where like I can interview in a

(19:08):
dream scenario interview with Kevin Durant. Right, Kevin Durant got
his own podcast, he can do his own interview. He
can interview himself, you know. So it's like why should
he come on hip to the games if he got
his own platform. Right. So again, I think a lot
of my peers and definitely myself, we're struggling with that.
How And I'm talking like I say, I'm talking those
of us who are genuinely about this podcast life, not

(19:29):
those of us who just woke up and decided to
do one. And and just for you know, giggles, like
those of us who actually put work and thought and
research and we are our production team. This is the
production team. You look at at him like I'm talking
about those people, right. And then when I think about
this this lyric from Nipsey too, like it's it's not

(19:51):
only trying to find you know, my lane and keep
going in this podcast game, but even in my life,
like on the side, like I'm deal trying to find
like a genuine career where I can use my degree.
And and you know, you're you're looking at the state
of the job market, and you know they're talking about
all these kids in there who are just graduating and
I'm I'm sitting here like we'll shoot you guys are

(20:13):
struggling at twenty one. I've been struggling the last five
four or five years. So it's like almost like welcome
to the club. Like I'm struggling too, and I'm and
I'm put I'm doing with everything right like that that
generate like they call it generation Z like me, you know,
like or like the what they say from like ninety
seven to like maybe two thousand and one, like general

(20:34):
the generation's millennial right where we like we're like halves
millennial have gen Z, Like I I fully relate to
that because it's just you you. We did everything that
that the ogs told us to do, and now we're
like desolate, like everything is just going downhill, and you know,
I'm putting my hands to work right, Like even when

(20:55):
I graduated college, I wasn't tripping that I didn't find
a job out the gate because I have at this
I'm like, yo, I'm doing something like this is great.
But after a while you start doing that and it's
like I'm putting in my dedication right when when is
my opportunity gonna come right, And the biggest question I've
been asking myself, like when will the work be worth it?

(21:16):
Like the thing I've been asking myself is do I
have six to ten more years of this feeling? Right? Like, Okay,
I'm on, I'm approaching. So what I'm on year four
of podcasting? Right, they say it takes ten years to
be an overnight success. That means I got six more
years left, But for some people it's even longer. I don't.

(21:37):
I'm I'm a little scared. I don't know if I
have more years left to give. Like something I talked
to my talk to Devon about all the time is like,
you know, life is still gonna move, Like I still
have other dreams that I want to accomplish. I still
want to be you know, I grow as an adult
and and things of that nature. Right, Like I'm getting

(21:58):
closer to thirty. You know, there's a lot more things
you tend to think about, right, And it's like, you know,
I still want to do those things. I can't be
the struggling podcast or forever like something something more on
this later, but something's got a shake, That's all I've
been saying lately. So yeah, that how long should I
stay dedicated? How long to opportunity to meet preparation that's

(22:19):
just been hitting too close, too close to home. I
even made it my lock screen, like so every day
I wake up because that's just all I know. It
may not be the most positive thing to wake up to,
but it's just like that's all that's on my mind.
That is exactly how I feel right now, Like how
long should I stay dedicated? How much do I got
in me? Because I'm somebody that puts so much. I

(22:40):
put every inch into this, this, this my stuff. Like
I've always been that dude. I've always been that kind
of guy, Like I just you know, it's funny, like
I'll joke with my sister sometimes about stuff like that,
Like you know, I'm somebody I never needed a drug,
I never needed a liquid confidence, Like I live off

(23:01):
the natural, Like God gave me this natural like energy,
you know what I mean. Like I feed off that.
And when you're putting all that into an endeavor like
this and it's not growing how you thought it would
and all of those things, it can be really draining.
It can be hard. So yeah, that's that's all I've
been sitting with. But very Similarly, the next song comes

(23:24):
from J Cole, right, and who I've always said his
biggest strength as an artist is his relatability. That is
his superpower, and especially the range of his relatability. He
can spit something that only the person in the corner
of the room can relate to, but he can also
spit a line that everybody can relate to. And what

(23:44):
I always say to like, if you if you grew
up as a teenager, like anytime, I would say teenager
slash young adult anytime from like twenty ten to like
twenty sixteen. Like you notice, like J Cole is is
so different to us. You know how easy it could
have been for me to just pick all J. Cole
songs like that, dude is incredible, But I picked the

(24:08):
insideline story. I actually want to highlight the first three
lines of the song and then eventually the last lines
of the chorus. So I I some separate parts here,
but these lyrics have been hitting close to home as well,
and he kind of details the thoughts of being an underdog.
But personally, I also kind of found familiarity with it
with the lyrics due to my lifetime struggle of self sabotage,

(24:30):
so a few different topics here. He starts the song
saying this, I put my heart and soul in this game.
I'm feeling drained, unappreciated, unalleviated, tired of coming up short, bump,
abbreviated right, So for me, it's what I was just saying, Right,
I put my heart and soul in this game. I'm
feeling drained. Like it's like the input output kind of thing, right,

(24:53):
Like when you put in so much and feel like
the outcome ain't ain't as much as what you're put
and in that that's gonna leave you feeling drained. And
maybe it's an ego thing with me, right, Like I'm
I'm I can like I can be humble enough to
say that, Like it could be an ego thing with me.
Maybe I feel like I'm putting in the work that
I'm not really putting in, right, But it gets like

(25:16):
that sometimes, you know. It's it's that struggle of giving
your all and feeling like it's still not enough. You Know.
Something I think about often is like there are literally
times where I might be preparing episode notes or it's
like midnight one in the morning and I'm making the
thumbnail or like I'm literally finishing editing the video and
Adobe and like I get that realization, Like dude, you

(25:37):
do realize like you've been working like all day to
day and it still might not pop off the way
you want to, Like are you ready for that? And
like it's like my body like goes into that mode
of realization where it's like, dang you right, Like I'm
gonna do my best. I'm gonna hit upload this content
going out. I'm gonna make this the best that it

(25:57):
can possibly be. But oh shoot you, like it's not guaranteed, right,
And I think again, being twenty seven, now, like that's
the real Like that's the reality of hard work, right,
growing up countless times as a kid as a pre teen,
I heard you know, hard work gets you in, work hard,

(26:17):
do your best. Da da da da. But now it's
like sometimes you see the reality of hard work not
paying off. Like you know, some people call it luck,
but you gotta have a little God Disney magic right there,
Like God is God's favor shows up a lot for

(26:38):
for people. You know, it ain't just hard work, because
I'll tell you, I'll be the first to tell you
there's been times where I feel like I've really been
putting in the grind and I'm like, oh, shoot, it's
not showing in the numbers. What am I doing wrong?
What am I doing wrong? I put my heart and
soul in this game. I'm feeling drained, tired of coming

(26:59):
up short, you know, and and and that's the thing too, Right.
It made me think of this, like something I've struggled
with all my life too, is like the feeling of
being like I'm not enough. Right. So it's kind of
like this this tie in with with chasing validation, right,
seeming like I was in the category of being not

(27:21):
the worst, but not the best. And I think I
struggled with that because it's like that's that's not really
affirming in a world that tends to reward the best
of the best. Right. And I've noticed throughout my life
how I've experienced that, right. Like, so, when I was
coming up playing ball, it was like, again it was
the kids that was super talented. You know, all he
gonna be tall, you know, woo the wo uh. You know,

(27:44):
it's you gotta work a little harder when you just
the averge sized kid, not the fastest, not the best
shooter in the gym, you know, not the most standout
body type. Like all those things. I could say the
same thing for podcasting, right, Like I always said, I
always knew I was never the best speaker. That's something

(28:05):
that I've always been a little insecure about, like I've
I've I've never been top tier you know, personality and
even and I think even this, like when I think
of again the how the genesis of hip to the
Games came to be, right, like when I found out
that I even wanted to do podcasting again, I knew
it was something that I could do solo, Like I
knew that I had things to say, but it was

(28:27):
But again, I know I struggle with sometimes, Like you know,
I'm not always I'm I'm totally cool not having guests
on the show like i've I've had a podcast for
four years not solely relying on having a guest or
a co host, like I'm cool by myself. Right, But again,
like I say, it seems like again with the radio background,
I know the game, right, it would it would be

(28:49):
genius of me to have a co host. It would,
especially if that co host is a woman, right, Like
I know how the business of this thing goes but
again right, so sometimes it's like maybe I'm just it's
not maybe I'm just not where I felt like I
should be or I feel like I should be because
I'm a solo show. Right. So again it's it's tired

(29:10):
of coming up short. Like when I hear that part
that when Cole says that on Sideline Story, it makes
me think of that, like it's not always that I'm
coming up short, but sometimes I feel like it's just me.
It's a me thing, like maybe just like I'm not enough, right,
And as we continue with the with the latter part

(29:31):
of the chorus of Sideline Story, he says, I wish
somebody made guidelines on how to get up off the
sidelines and woo when I heard that, oh my gosh
again when it comes to like self sabotage and I
and shout out again the gimmick infringement pod Man Tyler
and Brady. They let me do a couple of articles
on there, and once again I had my most recent

(29:53):
one was talking about self sabotage. Like it was so
heavy on my heart that I was like, I think
my gi homies will let me, you know, put drop
a little piece on their platform because I had to
get it off, like I couldn't shake it. But when
I hear this song from Cole, that is exactly how
I feel like all my life, I feel like I've
always been on the sidelines. Like it's been very easy

(30:16):
for me to go throughout my life watching others succeed
and not have a place in the game myself. And
like I think about it in the way of social
media even right, Like I think there's a reason why
a lot of us follow our favorite athletes or our
favorite rappers, whoever it is, because we kind of live
vicariously through them. Right, I'll be the first to say,

(30:38):
I know for me one of my biggest guilty pleasures
and longtime hobbies, especially as video games have gotten a
lot more realistic than they once were. You know we
were when we were young. We didn't have career mode
is the way we do now. We couldn't put our
face in the game, and like all these things, so
like I look like my in my free time, I
just love playing NBA two K career Mode and live

(30:59):
in the dream that I didn't get to live in
a game. Like it might sound silly to somebody, but
like that's my thing that's my thing. Like and it's
the same thing, like sometimes I find myself scrolling and
I'm looking at all my favorite NBA players and whatnot,
and it's like, dang, like I always pictured that would
be my life, like you know, the custom court in

(31:24):
the gym or maybe the outdoor court, you know what
I mean with my logo on it, you know, like
dope house, everything taken care of, family, good, friends, good
you know, I can provide for myself. You know, if
I got a family, I could provide for my kids,
like all that type of stuff. And then you know,

(31:45):
again then I get like punched with that reality like
it didn't happen that way though, And and again that's
something where even with my faith, right, I've been challenged.
Like something I saw the other day I was reminded
of was like be okay with it not going your way,
Be okay with God, you know, like give be okay
with missed expectations, be okay with it not going to

(32:07):
your plan. And when I tell you, that's something that
I struggle with heavy as a dreamer, as somebody who
maps it out all up here. You know, I joke
with people all the time, you can't talk about my forehead.
I know I got a big forehead because I'm an overthinker.
I'm a big dreamer, you know. I I hey, man,
God knew that this brother needs some real estate up

(32:29):
in here. He needs a little more surface area than
the average brother. Because you know, my my Desmond, he
he overthinks and he's a big dreamer. I gotta give
some space for that. But you know, I think about
that often and then it's it's like I struggle with
that heavy. I'm not gonna lie as much as I
profess the faith, and you know, I try to be

(32:49):
a soldier for Christ. It ain't always like that. I've
I've had it heard, I've had it pretty rough in
that sense. Where again, like I said, self sabotage and
I'm speak more on it a little bit, but it
really eats at me sometimes, especially when I'm doing it unintentionally.
That's when it really gets hard. But like when I
think of being on the sidelines and watching other people,

(33:11):
it's like I also feel like it's my calling to
encourage others, Like I really feel like, especially in my family,
like we just have that in us. So I'm like,
maybe being on the sidelines is where I'm supposed to be, right,
because on the sidelines is where you hear some of
the most most encouragement. Maybe that is where I'm supposed
to be. Maybe I'm not supposed to be in the game.

(33:31):
So it's like sometimes I get that thought of maybe
I should take a backseat. Maybe hit to the games
ain't what I'm supposed to be doing. It's cool for
its time, but maybe that's not what I'm supposed to
be doing. You know, maybe I'm supposed to find another
lane of encouragement. Maybe it's not even in media. Who knows, Like,
maybe I'm supposed to be coaching. Like I don't know,
and I hate to like, you know, I know this

(33:53):
is a lot different episode compared to what you're used to.
But again, and maybe it's just me at my quarter
life crisis. I have no idea, but you know, that's
what I think about when I hear that. I wish
somebody made guidelines how to get off the sidelines because
for something I've been struggling for so long. Again, now
I'm in my twenties, especially my late twenties. My first

(34:13):
half of my twenties was pretty cool, but this latter half,
who boy, it's all these I see what everybody in
their thirties means when they say your twenties is like
you have to heal. So when you enter your thirties,
then those can be the best years of your life.
And now like I'm getting all these lessons of like, oh,
this is why you do this, this is why you

(34:34):
operate this way, and it's like whoa, but yeah, man,
it's a lot of that and that in mind too,
Like it's been very easy for me to pass opportunities
due to feeling not ready or like I'm good enough. Right,
So again what I was saying before, the feeling of
not being enough, like that hits me right after the excitement.

(34:54):
It's that, ah, but no, there's got to be somebody.
There's got to be somebody better, right. I could tell
you I'll be if we being a hundred, let's be
a hundred. Somebody could give me an opportunity right now.
If somebody came up to me and said, Dez, we
want to put I don't know, Stephan Curry's book just
came out, we want you to interview and want to
hip to the games, I would be like nah, nah nah,

(35:15):
like that. I mean, that's major, but like, no, it
can't be me. I don't speak that well. I don't
come up you know, I'm trying to come up with
the good questions. I can't interview like Speedy Mormon. You know,
I'm I'm not. I'm not. I don't even have that
kind of status or fan base. Like, nah, give it
to somebody else, give it to somebody else. That's how
my brain operates, as joyous as it would be for
me to interview Stephen Curry and I get to ask

(35:36):
him how he you know, what his top five albums are,
you know, like it's that side of it too, and
and even even behind the curtain. There was a time
a few years ago I had this really dope opportunity,
like very potential opportunity of something that you know, I
think very at the very least could have been at

(35:57):
some point a an answered prayer. But it was at
a weird time in my life, like literally like where
I was at, Like I felt like the timing wasn't good,
But it was also like dang, like I didn't have
the faith to even say yes. I like, if let's
say it was the perfect environment, I don't think I
had the faith to say yes, I said no because

(36:18):
it was the safest thing for me to do. And
and you know that's something that I really you know,
it's I think about that all the time, just like
what I was saying about God like trusting when things
don't go to plan. I still ask myself to this
day that was like three years ago, two years ago,

(36:39):
and I still think about that, like was that my chance?
And I mess it up? And I have trouble believing
that it can come around again or come around in
a new way. That was my chance? You know, I
struggle with that too, And so, like I said, all
of this is kind of in that lane of self sabotine.

(37:00):
So like I said, it gets to a point where
sometimes I do it unintentionally, and that's the worst. It's
the absolute worst feeling to feel like it's like I
carry that fear of walking past answer prayers, like maybe
this person I met can actually help me, but because
I'm not reaching out to them, I'm still in the
same boat, Like it hasn't clicked in my brain, like Yodaz,

(37:20):
you can do this this and the third with this person,
collab with this person and y'all both come up right,
that might be how God sees it, But in my
selfishness or in my insecurity, in my hopelessness, I don't
see it that way, right, Like I have that fear
every day that like I'm just walking past what could
be the answer to the prayers that I'm desperately praying for.

(37:42):
Right So wood, Yeah, I know that was heavy, but
like that's what I think of. Like I wish somebody
made gidelines how to get up off the sidelines because
I feel like I've been here so long. If you
want me in this game, somebody gonna have to show
me how cuz I'm not just gonna get in this
game myself. I can't put my helmet on in my
pads and like I'm the type of no I'm cool
with the hoodie. You let me know, like if you

(38:02):
really want me to put the pads on, you're gonna
have to do some you know, let me get like
a preseason you know, training camp or something first, cuz
it's hard. But yeah, man, funny enough, Like I said,
I could have win J Cole all day because the
next one is also J Cole, But this time it
comes out of a hip to the games, bar on
rags to riches off the come up. Right, It's sad

(38:24):
though I'm tired of being broke as this. I'm seeing
other brothers ball and I'm like, oh for six. And man,
I just graduated, good old college degree. Shoot, my Homi's
drug dealing see more dollars than me. Comparison is truly
the thief of joy. Comparison is the thief of joy.
Oh my goodness. I know it was coming up earlier

(38:46):
as I was talking, but man, I relate to this
so heavy. Like I'm seeing other brothers ball and I'm like,
oh for six, Like I always think of Kobe Bryant
when on his documentary, he was saying, like, I'm watching
Alan Iverson tear it up, watching Ray Allen tear it up.
I'm watching dudes get the opportunity in my draft class
Stefan Marberry, Like, I'm what Marcus Camby is swatten shots like,

(39:10):
and I'm on the bench. I feel like that all
the time. Like man, Like again, like I said, I'm getting,
I'm closer to thirty than I've ever been. Right, So
it's not even just career stuff. It's it's it's podcast,
it's career, it's life. Right, So it's like I'm looking again,
I'm twenty seven. There are podcasters younger than me just
finding ways to eat off this thing, getting opportunities, rubbing

(39:34):
shoulders with legends or even people around my age, maybe
like the same age, or maybe a couple of years
older than me, who have been on this grind since
we was in high school, and now they're receiving the fruit.
Like like the NBA was just streaming Agent Zero's Hall
of Fame experience where he streamed his time at the
Hall of Fame, and I know he's like two years

(39:55):
older than me, and I remember seeing his videos all
the time, like when I didn't pay no more it.
But like again, we grew up in that Chris Smooth
era and then when people when we started actually making content,
Like you know, I remember seeing his videos everywhere. So
now seeing him and he at the Hall of Fame
and he shaking hands with Isaiah Thomas and Dominique Wilkins,
I'm like, yo, you know, And obviously he's put in

(40:18):
a lot more work than me, you know, Like I
give major flowers to him. He's a genuine dude. He
does it the right way. I love what he's about,
but I see that in other ways right, Like, again,
as long as we got these you just able to see,
you know, for my listeners, I'm holding up my phone,
But as long as you got this phone, you're able
to see. We have more access to people than we've

(40:38):
ever had, so it's easy to play that comparison game.
And like that's all I see sometimes where I'm like,
these dudes are around my age, and like they they
got the opportunities with these big companies and whatnot. And
it's like, again, like I said, it's like lil o'd me.
I feel like I'm Ozer for six, Like I'm shooting
shots at the same spot and I'm missing mine, and
that's cool. It's cool to miss, you know, that's how

(41:00):
you learn to make. But sometimes, like I said, when
you when you at the grind for a little bit,
and and and that's the thing with me. I feel
like the thing I struggle with is getting weary and
well doing again something the Bible says not to do.
But I'm guilty of that. I'm somebody where I've noticed
over the years, i feel like, and again a lot
of it is unintentional, but I've noticed under the over
the years where like if I'm not getting checkpoints. It's

(41:24):
very easy for me to feel like I need to
be doing something else right. It's very easy for me
to pivot and say, maybe this isn't working, I gotta
try something else, as opposed to sticking with something and
really seeing that joint through. And and I've noticed that
about myself, Like it's very easy for me to get
weary and well doing like I just you know, I might,

(41:47):
I might have my mind set on something and then
the minute it don't really go how I thought, I'm
not getting those checkpoints. I'm not getting that positive reinforcement
at least the way I thought it should come. It's
very easy for me to be like, I think it's
time to throw in the towel. And again it's it's unfortunate.
It's unfortunate. And I think a lot of that comes

(42:08):
out of comparison. I think, like I said, I'm seeing
a lot of people in this podcast game. Because that's
the thing about the podcast game, the reason why it
shot up the way it did is because you really
folks realize they could eat off this, Like if you
really about that life and you get the sponsorships and
you get good enough to where people are like you
have a valuable fan base, a core fan base, and

(42:28):
you're bringing value to them in a certain way. You
can eat off this. But on the other side of that,
I'm seeing I know people that's been doing this for years, decades,
and they still trying. They're still trying. And like I
was saying earlier, I don't know if I got it
like that. I don't know if I got it like that.

(42:49):
And just like Cole says, like he graduated, he got
the college degree you supposed to get, right, but his
homies they hustling, They got a a less ethical or
moral or respectable way of living. They getting paid. He
got the degree, he went through the work, and he broke.

(43:11):
That seems anti of what we've been led to believe, right,
But like I said, when I hear these bars, that's
what ja Cole is going through. Comparison is the thief
for joy. Like I said, it's hard scrolling on his
phone sometimes and you're looking for inspiration or you're like
or And I'm a studier, right, so I'm not always

(43:31):
I just get caught in the track of comparison naturally,
Like I'm a big study guy. So like I'm gonna
take what that person did well and put it on
my show. I'm gonna take what they did for their
intro and put it on my show. All that video
was dope. I'm gonna try that style the next time
I make my social media, Like I'm that kind of guy,
so naturally that can easily turn into all his intro
a little better than mine. I gotta spruce mine up

(43:53):
a little bit or dang, like he did it that way,
Like how are they like, look at all of you
that they got because they did it this way. I
tried that same thing and mine not hitting? So is
it me? Like so many things, so many things, I
feel like I can say. I just have two bullet
points here, and I feel like I can say so much.
But yeah, man, comparison is the thief of joy because

(44:15):
and it has robbed me a lot of times, you know,
and I hate that. It's it's something that I got
to get better at. But again, it gets rough, It
gets rough in that land sometimes, you know, these lyrics
be hitting. These lyrics hit a lot harder at twenty
seven than they did at what how old was I
I don't know, twelve years old. Like it's it's it's crazy.

(44:37):
But the last lyric that I have comes from Eminem.
And I know this is very cliche, but it's the truth, right,
Like I said, I'm not doctoring this up. I'm not
trying to give you the super deep like, nah, this
is just what is hitting from me right now, and
lose yourself. That last verse always gets me because Eminem
touches on the pressure he feels as he chases success, right,

(44:58):
And this isn't how he in the song, but and
I have it typed differently, but you'll get the idea.
He says, another day of monotony has gotten me to
the point I'm like a snail. I've got to formulate
a plot or end up in jail a shot. So
it's that pressure, right, The days are getting monotonous and
and and he feels like there is no progress, He's

(45:19):
moving at a snail's pace. And then there's that pressure
of like I gotta get a plot, I gotta or else,
like it's not gonna be good for me. And right,
I don't feel the pressure as dire as that outcome, right,
but I do resonate with that pressure. Again, Like I said,
I'm getting closer to thirty, and sometimes I'm living these
days and it feels like my life won't change, right,

(45:40):
And I know exactly what Eminem is talking about that
monotony is a is a wild thing. Boy, Monotony is crazy.
Where like me and Vaughan talk about this often, like
when you wake up and you literally can know how
your day is gonna go, and then you go to
bed and you know exactly how tomorrow's gonna go. Ah,
that is that is tough, and I'm sure you go

(46:01):
through that in your own way, right, Like I said,
I don't want to get up here and feel like
my life's like I'm at the end of the world
or something like that, like or I'm by myself even
like again, I had to throw that hip hop side
of it in here too where it could be relatable
and still be hip to the games. Right. But yeah,
like I feel that pressure and the struggle of monoton

(46:22):
this lifestyle. Like I said, same thing even with the podcast,
Like it's hard some days when I can even know
like okay, does Let's be honest, how do you think
this episode is gonna do? And well, you know I
did this. This is this my best work. I certainly
tried to give my best, But do I feel it's
my best work. Maybe not this week, or maybe this week.
It did feel my best work, It did feel like

(46:44):
it was my best work, but the results didn't, you know,
it didn't really go how I thought, you know, Like
I said, that's the side of podcast and people won't
show you. For example, I'm always grateful, right like, man,
I'm so proud of that Kendrick album review. You know
how hard it is to make a two part episode
and people tap into both parts, Like I've tried that

(47:04):
in the past, and I've seen people watch the first
part and then kind of fall off on the second part.
So to get to a point where my part one
views match my part two views, that made my heart
like happy, because I've been on the other side of
that where it feels like you know, sometimes when you
you gotta be careful doing two part episodes because sometimes

(47:24):
if the first part was a bit more interesting than
the second part, people will fall off. Or if the
first part does so well, people are gonna see that part,
but they may not always go to part two. Like
It's just sometimes it can get like that. But yeah,
it's it's it comes with a lot of pressure, and
I think a lot of it is self inflicted. I
think a lot of it is self pressure, right, like
I said, comparison and things of that nature. But yeah,

(47:47):
but on the point of like the monotonous lifestyle, like
I said, sometimes it can be so every day like
I'm putting my all into this work and I feel
like I'm just getting the same results week after week,
week after week. I'm doing what the experts say, I'm
doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm I'm being consistent.
I'm posting what I'm supposed to be posting. I still
got a life outside of this. I still gotta eat,
I still gotta sleep, I still gotta you know, like

(48:10):
all these things. I still got a job, like all
these things. And it's like, but I don't want to
break the almighty consistency rule that they tell you. You know,
you gotta post every day, you gotta post multiple times
a day. It's like, brother, I don't have I don't
have that Like that that's harder than what it is,
what it what it seems like. So yeah, it's it
can be. It can be hard. And I think even

(48:30):
this too, like what I was saying earlier, like the
thing about that that that gets me is like the
idea of being a man quote unquote, Like again, let's
be real, like being a man is taking care of
your business. Being a man is figuring out is figuring
out how to handle the cars that you were dealt, right,

(48:53):
And what I was saying earlier, that's what's always echoing
in my brain. Some's gotta shake, Some's gotta shake. Like
I'm putting in too much time. I'm putting in too
much care for something not to shake. And so again
that pressure gets to me. You know, I feel like
I'm coming up short, cause again I feel like I'm
being less of a man because I'm struggling, like I'm

(49:15):
trying to make something shake. And even when I'm trying
to make something shake, nothing shaken. Ain't no jello up
in here, you know. So yeah, like I resonate with
the pressure that Eminem experiences and lose yourself. Really, that
whole song is awesome. Like like that song, it's a
reason why that's Eminem's biggest hit, and it's become so cliche.
But every time I listen to that song, and like

(49:37):
I said, as I get older, the more I resonate
with that song, because boy, that's how I feel I
feel just like be Rabbit, right like, even even when
I think of the story of Eminem in real life,
right like, he lost that battle in the final round
and he felt like that was his ticket and lo
and behold, some random kid asked him for his demo.

(49:58):
He tossed it in the crowd like I, and that
kid ends up being the same A and R that
ends up connecting him to like doctor dre Right like
again again what I was saying earlier, like trusting God
even when it doesn't go your way. You know, Eminem
wanted to win that thing. He felt like winning would
get him his big break, but funny enough, losing gave

(50:18):
him his big break. And a lot of times I
look at God and I'm like, how are you doing
that for me? I feel like I'm doing everything and
you and I would hate for somebody to tell me, Dez,
you're not doing enough, because sometimes I feel like I'm
putting so much into this and to still feel like
I ain't doing enough, Like I don't know if I
got it in me to keep going, you know. And

(50:39):
so like I said, a lot of times, when I
find myself in his headspace, I'm just like, man, how
do I figure this out. I feel like I've tried
a lot of things, but nothing is manifesting, Like how
do I do that? You know? And that pressure can
get real and really that's the last that's the last
lyric that I have. But just you know, honestly, I

(50:59):
don't really know, you know. I hope you got some
value from this. Like I said, I appreciate you allowing
me to vent all this out because that's really what
it is. But I again, it's the connection to hip hop,
right like, like the title of this episode is like,
these are lyrics that are hitting too hard for me
right now? What are some lyrics that are hitting hard
for you right now? Like it would be so inauthentic

(51:21):
of me to come up and hear and talk like honestly,
I didn't have an in me to talk about the
WNBA playoffs. Like I said, there's been so much music dropping.
I just I haven't tapped into all of it. I
could easily get up here and fake and be professional
and say, oh, yeah, let's talk about Chance album, or
let's talk about Jid. Let's rate them one, let's give
them five mics, you know, let's do the five mic rating,
or hey, here's what I think about the WNBA playoffs.

(51:44):
But I'm sitting here catching up on highlights and games
and stats and stories because I haven't been able to
watch the games. Like at this point, the only thing
I really had in me to do was something like this,
to just be my authentic self, and that was something
God whispered to me, like Yodaz, give them this, Like
he says that to me often, like when I'm doing
some of my podcast episodes, like Desmond, you don't know

(52:05):
you're you're sitting here struggling of what to what to
do for the next episode when it's right in front
of your face, give them this. So that was my
goal with this. You know, we've made it to the
end of another Hip to the Games episode. I appreciate
you allowing me to vent and I think give you
a different side of hip hop compared to the optimism

(52:27):
I usually like to provide on here. Like I say,
I know this is a bit different from me because
I try to always be the positive dude. I always
try to be the encourager, Like anytime a rappers in
my dms, anytime my homies are I'm texting with them,
like I always say, like keep going, keep your head up,
something like to that effect, because I know how it is,
but it just felt fake of me to like act

(52:49):
like everything was peaching and fine and put a bow
on it, right like it. Even it feels weird doing
this because, like I said, usually I'm Desmond Pile, host
the Hip to the Games, catch me on every other Friday.
But I just don't feel like that. Man, I don't
feel like that. Like I said, it took every bit
of me to like not just take some weeks off
and play NBA two K, like that's literally I feel

(53:11):
like sometimes all I got the energy for, like and
even with this episode, right, there's so many songs and
artists that I wanted to pull from. I wanted to
pull from Yla, but that stuff just wasn't hitting at
this time in my life, and I didn't want this
to be a super long episode. I still don't know
how long this episode is. We'll see, but I hope
that if anything, you found yourself in a similar situation

(53:33):
like I said, and you can resonate. Maybe we can
encourage each other with song lyrics. You know, these are
just my thoughts, but it's time to hear from you,
Like I said, I always leave that door open. You
can tweet the show at Hip to the Games or
tag me directly on Twitter or ig at does some
power underscore. You know that door is always there to
share any lyrics that are hitting a little too close
to home for you nowadays. Again, I would love to

(53:54):
try my best to encourage you as well. You know,
thankfully God often uses hip hop for fans like you
and I to speak to what we're feeling and help
us get through these harder days. You know, life ain't
always peachy, but somehow, some way we keep going. I
might have said everything I wanted to say, I might
not have. There are probably some I'm gonna edit this.

(54:14):
I'm gonna be like I should have said this, should
have said that, but I don't know. Man. With all
that said, just thank you, thank you for listening for
another episode of Hip to the Games. Even if it
is something like this, all of the love of the
best commo there is, you know, hopefully God and hip
hop can pick us up. And here's a huge shout
out to you for being Hip to the Games, being
on His journey with me, even for the moments like this,

(54:36):
It means more than you know. Peace, out and God
bless Hope you enjoyed this episode of Hip to the
Games and if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to
hit up the socials at Desmond Powell Underscore and at
Hip to the Games on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok so
you don't miss out on the fund and please follow
or subscribe to the show and leave a review on
the podcast platform you're on right now, as your support

(54:59):
is great being appreciated, but then things

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

Crime Junkie

Stuff You Should Know

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}When Hip-Hop Lyrics From the Past Hit Different in the Present...

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

Crime Junkie

Stuff You Should Know

All Episodes

When Hip-Hop Lyrics From the Past Hit Different in the Present...

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist