How Young Can You Die of Old Age?

So you’re 49 years old and about to release yet another installment in your mix tape series. You’ve wanted to be a rapper ever since you saw Kool Moe Dee in concert in the mid 80‘s and you have been trying ever since. You feel like the 54th time is the charm and this particular mixtape, “My Prostate’s Trying to Kill Me Son” is just what the streets have been waiting for. After all, how can you go wrong with with hot lyrics like:

When I first pooped on myself I was inconsolable

now my bowels are moving like my vowels, uncontrollable

I spit and shit hot flames

I dookie stain your membrane with the shit that I be sayin’

I used to walk rocking to Kane now my cane is on my rocker

at least I think that’s where I left it, I better take my beta blockers

I used to pop E, now I’m poppin’ A thru Z

from Avodart to Zoladex, all because of frequent pee

After reveling in your own lyrical wonderment, you think to call the wife to share in your excitement but remember that she left you five years ago for the audio engineer who worked on your 37th mix tape titled “My Engineer is Auto-tuning my Wife Son”. You then think to call your best friend but recall that he immediately gave his life to Jesus and disavowed hip hop after hearing your 25th mix tape, “My Best Friend Needs to Disavow Hip Hop and Give His Life to Jesus...Son”. Since all your industry contacts have passed away and no one in your immediate circle cares, who are you to share the lyrical stylings of MC Aged with?

When is it time to throw in the towel and decree “No Mas!”? For anyone pursuant of any dream, successful or not, that issue will come into question at some point in your excursion. Most have, or are still struggling with this quagmire. For those who have achieved, the issue is maintaining success while keeping your craft interesting. For those who haven’t achieved their desired level of success, the issue remains becoming successful while keeping the naysayers off your back (yourself being the primary naysayer most often). Successful or not, the common denominator for most of the decision making is typically age.

Ageism is indistinguishably ingrained in societal fabrics and polyester blends. The age yardstick supersedes letter grades, financial achievements, etc... We use it to measure virtually everything. You should be successful at a projected point in time or your matrix clearly requires a glitch correcting agent. Although age barriers are broken down time and again, we consistently view those instances as exceptions to the status quo. Has anyone ever bother to ask just how many times one can go against the quo before it should no longer be considered status?

Detractors of dream chasing are most often friends and family concerned with the financial stability of the chaser, and rightfully so. It is reasonable to expect and want financial freedoms for your loved ones, especially if they are pursuing their dreams and using your electricity to do so. Any dream chaser should always have a source of income until the dream pays off however, regardless of what stage they occupy. Do whatever is necessary to retain financial sustenance. It is unconscionable to you and those around you to place all your eggs in one mothership yet to arrive. Besides, occupation of starving artist status, although romanticized, is never a romantic affair, especially if you enjoy amenities like food, sex, heat, and argument free environments. The only desired aspect of being a starving artist is reflecting on when you were one.

As cliche as cliche’s can be (and they can be quite cliche), a sense of purpose is truly what makes, say it with me children, “life worth living”. The minute you have nothing to live for, you may probably stop living. I remember learning sonnets from some guy named Langston who babbled on about holding on to dreams, flightless handicapped birds, barren fields and things of the like. The relevance of that message was clearly lost on a fourth grader whose primary concern at that juncture was the after school cartoon lineup (“I can’t believe they moved Tom and Jerry to 3:30!”).

So when should you stop doing something that you love to do? The answer is simple; when you no longer love to do it. Chances are if you really do respect and love the craft, you would care enough to not write rhymes like those listed above or any comparable variation thereof in whatever your respected field of dreams. It would also help to clearly define what success means for you. As for your support system (spouses, family, friends, etc...), who may present more obtrusions that aqueducts at times, it is almost a certainty that those suggesting you not pursue your passion are just concerned for your well being...or they may just be stank ass hater’s . Either way, forgive them and forage on for they know not what they say. It is merely misguided concern. Rock on!

Peace and I’m outty 5000 home slice!! Rrrra

SideBar: There is no such thing as a 40 year old rapper.... until there is such a thing as a 40 year old rapper. SideBar Complete.