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- Some Business Lessons from the Kendrick Lamar & Drake Rap Battle
Some Business Lessons from the Kendrick Lamar & Drake Rap Battle
Quality Over Quantity
Kendrick Lamar is known for taking years between projects, while Drake releases high-quality music more often. However, in this back-and-forth, quality seems to have won out, especially in the court of public opinion. The biggest brands (Rolex, Apple, Hermes) in the world don’t do a ton of releases, but when they do, it’s of the highest quality catered to a niche consumer.
Build and Cater to Your Community
Both of these gentlemen have rabid fan bases that consume their content by any means. This takes time and effort over the years of catering to your fan base and giving them what they expect from you. Community is a moat. Build one, and it will help protect what you’ve built.
Ship Relentlessly
In this case, this tweet from our CEO says it all. When they love your product, keep shipping it!
Another #startup gem dropped by Kendrick for all the early stage founders out there:
Once you find product market fit, ship RELENTLESSLY.
— Tyrone V. Ross Jr. (@TR401)
12:31 AM • May 5, 2024
Beat the Competition at their Strengths
Knowing your competitors is part of being in business. If you can beat them at their own game, you win over your fans and theirs. Kendrick was not known as a pop/dance artist, but the last track he released in the battle, 'Not Like Us,' is being played everywhere.
Win the Culture First, Then the Internet
Everyone wants to go viral (see next point) with millions of views and impressions. While trying to do this, there’s often a sacrifice of quality and care, causing it to fall flat. It’s a skill to have the pulse of the people and understand what will make them activate. This is what we try to do every day as financial advisers: by encouraging clients to be more active in their financial planning.
Again, Tyrone says it best here. Once the clicks, searches and inquiries being; ring the register! The best way to grow your business, is by acquiring new users that were recommended through word of mouth or viral memes.
Today’s #startup lesson for early stage founders courtesy of Kendrick Lamar:
Stand back and let virality and network effects lead to organic growth.
#NotLikeUs
— Tyrone V. Ross Jr. (@TR401)
4:15 PM • May 5, 2024
Authenticity Always Wins
This is fairly simple: Nobody is better at being you than when you're being yourself. Never sacrifice your self-worth for acceptance. Even in this 'battle,' Kendrick remained true to himself: educating the audience while rapping and attacking his opponent at the highest level.
Let Your Product Speak for Itself
There’s a saying in the Caribbean: 'A watched pot doesn't boil.' In other words, once you spend endless hours perfecting that pitch, business plan, or product launch, release it into the world and stand back. We often hinder our own success by trying to add clarity or effects to our work, which can distract the consumer.
🎯As of this writing, no more music has been released, but there are still plenty of lessons to be learned from this clash of Hip/Hop titans. It’s easy to get distracted by the insults and catchy beats, but it’s our job to uncover the financial and business gems and share them as part of our Token Advice. We'll see you on the next one!
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