5 Rap Quotes to Inspire Content Marketing Greatness

The same way Jason Miller is using is passion for Rock n Roll to find inspiration when creating content, I decided to use my passion for Rap to illustrate what I think content marketing should be.

Jason, if you’re reading this, thanks for being an inspiration. This is my homage to you.

“My biggest lesson is just, man: Whatever you do, own it.” – Andre 3000

Andre 3000 is known for pushing the boundaries of Hip Hop. Outkast started in 1992 as a band in Atlanta, Georgia. After releasing a first rap album, Big Boi and Andre 3000 quickly expanded their horizons beyond the classic definition of Hip Hop with their second and third effort, leading to great commercial success.

Andre’s exploration and inclusion of all his influences went so far his counterpart Big Boi couldn’t agree with his artistic direction anymore. The best compromise the group could find was to release the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003, which really was a bundle of two solo albums. That album was the most successful of their career, winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

The lesson for marketers here is to think about content as an art to explore and own. Develop your craft to find your voice. Practice and publish a lot. Learn from it, and go back to the drawing board.

Whenever you find an idea that represents your unique voice, own it. Go all in, and don’t shy away.

Derek Sivers totally embraced that concept when starting CDBaby. He wasn’t trying to  become the “world leader” of anything, but it’s now the biggest independent music store on the web.

Derek made a point in doing things that made him happy, and that meant bringing all of him to work: his humor, his creativity, and his uniqueness. One of his best pieces of content ever composed was an hilarious order confirmation email. This corky email was so unique it was shared by thousands of people creating a huge word of mouth ripple effect.

“Been allergic to talkin’, been aversion to bullshit” – Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

Is this Kendrick’s way to tell us he’s the Gary Vaynerchuck of Rap?

Some of Gary’s way to express this would sound something like “don’t talk the talk, walk the walk. Only execution matters. Be a practitioner”. But the best way to illustrate this analogy between the 7-time Grammy winner and the self made entrepreneur is to use  GaryVee’s concept of Clouds and Dirt.

The middle: that’s the bullshit K.Dot can’t stand. That’s where the Average Joe gets stuck.

According to the Clouds and Dirt model, what you need instead is a healthy dose of those extremes: the clouds—the high-end philosophy of what you believe—and the dirt—the low-down subject matter expertise that allows you to execute against it.

Everything else is bullshit, and you too should be averse to it.

“Every day is new. It’s just a new day. I look at six hours at a time.”  -Wiz Khalifa

Besides spending about $10,000 a month on weed, Wiz Khalifa stays one of the most prolific rapper of the current scene, as illustrated by his song title “Work Hard Play Hard“.

Wiz’s work ethic doesn’t mean he’s the type to plan too much in advance. He can just go in the booth and start rhyming on the top of his dome. This skill allowed him to come up with versatile lyrics for the trap anthem “We Dem Boys”, and catchy melodies for the +2 billion Youtube views “See you again”.

Because everyday is new, you also should see things for a different angle.

Are you used to creating educational content with a formal tone? Maybe it’s time to create fun, entertaining blog posts using a casual tone. If that doesn’t work, you’ll always have tomorrow to make up for it.

All you need is one piece of content, one hit, to breakthrough and go viral.

“Look at my life man, that’s lessons, on lessons, on lessons” – Big Sean, Blessings

Big Sean is blessed. But it’s not all thanks to God or destiny. Sean took a chance when freestyling to Kanye West outside of a local Detroit radio station. Big Sean wasn’t where he is now lyrically, but Kanye saw the potential and signed him.

That’s the first lesson: don’t wait for your content to be perfect to hit the publish button. Getting feedback early by posting content on a regular basis is more valuable than sitting on the “perfect” draft.

The second lesson is about using your own life to share something unique with your audience. You might want to talk about your field of expertise, but what hasn’t been said already? I face that challenge myself on this very blog.

Using your experiences as a way to illustrate broader topics with simple words can make it more relatable. This is the social proof behind your writing.

As for the third lesson, well it’s about you getting started and learn for yourself.

“I’m obsessed with perfection. I want to work. I don’t want to take this for granted.” – Drake

When he was acting in Degrassi, Aubrey, aka Drake, was already working on his future rap career. In Drake’s first MTV Crib appearance, you see him in his mom’s basement showing entire notebooks full of lyrics. He’s since sold over 1.3 million copies in the U.S. only.

So why is Drake still pushing for more, trying to be the best possible version of himself? Is he trying to be the Elon Musk of Rap?

I would argue that beyond fame and money, Drake’s secret is his genuine passion for Hip Hop. To produce great content you should be as passionate for your art as Drake is.

So there you have it. Five of my favorite Rap quotes to inspire content marketing greatness.

Have any to add? Please join the conversation in the comment section below.