I hope this finds you at peace, smack in the middle of finding solace between wanting liberation and shaking that load off — shouts to Outkast. There’s a fine line, big dog, and I hope like I, you feel like you’re on the other side.
I don’t know what it is, but I am hopeful. I could attribute it to the realignment of stars and cosmic energies, somebody’s mama and their vernal equinox, my feed changing — who knows — but I’m past it, across the chasm. This artrepreneur/entertainaprenuer or whatever combo of spinning-plate-magician ship you wanna slap together, this creativity thing will have you at the precipice, feet dangling. I mean, yes, life as it life’s can and will toss you an impossible-to-hit slider and slide your monkey ass into depression, but add to that the pressure of monetization through the sieve of art as your particular vehicle to get to the aforementioned liberation, beloved… that’s a space that has kept both therapists and venues wide open. These mind fields — all puns intentional — are rough places to tread.
But we outchea discussing the possibilities. I’ve been in the midst of sorting through feelings of am I enough? (I know I am), but the world, the outer forces, all tend to look at the KPIs of your specific career arc and send you back the coldest of shoulders, clearly multi-data-pointing out where you are in the landscape. I’m solid on self-assessment and keep it a brutal buck with myself: I know I’m a more seasoned “arteest,” I know that my analytics keep me at sub-100k monthly listeners, subscribers, etc., and that all the binary data sets parsed by the industry data hounds who skeet off on predictive modeling, forecasting, and such are underwhelming. That just means if I want to move in that particular risk-averse way of treading into these waters, then I need to get my data up to snuff — with the understanding that botted, purchased data is “gahbaj” in these conversation streets.
But with Claude and Higgsworth, we’re gonna make this work without the need to create witthout holding several degrees in prompt generation. I’m all in on creativity, and this most recent art that I’m letting loose into the ethers is a testament to just that. And by art, I don’t just mean the albums — I mean I’m on full tilt. I feel like this is the best creative space I’ve been in for a minute. I’m also watching this landscape of “creators” and creatives battle with the looming shadow of “AI” chatta.
Easy star, easy.
This isn’t full-on Minority Report, and, for certain, we haven’t even created a single cellular model to be confused or concerned about Blade Runners or the transfer of consciousness into generated bodies. We’re talking entertainment and the tools needed to do so.
I’m going to say this with all love and kindness. Do me a solid and stop trying to joust with windmills AND stop acting like you’re Black Mirror’d up and ready to tap into your avatar and live the rest of your life in the neververse — both of y’all goofy. If we could all grasp the foundational understanding that technology and the use thereof, in and of itself, is not nefarious — technology is agnostic, and its application is purely based on the user. I remember hackers getting busy with a Commodore 64 and a dial-up, codes on a pager, notes in a Blackberry, payphone scams, and hustles. I’ve been hearing these arguments since the 8-track dropped, when the 808 dropped, when samplers dropped, when CDs dropped, when Limewire dropped, when DAWs dropped, when streaming dropped — at some point, slim, technology is going to happen, from the industrial revolution until now. The sky is not falling. Yeah, some wild shit is happening, deals are being made, data centers are running power grids to capacity, costs are sky-high, and new environmental strains may have us iced in a silo somewhere, but alas, technalogia is going to keep it moving… to the KIM.
And to my naysay granola analog lovers — I feel you — but it’s adapt or die, not adopt or die. The masses may hypebeast off the FOMO, but no one is asking you to get chipped and scan for your crypto dollars and likes. If you don’t want to participate in the moves, at least educate yourself and get a full scope of what it is before you stand at the apex of your hauteur, staring down the contour of your proboscis at the “fools” who have embraced the machine. I’m just saying, don’t get left behind — no Kirk Cameron.
Personally, I’m enjoying creating the task subroutines and projects, alleviating mad admin work that I hate doing as an indie artist. No, I don’t find joy in updating catalog entries on the various royalty sites — it’s not fun updating Songkick or Bandsintown or Squarespace builds or none of that shit. I’d rather spend hours going through 200 folders of snare drums to find the right slap or find inspiration in a new book, challenge, or piece of art. Yeah, for sure — but without a team and a budget, me, Claude, n-nem, are running these prompts to get this jont to generate a spreadsheet that has all my IPI numbers, scrubs the interwebs to match those numbers with the right ISRC numbers, and see who may be confused in these collection streets. And I’ll take generate this prompt so I can go do some other things, Alex, for a thouwow. Shout out Alex Trebek.
Steps off soapbox
But anyway, yeah. I’m excited for what’s next and leaning into the improvisational side of all the work that I create. My partner said I should call myself an improvisational artist, and I receive that. Sometimes in the midst of all the borders and lines and boxes folks want to ascribe to you, there is a freedom in not being confined by the lines — and also, in all honesty, the world doesn’t function well when they can’t call you what they want, and they don’t want to take the time to figure it out. Both can be and are oftentimes true.
C’est la vie.
After all, time is money, and there’s an app for that.
Keep creating, and i’ll see you outchea in these digi streets.
On y va.
about:
KOKAYI
Artist | Author | Speaker | Producer | Preeminent Improvisational Vocalist, GRAMMY-nominated musician, and multidisciplinary fine artist, is a Guggenheim Fellow for Music Composition (the first emcee to have achieved this distinction). Host of the Interledger Foundation’s Future/Money podcast. Author of You Are Ketchup: and Other Fly Music Tales, creator of HUBRI$ and Blackness and the Infinite Potential Well, whose artistry and work reflect a rich tapestry of life experiences shaped by DC and the cultural innovations of the Black diaspora—an enduring legacy that continues to shape the world, often without the proper recognition. Here for all the panel discussions, podcast yakkin’, DJ gigs, and keynote addresses, should you need me, holla.
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