Lose Yourself

Eminem just performed Lose Yourself at the Oscars and people lost their minds! The internet was filled with enthusiastic comments about the surprise performance.

It was a true moment. Even though it was produced 17 years ago, that performance made everyone realize Lose Yourself by Eminem stood the test of time!

When Eminem released this track, he was discussing and describing the roller coaster of emotions and vibes he was going through with the weight he had on his shoulders from having a small daughter Hailie he needed to provide for knowing that the career he was trying to create from scratch was riding on his shoulders. He had to able to keep all the words in his head, in the right order, memorized, and deliver it proud and properly on a stage in a performance.

In the song Lose Yourself he explains that he focused on the immediate moment ahead of him: Looking in the mirror, throwing up, nervous about forgetting words.

There’s a lot of pressure on a rap artist. It’s all in your head. Plus, you have to physically stand tall and be proud of the words you’re saying and have them accurately delivered. Otherwise, it’s all for nothing. The only way to succeed is to lose yourself in the moment.

When you have one shot and your little girl is depending on this, your life is depending on this, your wife is depending on this, and all of your goals and dreams are depending on this, with a mic in your hand there’s no choice but to lose yourself in the moment.

I’ve been rap artist / hip hop artist for 20 years plus. At the time this song was released, I was Three years into my journey to being a rap/hip-hop artist.

Three years to most people would not seem like the start of creating a career, but with hip-hop it’s a lot. You have to be able to be lyrically talented, able to think quick on the spot, and able to generate enthusiasm from the crowd from just the words that you’re producing. You have to be delicate and at the same time be extreme with Lit vibes. You have to be a clever, witty professional and authentically yourself, all the while being what the crowd is looking for. Otherwise, you will be overlooked and dismissed immediately. It depends on your creativity entirely. It’s unlike any other career.

When I was young, there was no other way for me -I knew in my heart I would be a hip-hop artist one day, no matter how long it took. I sometimes spent 15 hours a day practicing how to make beats and how to rap. I had to learn how to record myself. Due to lack of funds, I couldn’t go to a professional studio. And, as an artist, I realized I had to lose myself in the optimism that I could do it.

If I had any pessimism or looked at all the logistics and got clouded with doubt, none of this would ever come true. I knew in my heart I could do it. I knew I would be able to hop on a stage and perform for many people and brighten up their day with raw legit lyrics from the depths of who I am as a person.

You have to create an atmosphere for the crowd that makes them feel it was worth their time. Making them jump and dance and speak to their friends about what they saw happen was mandatory to generate interest, which makes your career actually possible.

When I heard Lose Yourself for the first time, I completely understood where Eminem was coming from. I understood that it was hard to imagine any other path then to lose yourself in the moment.

He was courageous in his statements. He painted the picture about how hard it was to be an rap/hip hop artist. I understood. His words sat deeply rooted in my chest.

I believe every rap/hip-hop artist has many moments where they want to give up, where it’s hard for them to believe in the path ahead, where it seems like there’s no exact direct course or coordinates to this new reality of you being an artist. Everyday, it’s about just blindly believing that you can figure it out from scratch.

I grew up in the age before internet. There were no tutorials, no how to YouTube videos. I had to just focus on hip-hop artists that came before me and create my own path based on what I had heard and what  I knew moved me when I heard them perform, when I heard their artistry, when I heard them collaborate with the beat, the way it sounded, the way it felt. That was my compass guiding me towards my goal, using hip-hop and rap artists for my guide and turning to elders with wisdom about how to succeed.

At the same time, with the rules of hip-hop, you were not able to mimic anyone exactly (things are different nowadays).

In the 90s and early 2000s, you had to create your own style that defined you as an artist. Eminem is a perfect example of that. He truly set himself aside from everyone else with the style he chose: lyrical abilities m, cool cadence, unbelievably lit lyrics and concepts, and funny punch lines. At the time, most lyrics and lyricists hadn’t tapped into being funny and serious at the same time.

When he performed at the Oscars, the members of the crowd bobbed their heads to a song they had probably never seen preformed before but had heard many times.

The admiration transferred over to videographers, producers, directors, and actors, which I’m sure have a very similar feeling of having to figure it out for yourself and be on stage with the pressure of remembering your lines and accurately performing.

I believe this is why this song has stood the test of time. It’s a true statement that if you’re going to stand up and believe that you can do it then you have to lose yourself in the moment. Whether you’re an actor on set or an artist on stage, there’s no other choice but to believe in yourself. If you’re going to listen to the negativity and the doubt, you’re never going to be able to perform up there with enough enthusiasm to generate a kind of interest to make people believe in the platform that you are attempting to utilize and how you as an artist are conquering that method to have success too. And, in Eminem‘s case, help your daughter and your family.

With this article, I’m doing something very similar. I’m utilizing this opportunity to win $5000 and conquer this contest. I’m losing myself in the moment, remembering what it was like to be an artist when I first started with no clear path.

Currently, I have performed at over 20 music festivals in California in the last 2 years and 4 major night clubs in San Francisco, accomplishing my dream. It’s all due to a friend who believed in me, a Dj named Spekt1.

I remember sitting in my room figuring out how to record myself for the first time knowing no one else would do it for me and it would cost way too much to go to a professional studio, losing myself in the moment believing that this was a path for me.

I remember watching Eminem perform for the first time in the video, listening to it on the radio, and finding myself even more rooted in the belief that I could do it for myself. This song definitely motivated me to keep on my path.

The point of the story is the reason why I believe the song does stand the test of time.

It’s a testament to will and the power of believing in something before it actually is a reality. We all know logistically it’s hard for people to make it in the hip-hop industry. There are millions people trying to be an artist. But, believing yourself and losing yourself in the moment is the only way you can make that happen. It has to start there.

With that said, thank you to the Vocal+ platform which is allowing an artist like myself to create and generate material and get paid for my creativity.

I’ve written lyrics my whole life, and all my family members are English teachers from my grandfather to my dad to my little sister. This is a chance for me to help better my three Chihuahuas, as well as myself and my fiancé get all the music I’m sitting on mastered and mixed professionally and release all the music I’ve produced properly. This can all be accomplished for under $5000 and make sure that this summer I’m not a starving artist while going to all of my spots on tour.

I have two free tickets to music festivals to perform with no actual pay currently but it’s two tickets to paradise and a chance to perform for thousands of people at some of the largest festivals in California, which for an hour work and two tickets worth $1000 each is a fair trade, but it’s still hard to get gas and food and I really enjoy yourself without those elements.

I’m sincerely hoping to win this opportunity through the valid fact this song definitely stood the test time.

On top of writing this article, I did a remix over the Lose Yourself track describing what this contest could do for me if I won. The lyrics are all freestyle from my heart. nothing premeditated or written. I did it in the first record take, losing myself in the moment.

A link to my website is below if your wanna take a listen: www.PRiMePeRf.com

Thank you for reading from the bottom of my heart. I’m PRiMe PeRf.

Blessings to all the hard-working artists with a dream that they never let leave their heart and art.

And, thank you to Vocal+ for the opportunity to express myself regardless if I win.