I love misfits. People who go to rooms where they don’t belong. People who do things that are ‘not the norm.’ I don’t mean those who do this for the sake of doing it, For the sake of being different. I mean those who just are. They can exist within a system without necessarily conforming to it. We know these people. Its the people who are in, but also out at the same time. And I think that they are the ones who truly change the world. Who create a big enough paradigm shift, that the world is never the same again. They shift the axis, for better or for worse. And its these misfits that I look up to. I spent the last article trying to show how most of these successful people shouldn’t be taken seriously. And while I still stand by this, I have to admit that I also have people who I look to. Giants upon whose shoulders I stand on, so that I can see a lot further than I would otherwise. The difference for me - I think - is that I pay little attention to what they say, and a lot more attention to what they do. Because its the ‘doing’ part that has got them to where they are.
Virgil Abloh
He died way too young. He was at the height of his career. The creative director of LVMH. And what a journey he had. He was part of the group of misfits spearheaded by Kanye West. He was part of the group that went to the Paris Fashion Week in 2009. A bunch of black dudes in goofy clothes. A bunch of people who didn’t fit the mold for the high fashion clientele. They didn’t talk right. They didn’t have the wealth. They didn’t walk right. And most of all, they didn’t look right. But they didn’t care. And because that establishment refused them, they went on to start things of their own. Virgil created Pyrex (only street fashion guys recognize the name), which eventually fed to Off-White.
When the system wouldn’t allow him to join their club - for reasons overt and covert - he went and created his own. He didn’t ask for permission. He just did it. Because that’s what he wanted to do. He did the weird thing until it wasn’t weird anymore. Until it was mainstream. Until his own creation that eventually got him into the club he always wanted to be part of. Him being appointed the creative director of LVMH was big news only to specific circles. But for those circles, it was bigger than anything else bar Obama’s presidency. It was a win for everyone. Kanye always wanted that position, but he was just as proud when his brother got it. Salty. But proud. And while he died young, he died a legend.
Kanye West
Kanye has for the most part, fallen from grace with most people. His recent comments and antics have left a sour taste even for people who loved him. And that includes me. But one thing that I love about Kanye, is his ability to just speak his mind. We live in a world where we have to filter everything we say so that we don’t offend some Karen somewhere. So that we don’t get cancelled. And most celebrities - because they don’t want to lose what they have - tow the line. They say what they are supposed to say, and do what they are supposed to do. And those celebrities who got fame by being different - which is most - become part of the crowd. Most of them never put out stuff that is truly great again. And a few who realize what they’ve become a part of, and take to extreme measure like alcohol, drugs, and taking their own lives. I think the reason Kanye has been able to cope is because he has never been anything other than himself.
The kid worked his ass off to become a producer. The kid gave it his all to become a rapper. And once he had achieved this, he set his sights on becoming a fashion icon. This faithfulness to who he is is reflected in his work. From College Dropout, to The Life of Pablo, to Donda, his work speaks for itself. Kanye doesn’t need to be in the top five rappers of all time list. He isn’t. But if there was a list of the greatest all round artist, He’d be up there. If there was a list of icons, he’d be up there. Most celebrities, once they get to a point where everyone recognizes their name, fade away into the background, only appearing at opportune moments. But Kanye hasn’t let his status take away from his weird independent thoughts. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a way to reinvent himself. Because that’s the kind of otherworldly force you get when you have a mom like Donda West.
Frank Ocean
Whenever someone asks me who my favorite artist is, my immediate answer is usually Frank Ocean. No other artist’s music has made me feel as much as Frank’s music has. No other artist have I had as much patience for as Frank - given his long absences. That’s because his work is timeless. Whichever album it is, I can always go back and listen to it. And the feeling is still the same. That and the fact that his absences usually mean something truly beautiful is on the way. Its like when J. Cole and Kendrick get shaggy. You know something’s cooking.
Frank was part of another group of misfits called Odd Future. A group that counts Tyler, the Creator and Syd as some of its members. But if there was a group that truly embodied the meaning of the word ‘misfits,’ it was Odd Future. And Frank, for the truly phenomenal artist that he is, is truly odd. This is the guy that sampled other people’s beats to create his first mixtape. Nostalgia, Ultra. A thing that got him into a lot of trouble with the musical greats, among them being the Eagles (think Hotel California). This is the same guy whose songwriting is so weird that you never really know what he means. The guy who’s first album, Channel Orange, while weird, idiosyncratic and unconventional, won the Album of the Year. This is the same guy that was named one of the world’s most influential people. And yet, outside of just a few circles, no one knew his name. This is the guy that has written songs for Beyonce. The guy that has appeared in Jay Z and Kanye’s albums. This is the guy that Jay Z told to act his net worth (Frank lived out of his suitcase of a few clothes, jumping from hotel room to hotel room. And not even fancy hotels). This is the guy on first name basis with the musical greats. And most importantly, this is the guy who pulled the biggest finesse in the music industry (I’d like to go deeper on Frank, but that’s an entire article by itself).
You’re a Nerd
This is something I’ve been told so many times over the years. At first, I tried to run from it. Because people attach such labels to things they don’t understand. To things that are separate from them, separate from ‘the norm’. Its a way of casting people out. And I wanted the opposite. But if the above examples are anything to go by, its that ‘the norm,’ for the most part, means being lost in the crowd. Cultivate your nerdiness. You'll be a lot happier. Shut it down, you'll turn bitter and resentful. Because doing so would be a betrayal to who you are. And when you do, the world might not like it. It might try to shut you down. But if you are true to yourself, it won’t matter. You open your mouth, and people will listen. It takes a lot more energy to fit in than to be different. But don't be different for the sake of it, because it's the only to stand out. Be different because that's who you are. Because unless you let these imposed limits go, you're an astronaut who brought your wallet.