ENTERPRISE54

 Shout out s’awon goons (Shout out to my niggers)
awon eruku mi (My die-hard supporters)
awon loni kin ma para toni keeping cool mi (They told me not to lose it, to keep cool)

–          Olamide (Goons Mi)

First of all, every urban young Nigerian knows that party jam by Yoruba hip hop sensation Olamide (real name Olamide Adedeji). Even the older generation cannot feign ignorance of its banging existence. The lyrics reflect the rappers own earlier career struggles praising colleagues that encouraged him on. Because of his vernacular lyrics and style in an industry where the template is to fake accents and go foreign, acceptance with show promoters and corporate brands was initially very difficult. Today, through sheer creativity and diligence, the 26-year old is the most influential rapper in contemporary Nigerian music scene. He made us first of all go down low, thankfully now, we can turn up!

 

I particularly love these lines from the hit track…

Jesus Christ o ma nige (Jesus Christ had no imposing figure)

Jesu ma se miracle (Yet he wrought miracles)

Samson o ma nibun (Samson was not armed with a gun)

Ko maa sa nigba to rekun (Yet he didn’t run when he saw a lion)

Emi chase dream mi (I chased my dreams)

Mi o ma care beni anybody kun (I don’t care if anyone is grumbling)

Ex-Google manager turn Fashpa.com CEO Honey Ogundeyi recently wrote on her blog that she listens to and recommends entrepreneurs listen to the track to ease them through hard times.

“…have a playlist that helps you through those long nights ( I recommend Olamide- I imagine it’s just me with my goons and we will make it much to everyone’s surprise),” she wrote while illuminating on the difficulty of raising startup capital.

Truth is, running a startup is so tough, motivation should be sold as a commodity to entrepreneurs! If music is truly the food of the soul, one of those places motivation can be found is in songs. Marc Andreessen, co-founder of the $4 billion VC Andreessen Horowitz, an investor in Airbnb, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, is known to be a huge hip hop fan. His blog is inundated with rap lyrics as the white billionaire draws tonnes of motivation from black struggles and victories. You should take this lesson from these established entrepreneurs if you already haven’t.

Read: Former Google Exec Turn Fashpa.com CEO Honey Ogundeyi Shares Her Business Success Secrets

Are there songs you already listen to for motivation during the hard times? Kindly share them!