“You need to let your pride go…I say it's in your mind, but do it every time, though"
- Westside Boogie, Time

Peace, First name / movemaker and the happiest of MAJORMOOD Monday's to you! I'm feeling a bit redundant with the whole “my favorite artist” saga, BUT…for this weeks edition, I bring you a man, an artist, a moodmaker, that has left a permanent imprint on my life. One of my top 5 artists of ALL TIME (might be top 3), and someone who has allowed me to witness manifestation at it's finest... 
Westside Boogie.

The picture below is from backstage at a Boogie concert in Brooklyn back in 2022… but there's so much more to this image. It was not only the night I got to perform on stage with my favorite artist, but also the first time in my entire music career that I felt totally okay with it ending — right then and there. Do I sound insane? (keep scrolling for storytime with Gi + video footage)

 

Storytime: In 2021, I arrived back to NYC from living in London with one focus in mind — to never work for anyone else, ever again. I started my business, MAJORMOVES, and didn't look back much. The empowerment I felt from learning that I was strong enough to build something of my own, on my own, left me enamored with a new creative outlet — one outside of music. It was scary. For the first time in my entire adult life and what I would call a determining stage of my rap career, I wanted to shift focus — and was fully invested in the creative development agency I had started to build.

As you could imagine, after dedicating 10+ years to my music career, this was a total loss of identity for me… but, as a lifelong baller 🏀, I love to pivot. As long as the passion is there, I usually don't think TOO MUCH into things — I just move. Plus, I didn't look at it as “quitting rapping,” I looked at it as creating something that would fund my career in the long-run and allow me to get out of any 9-5 hustle. Anyways, I spent the next year rolling out my business, and as a celebration / gift to myself for the official public launch, I bought myself tickets to the Westside Boogie concert in September of 2022. (stay with me for the potency…) 

The Night That Everything Changed: I had made a lot of changes in my life at this time. Besides taking a break from rapping (unconsciously), I had also quit drinking, and was re-experiencing a lot of “firsts" while living in New York and experimenting with sobriety. I loved it — and I loved myself even more as I was able to witness myself in my purest form while attending everything from weddings, to BBQ's, to concerts, without a drop of alcohol and still thoroughly enjoying my time. It wasn't the easiest transition at first, but it smoothed out pretty quickly, and the Westside Boogie Concert was no different. I was chillin. 

 

Another plus of not drinking at concert's (and going alone) is that you don't leave to go to the bar or the bathroom as much, so I was pretty much dead center, right in front of the stage at my favorite rappers headline show for the entirety of the night… Which is also why, when Boogie asked if there's “any MC's in the audience” — it was up to me if I wanted to be seen. This story is much longer and deeper, and involves a lot about my relationship with God (which we can save for another time), but I will say… I decided to be seen, he saw me, and I got up there and I did my thing, fully. I will never forget that moment. I knew exactly what verse I wanted to spit…one that was inspired by Westside Boogie's deeply introspective lyrics that always made me feel seen. (keep reading for the final synopsis…)

- Gi Major, Unreleased Freestyle
 

I always wanted to touch mic with Boogie, especially when my music career was all I could see for myself. Like I stated (manifested) in my 2021 interview, He was a dream collab — and his music came to me at a time where I needed it most. I never expected that my first time being on stage with him would be at a time where I was unsure if I even wanted it anymore. I remember heading out to the show that night thinking “I can wait to just be at the venue as a fan, rather than an artist.” Little did I know that God had other plans for me. God was proud and wanted me to feel proud of myself to… For shifting gears, for quitting drinking, for the clarity that I brought to myself through deep, deep inner work. 

I left the venue that night feeling wholly fulfilled. It was the first time that I actually could ever say to myself that “I did it," and truly mean it. I felt accomplished — almost as if there was nothing more I needed from this industry, or any further validation needed for my hard work, or talent. I took control of that stage and got the slaps on the back from Boogie to prove it. 

I owe a lot to Boogie. At a time when I needed truth — he delivered, time and time again. I remember the first track I ever heard from him... along with the first music video of his too (below). I just knew he was going to be an artist that changed everything for me — but at the time, I just didn't know how. 

 

"You know me better than me, you show me a side of myself that I never could see. How rare that you speak, you help me grow just by letting me be.” 
- Westside Boogie, Unreleased Freestyle