WEBVTT 00:00:56.909 --> 00:01:00.409 Welcome back, beautiful souls. You're tuned in 00:01:00.409 --> 00:01:03.789 to another episode of Why Make Music... Dot, dot, 00:01:03.810 --> 00:01:07.209 dot. And I'm your host, your cousin, your favorite 00:01:07.209 --> 00:01:10.909 late night frequency, DJ Warm Cookies, also known 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:15.590 as Willa May. Now listen, today's episode. This 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:18.269 one's got some weight to it. We're calling it 00:01:18.269 --> 00:01:22.409 Too Real for the Algorithm. The mind of a middle 00:01:22.409 --> 00:01:25.900 -aged music maker. And if that title alone don't 00:01:25.900 --> 00:01:28.519 make you raise an eyebrow and exhale real slow, 00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:31.859 you might need to clean your earbuds out. This 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:34.900 episode is powered, produced, and personally 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:39.120 soul -stitched by the one and only T -H -I -N -K 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:44.079 . That's right. ThinkTimm. Ain't no team of 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:48.760 interns. Ain't no studio full of writers. Just 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:52.900 one man, one mic, and one mission. And y 'all, 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:56.219 we're diving in deep. So pour yourself something 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:59.840 warm. Loosen up that frequency. And let's take 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:02.939 this ride together. And don't worry if the algorithm 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:06.099 didn't recommend this episode. That just means 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:10.259 it's probably too good for it. Let's go. Chapter 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:14.879 1. Before the upload. The origin story. Let's 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:17.020 talk about what it means to fall in love with 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:20.069 music before there were followers. Before there 00:02:20.069 --> 00:02:23.210 were hashtags. Before there were loops and filters 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.389 and presets. When music was a cassette you had 00:02:26.389 --> 00:02:30.009 to flip. When making a mix meant recording the 00:02:30.009 --> 00:02:33.849 radio, timing your fingers, and missing the first 00:02:33.849 --> 00:02:36.830 second of your favorite song every single time. 00:02:36.930 --> 00:02:41.590 You remember that. That analog love. When you 00:02:41.590 --> 00:02:44.819 first heard Stevie in your mama's Buick. When 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:47.360 you saw that one cousin at the barbecue who had 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:50.780 a keyboard, a little amp, and way too much soul 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:54.539 for a 12 -year -old. Music wasn't just entertainment. 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:59.099 It was identity. It was the thing you carried 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:02.960 in your Walkman. In your trunk. In your bedroom. 00:03:02.979 --> 00:03:05.659 On posters and lyrics handwritten in notebooks. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:09.960 That's where this story starts. With a love for 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:13.280 sound that predates all the noise. That's where 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:16.539 ThinkTimm's story begins. Not with a Spotify 00:03:16.539 --> 00:03:20.599 artist profile, but with curiosity, with family, 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:24.620 with memory, with late night thoughts and early 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:28.120 morning grooves. He didn't grow up chasing streams. 00:03:28.580 --> 00:03:32.280 He grew up chasing feeling. And in those early 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.340 days, the question wasn't, how do I go viral? 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:39.379 It was, how do I make someone feel the way that 00:03:39.379 --> 00:03:42.379 song made me feel? That's where the hunger lives. 00:03:43.020 --> 00:03:46.460 That's where it always lived. And you don't shake 00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:50.340 that kind of feeling not at 20, not at 40, not 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:53.539 ever. We're going to get into all of it today. 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:59.180 The journey, the doubt, the growth, the gear, 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:05.379 the grind, the greatness. But first, let's take 00:04:05.379 --> 00:04:08.520 a moment. Let's acknowledge the courage it takes 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:10.969 to even be here. Because if you're listening 00:04:10.969 --> 00:04:15.030 to this, you're still making and that means something. 00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:18.689 Chapter two, the learning curve of confidence. 00:04:19.850 --> 00:04:23.290 Let's shift gears. Let's talk about something 00:04:23.290 --> 00:04:25.569 that most folks don't like to admit out loud. 00:04:26.149 --> 00:04:28.329 Learning new things when you're no longer new. 00:04:29.149 --> 00:04:32.779 Let's shift gears. Because there's this lie floating 00:04:32.779 --> 00:04:35.920 around out there that creativity has a shelf 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:39.180 life. That if you didn't catch your wave by 25, 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.279 the surfboard gets repossessed. That if you weren't 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:46.879 signed by 30, you should pack it up, get a LinkedIn, 00:04:47.139 --> 00:04:49.379 and start talking about retirement accounts. 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.540 But what they don't know is that middle -aged 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:56.779 creativity, it's dangerous. Because it's focused. 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:00.560 It's resilient. It's unapologetically seasoned. 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:04.740 That's what Think Tim had to lean into. When 00:05:04.740 --> 00:05:08.360 you grow up on tape decks and CD players, stepping 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:11.139 into digital production feels like walking into 00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:15.920 a spaceship. So many buttons. So many shortcuts. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:20.680 So many tutorials. And none of them start with, 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.240 remember when you used to record on cassette. 00:05:23.779 --> 00:05:27.279 But here's the magic. You figured it out anyway. 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.980 One click at a time. One export fail at a time. 00:05:32.379 --> 00:05:35.420 One late night YouTube rabbit hole at a time. 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:39.240 Because that's what artists do, we adapt. It 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:42.439 started with simple loops. Then came layering 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:47.660 drums. Then came vocal stems. Then came podcasting 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:51.839 now. He's passing between FL Studio, Logic Pro, 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:55.730 CapCut, and Canva like it's nothing. He's not 00:05:55.730 --> 00:05:58.930 just a music maker. He's a digital technician 00:05:58.930 --> 00:06:02.550 of the soul. Confidence is not something that 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:05.410 waits for you to get comfortable. Confidence 00:06:05.410 --> 00:06:08.189 is built in the middle of the discomfort. It's 00:06:08.189 --> 00:06:10.790 what happens when you click render and pray it 00:06:10.790 --> 00:06:14.470 sounds right. When you Google terms like cytokine 00:06:14.470 --> 00:06:17.610 compression with no idea what they mean. When 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:21.050 your daughter says, Dad, what is this AI voice 00:06:21.050 --> 00:06:25.199 thing? And you say, let me show you. And it's 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:27.600 what happens when you sit back, listen to your 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:32.300 own track, and go, damn, I made this. All of 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:36.259 it. That's the confidence curve. Not the applause. 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:41.420 Not the awards. Not the metrics. Just the quiet 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.740 knowledge that you can. And you did. And you 00:06:44.740 --> 00:06:48.899 will again. Chapter 3. Too real for the algorithm. 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:52.899 Let's talk about the machine. Not the one in 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:56.769 the studio. Not the laptop. I'm talking about 00:06:56.769 --> 00:07:00.490 the invisible machine. The one we all feed. The 00:07:00.490 --> 00:07:04.110 one that watches, ranks, calculates, and spits 00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:07.709 out value in views, likes, comments, shares. 00:07:08.310 --> 00:07:13.170 The algorithm. That word. It sounds so sterile. 00:07:13.410 --> 00:07:17.670 So technical. But let's be honest. It's spiritual 00:07:17.670 --> 00:07:21.850 now. It's behavioral. It doesn't just see what 00:07:21.850 --> 00:07:25.470 you post, it feels what you fear. It feeds on 00:07:25.470 --> 00:07:28.449 rhythm, but not your musical rhythm, your behavior 00:07:28.449 --> 00:07:32.970 rhythm. And if you don't feed it daily, it forgets 00:07:32.970 --> 00:07:35.870 you. That's the battle ThinkTimm walks through. 00:07:36.449 --> 00:07:39.970 Three million views on Reels, and barely any 00:07:39.970 --> 00:07:43.569 conversion. Thousands of hours poured into tracks, 00:07:43.790 --> 00:07:47.920 only to watch them vanish in the scroll. Genuine 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:50.459 vulnerability uploaded for public consumption. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:54.860 And silence on the other side. But here's what 00:07:54.860 --> 00:07:58.939 makes LinkedIn different. He posts anyway. He 00:07:58.939 --> 00:08:04.300 uploads anyway. He shares anyway. Why? Because 00:08:04.300 --> 00:08:07.220 he's not feeding the machine. He's feeding the 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:10.459 mission. Validation doesn't always come on time. 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:15.769 But the work? The work is always on time. See, 00:08:15.930 --> 00:08:20.089 the algorithm is built to reward trends. It wants 00:08:20.089 --> 00:08:24.750 the familiar. It wants copies of copies. It wants 00:08:24.750 --> 00:08:28.209 what already worked. But ThinkTimm is not a copy. 00:08:28.829 --> 00:08:32.169 He's a catalog. He doesn't create for the current. 00:08:32.509 --> 00:08:35.830 He creates for the archive. Because somebody 00:08:35.830 --> 00:08:38.070 out there will stumble on a song he made four 00:08:38.070 --> 00:08:41.570 years ago and find exactly what they needed at 00:08:41.570 --> 00:08:44.860 the right moment. The algorithm can't calculate 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:48.679 impact. The algorithm can't see the tears that 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:52.059 track helped hold. It can't see the kid in their 00:08:52.059 --> 00:08:54.860 room replaying that instrumental to feel less 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:59.080 alone. That's why we say, too real for the algorithm. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.080 Because some of us aren't trying to game the 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:06.100 system. We're trying to feed the spirit. Chapter 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:09.539 4. The ones who never clap, but always come back. 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:13.480 Let's talk about the ones you don't see. The 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:17.779 invisible audience. The quiet ones. The folks 00:09:17.779 --> 00:09:20.179 who never hit the like button, never comment, 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:23.519 never share, but they listen. They listen deeply. 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:27.679 They follow without clicking. They support you 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:31.059 in silence. And for every artist like ThinkTimm, 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:34.889 those people are sacred. Because see, the loudest 00:09:34.889 --> 00:09:38.009 crowd isn't always the most loyal. Sometimes, 00:09:38.409 --> 00:09:41.210 it's the ones sitting in the back row who feel 00:09:41.210 --> 00:09:44.730 you the deepest. And they're there. Watching. 00:09:45.149 --> 00:09:49.730 Feeling. Learning. Healing. They don't show up 00:09:49.730 --> 00:09:52.990 in your analytics. They don't boost your engagement 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:56.830 rate. But they're in the room. They're the ones 00:09:56.830 --> 00:09:59.289 who message you two years after a release and 00:09:59.289 --> 00:10:02.169 say, that track helped me survive something. 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:06.519 Or, I've been following you quietly. You inspire 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:09.759 me. They're proof that the algorithm doesn't 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:12.559 determine the impact. They might be the ones 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:14.759 who recommend you in a room you never stepped 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:17.899 into. They might be the ones who play your music 00:10:17.899 --> 00:10:21.179 on a hard day, and never tell you but, never 00:10:21.179 --> 00:10:25.259 forget you. And that invisible audience, that's 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:28.200 what makes this all worth it. They're the reason 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:31.519 you keep uploading. The reason you keep refining. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.759 The reason you work at breakneck speed, just 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:37.480 to prove it can be done. Because we don't have 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:40.700 time to slow down. We don't have time to wait 00:10:40.700 --> 00:10:44.120 for the world to recognize us. We all have 24 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:47.639 hours in a day. What are you gonna do with yours? 00:10:48.059 --> 00:10:55.519 Me? I'm gonna build. I'm gonna produce. I'm gonna 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:59.259 craft a foundation to place my family upon. One 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:03.039 made not just of music, but of memory. Not just 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:06.340 of sound, but of legacy. I'm going to use what 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:08.559 I've lived through to bless the ones coming after 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:13.179 me. That's the force. That's the bond. That's 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:17.480 what this is all about. Chapter 5. Metaphysical 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:21.700 Frequencies. Let's open the portal. Let's talk 00:11:21.700 --> 00:11:24.539 about something that lives beyond language, beyond 00:11:24.539 --> 00:11:28.480 rhythm, beyond even understanding. Where does 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.509 it all come from? That hook you hum in the shower. 00:11:32.090 --> 00:11:34.590 That chord progression that feels like it existed 00:11:34.590 --> 00:11:37.889 before you played it. That verse you wrote in 00:11:37.889 --> 00:11:40.330 one sitting that said everything your heart had 00:11:40.330 --> 00:11:43.269 been holding for years. Where does it come from? 00:11:43.990 --> 00:11:47.889 Some call it inspiration. Some call it the muse. 00:11:48.649 --> 00:11:53.009 Some call it the force. Me. I think it's a kind 00:11:53.009 --> 00:11:58.409 of divine radio. A signal. A frequency. And if 00:11:58.409 --> 00:12:01.730 your antenna's clear enough, you catch it. And 00:12:01.730 --> 00:12:05.970 sometimes, you're not even writing. You're translating. 00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:10.450 Because creativity, real creativity, feels less 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:13.990 like invention and more like discovery. It's 00:12:13.990 --> 00:12:17.710 not always you thinking. Sometimes it's you receiving. 00:12:18.730 --> 00:12:22.149 Ideas exist. They exist before you get them. 00:12:22.470 --> 00:12:26.509 They exist even when no one hears them. You don't 00:12:26.509 --> 00:12:29.299 own them. You don't create them from scratch. 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:33.799 You connect to them. Some people call that channeling. 00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:37.899 Some people call it divine alignment. And there 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:41.440 are stories. Stories of two people across the 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:44.320 globe writing the same melody on the same day. 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:49.139 Stories of inventions, of innovations, of identical 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:52.820 lyrics born miles apart. You know what that is? 00:12:53.179 --> 00:12:57.700 That's frequency. That's vibration. That's evidence 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:00.559 that inspiration doesn't just live inside us. 00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:04.379 It lives around us. You've got to be tuned in 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:07.899 to catch it. And back in ThinkTimm's heyday when 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:11.399 he was in rehearsal rooms with his band, laying 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:14.899 down funky bass lines on cassette tapes, channeling 00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:17.600 solos that would make the ancestors nod in approval, 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:22.720 he was tuned in. No internet. No influencers. 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:27.279 No daily content schedule. Just raw vibration. 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:33.580 Just soul. And guess what? That music. It still 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:36.720 holds up. Because it wasn't built for the moment. 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:40.419 It was built from the eternal. Let me say something 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:44.360 deep now. The law of attraction. When you're 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:46.679 a creator, especially one like think to your 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:50.340 output, is connected to your outlook. What you 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:54.440 believe, you attract. What you focus on, expands. 00:13:55.529 --> 00:13:58.470 What you envision begins to move toward you. 00:13:59.070 --> 00:14:02.470 So if you approach your art with lack, you'll 00:14:02.470 --> 00:14:05.830 feel like there's never enough. But if you approach 00:14:05.830 --> 00:14:09.309 it with abundance, the universe starts echoing 00:14:09.309 --> 00:14:13.929 that energy. This is metaphysics. But it's also 00:14:13.929 --> 00:14:17.309 mindset. ThinkTimm doesn't just hope people find 00:14:17.309 --> 00:14:20.769 his work. He acts like they will. He moves like 00:14:20.769 --> 00:14:24.080 the world is already watching. He produces like 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:27.879 the stage is already set. He creates as if it's 00:14:27.879 --> 00:14:31.480 already received on that confidence, that faith, 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:35.720 that vibration. It begins to pull people in, 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:40.000 not because of marketing, but because of magnetism. 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:43.379 The law of attraction says that everything is 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:47.539 energy and energy responds to intention. So when 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:51.539 you move with purpose, with passion, with clarity, 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:55.559 You begin to call things to you. And that's what 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:59.700 this podcast is. It's a beacon. It's a frequency. 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:03.559 It's a lighthouse in the dark for other creatives 00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:08.220 who feel the call but don't yet feel seen. Chapter 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:13.899 6. Legacy Loops. Let's bring it all home. Let's 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:17.159 talk about legacy. Let's talk about building 00:15:17.159 --> 00:15:19.539 something that echoes far beyond the years you're 00:15:19.539 --> 00:15:23.299 given. Because truth be told, ThinkTimm didn't 00:15:23.299 --> 00:15:26.419 do this for fame. He didn't do it for a bag. 00:15:27.080 --> 00:15:30.759 He didn't do it to trend, to chart, or to flex. 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:35.419 He did it for his family. He did it so that his 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:39.440 children would know. Life can be good. You can 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:42.659 own your ideas. You don't just have to sit in 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:45.840 the audience. You can write the script. You don't 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:48.480 just have to listen to music. You can create 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:51.820 it. You can design the world around you with 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:55.620 your hands, your heart, and your mind. That's 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:59.639 the lesson. That's the mission. Financial security 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:04.080 isn't the end goal. It's the launch pad. It's 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.080 the thing that lets you create without fear, 00:16:06.299 --> 00:16:10.419 without the panic of deadlines, without the feeling 00:16:10.419 --> 00:16:13.240 that you're racing against the rent. It's the 00:16:13.240 --> 00:16:15.200 thing that lets you look your children in the 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.220 eye and say, You don't have to sacrifice your 00:16:18.220 --> 00:16:23.259 dreams to survive. And music. Music is the language 00:16:23.259 --> 00:16:26.740 of that freedom. Music doesn't require a passport. 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:30.860 It doesn't ask for credentials. It doesn't need 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:34.799 a degree, a headshot, or a business plan. All 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.200 it needs is for you to show up. To pick the ideas 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:41.419 out of the sky. To catch what the universe delivers. 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:45.980 To move the crowd. to move yourself think tim 00:16:45.980 --> 00:16:50.360 showed up again and again he learned the tools 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:54.679 he learned the software he taught himself what 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:58.179 the industry never gave him he created hundreds 00:16:58.179 --> 00:17:02.620 of songs actual tangible pieces of art ask yourself 00:17:02.620 --> 00:17:05.740 how many people can say they've created something 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:08.660 something that wasn't made of flesh and bone 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:13.029 but soul and sound How many people leave behind 00:17:13.029 --> 00:17:16.509 more than memories? How many leave behind documents 00:17:16.509 --> 00:17:20.650 of greatness? And here's what's wild. Even if 00:17:20.650 --> 00:17:23.710 Think Tim doesn't blow up, the music still exists. 00:17:24.170 --> 00:17:28.369 It still lives. It's in the code, in the files, 00:17:28.630 --> 00:17:32.470 in the playlists, in the metadata of streaming 00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:35.950 services that may outlive us all. Because when 00:17:35.950 --> 00:17:38.920 the world spins forward, There will still be 00:17:38.920 --> 00:17:42.440 evidence that a man named ThinkTimm lived. That 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:46.119 DJ Warm Cookies was real. That Willa May had 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:49.660 something to say. That WDMN meant something. 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:55.940 This is legacy. This is foundation. This is eternity. 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:01.440 Rendered in 44 .1 kilohertz. Epilogue, the encore, 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:05.519 this is forever. Let the horns play. Let the 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:11.069 drums kick. This, this is how we close. Not with 00:18:11.069 --> 00:18:15.829 silence, but with sound, with power, with presence, 00:18:16.089 --> 00:18:21.750 with prophecy. Let's talk about 2025. Let's talk 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:24.509 about a time where everyone has a plan, everyone 00:18:24.509 --> 00:18:27.930 has a feat, everyone has a chance to become famous 00:18:27.930 --> 00:18:31.650 not for talent, not for truth, but just for timing. 00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:35.509 But then there's the other path, the rare path. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:38.720 The one where you rise not because of popularity, 00:18:39.019 --> 00:18:42.319 but because of persistence. Because you were 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:46.059 unshakable. Because you were unbothered. Because 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:48.960 you were unmissable, even if they tried to scroll 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:52.140 past you. Let's talk about what average even 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:55.420 means now. When you can scroll a feed full of 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:59.539 noise, but hear no soul. When common sense ain't 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:03.099 common, and talent isn't enough unless it's branded. 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:07.299 Let's talk about what work really is. Because 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:10.259 the ones who built the system, they know the 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:13.519 rules. They play the game. They've been on the 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.660 inside. But what about those of us on the outside? 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:20.279 What about the ones without an invite but who 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:23.319 built the house anyway? The man with no budget, 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:28.220 no staff, no machine, who created more music 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:31.950 than most signed artists in a year. The man who 00:19:31.950 --> 00:19:35.589 turned pain into podcast. Silence into substance. 00:19:36.470 --> 00:19:40.730 Legacy into loop. You gotta understand this wasn't 00:19:40.730 --> 00:19:44.029 about ego. This wasn't about chasing stardom. 00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:46.789 This was about showing his children that you 00:19:46.789 --> 00:19:49.910 don't just sit in a crowd. You become the show. 00:19:50.569 --> 00:19:54.509 You create your own narrative. You make the music. 00:19:54.990 --> 00:19:59.009 And you build. You build a body of work so solid, 00:19:59.109 --> 00:20:03.460 so pure. So persistent. That it must be recognized. 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:06.960 Even if that recognition comes decades late. 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:11.140 Because sometimes legacy is delayed. But never 00:20:11.140 --> 00:20:15.940 denied. Let's speak the names. Prince. Michael. 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:22.279 Beyonce. Biggie. Jay -Z. Queen Latifah. Slick 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:28.380 Rick. Run DMC. Taylor Swift. Visionaries. All 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:32.019 of them. But not overnight. They were doubted. 00:20:32.099 --> 00:20:36.460 They were denied. They were dismissed. Just like 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:41.079 many of us. But they kept going. Because creation 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:45.000 is not optional for us. It's sacred. It's spiritual. 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:50.700 It's medicine. It's math. It's movement. And 00:20:50.700 --> 00:20:53.619 it's prophecy. Don't be afraid of influence. 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:58.059 Don't be afraid to say, this artist made me believe 00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:01.900 again. Don't be afraid to say, I loved Salt -N 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:05.200 -Pepa. I loved Dougie Fresh. I loved The Show. 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:09.819 I loved Planet Rock. Say it with pride. Because 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:13.279 from that love, greatness is born. From that 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.839 love, comes ThinkTimm. Comes DJ Warm Cookies. Comes 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:22.000 Willa May. Comes a universe of sound and soul 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:25.720 and strategy and substance. So shout it out. 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:30.720 Say the names. Remember the roots. Build your 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:35.180 own branches. Because the future, it starts right 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:39.119 now. So here's the call. This is the one that 00:21:39.119 --> 00:21:42.440 lives forever. Follow ThinkTimm on Instagram. 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:46.940 Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Stream on Spotify, 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:52.000 Apple Music, Amazon, and SoundCloud. By the merchant 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:58.440 teepublic.com/thinktim. and thinktim.threadless.com 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:03.640 Follow the vibes on Bluesky @ThinkTimm. 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:07.799 We don't do Twitter anymore. That's not the place 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:11.579 to be. You know where we're at. You know where 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:17.240 we'll be. Right here. Creating. Uploading. Talking. 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:22.440 Teaching. Looping. Forever. This is why I make 00:22:22.440 --> 00:22:27.730 music. This is DJ warm cookies. This is ThinkTimm 00:22:27.730 --> 00:22:31.569 This is your reminder that greatness doesn't 00:22:31.569 --> 00:22:35.670 ask for a seat. It builds the table until next 00:22:35.670 --> 00:22:40.650 time. Keep creating, keep listening, keep leading. 00:22:41.309 --> 00:22:43.910 And when they ask who gave you permission to 00:22:43.910 --> 00:22:44.970 be this damn good.