We recently connected with Billie Slum and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Billie with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic comes from my mother. She was a teen parent that put everything on the line to make sure I had everything I needed. She worked several jobs and crazy hours making it happen all on her own. She instilled that same drive in me and always taught me to finish what I started and to never let anybody tell me what I can’t do.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an artist’s artist if that makes sense? As far back as I can remember, I’ve been writing songs and poetry. I began recording in my mid teen years, mentored by the late great Otis Redding III. I was able to establish a following locally and even had a brief stint with Young Jeezy’s CTE label imprint. Now as an independent artist, I’ve had the pleasure to write for other artists, perform my own music on stages all across the southern region and even start my own contracting business. I’m a firm believer in doing what you love and finding ways to get paid from it.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities I’ve developed that have impacted me immensely are my resilience, my work ethic and my understanding that all money isn’t good money. My advice to any artist looking to turn their passion into profit is to first learn the inner workings of the business, because in this game there is always someone looking to take advantage of you. Have a work ethic and delivery that is undeniable. Everyone may be presented with opportunities, but not everyone delivers. Lastly, turning passion into profit can be tricky, because some opportunities may not align with your brand and what you stand for so don’t be so quick to chase a dollar.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’d love to partner with like-minded individuals seeking to elevate the culture. If you are just as passionate about the actual art of music as its profitability, then I’m always down to collaborate and build. My Instagram is @slumworldorder DM me and we can go from there!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/slumworldorder
- Facebook: Facebook.com/sluminternational
- Youtube: Youtube.com/BillieSlum
