Back when I was working with Jam Master Jay from Run-DMC, we shared office space.
At that time, a young 50 Cent was interning for me. He was signed to Jay's label and wanted to get some business experience.
I bartered with 50 that he'd help me write jingles for sports teams, and in return, he could listen in on any of our calls and meetings and ask us questions.
But there was another rapper in the picture, 50's partner Kaeson was also my intern. And I remember telling Jay, "I love 50. Great kid, but have you heard Kaeson rap? He's insane."
I ended up signing Kaeson and soon found myself driving both him and 50 in my car to their first show for BET television.
I felt like a mom driving her kids to soccer practice, except instead of cleats and shin guards, these kids were armed with mics and rhymes—dope rhymes.
I dropped them off in downtown Manhattan, parked, and then went to watch them perform.
After the show, I picked them up in front of the venue. It was surreal being there at the start of what I thought would be a long and successful journey for both of them.
Two years later, 50 Cent blew up. He became the biggest thing in the world. But Kaeson's path took a drastically different turn. From what I understand, some “bad dudes” were looking for him and he needed to protect himself. So, he did what he had to do. But as fate would have it, the police rolled up on him one night because of someone else who was riding in his car. And when they found the gun, it was game over—he ended up doing five years in prison.
Before Kaeson went to prison, he got a record deal with Universal, but it didn't pan out. The thing is, Kaeson was—and still is—insanely talented, maybe even more so than 50 at that time. He has the voice, the skills, everything. But their stories couldn't be more different. 50 went on to find Eminem and achieve massive success, while Kaeson did time.
It just goes to show, talent isn't everything. There are so many factors at play, and the line between success and failure can be razor thin. Kaeson had the potential to do everything 50 did. But guess what? There’s still time on the clock. Kaeson has some more tricks in his bag. We ain’t even in the 4th quarter yet.
That's the reality for a lot of people out there. You can have two kids in the back of your station wagon, equally excited and nervous about their big game or performance, but their paths can diverge in the most unexpected ways. One might go on to score the winning goal or land a record deal, while the other might face challenges and setbacks that derail their dreams.
But the only way they lose is if they give up.
