Iman Shumpert Thinks His Talents Would Be More Respected If He Were A Violinist Instead Of A Rapper

Bleacher Report- Rap isn't that time-consuming for me, compared to an ordinary artist. I do not stay in the studio all day. I write a song in my down time and go in to record it, most times only taking a couple hours to record two or three songs. My DJ's studio (@mjthedj), Studio 14, is right around the corner from my home in Cleveland, so it doesn't take long to knock out a track. 

I've been rapping my whole career. I have hundreds and hundreds of songs, but no one would know unless I release them. Sad thing is, if I were to be a violinist, I would be more "respected" and "praised" for my "talent" off the floor. The flip side is being a violinist takes hours and hours and hours of preparation to become anywhere near good. It's not something you can do during the course of a basketball season.



You know what, I agree with Iman Shumpert. Why can't people just blindly appreciate the talents of others? Whether it's rapping or playing the violin, people shouldn't have to see or hear you perform before they just accept how great you are at certain things. I feel his pain. I have been singing in the shower for years, and not once has a person praised me for my angelic voice. If I didn't love reciting the words to other people's music so much I would have quit bellowing out Rick Astley lyrics while lathering my body years ago. I'm sure Iman feels the same way. Just creating hundreds and hundreds of tracks, that he doesn't feel comfortable letting anyone hear, without receiving so much as a "good job". Do you know how demoralizing it is to do something strictly for yourself and not have a bunch of strangers bow in awe of your expertise? It's almost like hobbies aren't deserving of accolades anymore. Like you have to actually prove you are good at things before people will acknowledge you are good at said things. What is a person's word worth nothing now-a-days? I want to live in a world where all shitty rappers, mirror-shattering shower singers, and truly gifted violinists are treated as equal. If kids finishing in last place in their soccer league can win a 'Participation Award', how come Iman Shumpert and I can't get an honorary 'American Music Award'? All music is subjective, right? How come our vote doesn't count?

P.S. After watching Iman Shumpert airball countless threes in last year's NBA finals I am infinitely more intrigued by his rap career than his basketball career, although I admit that's not exactly saying much.