The interview that MacG did with Black Coffee is one of the best interviews that I have watched recently. One could say that this interview has been a long time coming.
There are so many important lessons to learn from this three-hour conversation, but one of the most important ones comes when they talk about fame and mental health.
MacG: Bro, you’re Black Coffee, money in the bank, famous, hits for days, worked with everyone, why do you need a therapist, like that makes no sense to me?
Black Coffee: To manage all that.
Basically what Black Coffee is saying is that the antidote to managing the perils that comes with fame is to go for therapy.
The backdrop to MacG’s question is a concerning tweet that Black Coffee posted sometime in December 2021 about what looked like his mental health challenge.
A lot of people have the misconception that fame can fix all of our problems. The response that Black Coffee provided to MacG’s query serves as an illustration of the fact that fame actually tends to magnify your deficiencies.
When you don’t have fame, your weaknesses are hidden, very few people see them, but when you are famous and successful, your weaknesses are magnified for everyone to see.
When someone becomes famous and successful, their actions and behaviors are often scrutinised by the public and the media.
This can put a lot of pressure on them to perform and to maintain a certain image, which can be stressful and challenging.
At the same time, being in the public eye can also make it harder to keep personal struggles private, as they may be magnified and amplified by the attention that comes with fame.
Kanye West is one example of a famous person who has openly discussed his struggles with mental health and has sought therapy to address them. His willingness to speak out about his experiences can help reduce the stigma around mental health issues and encourage others to seek help when they need it.
Msaki, another wonderful rising artist, has been upfront about her struggles with the trolls and negativity that come with the industry.
Ultimately, seeking therapy is a sign of strength and a proactive step towards addressing one’s personal challenges, regardless of whether someone is famous or not.
By working with a therapist, people can develop skills and strategies to manage their emotions, cope with stress, and improve their overall well-being.
We all have issues, just that most people don’t get exposed publicly unlike famous people.
The true test of humility is not when you are poor and not famous. The true test of humility is when you have everything.
It is easier to appear humble when you don’t have much and are not in the public eye. However, having wealth and fame can certainly present challenges when it comes to maintaining humility and perspective.
When someone has a lot of money and success, they may become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and may have access to resources and opportunities that others do not. This can create a sense of entitlement or superiority that can be at odds with humility.
However, humility is not about denying one’s accomplishments or pretending to be less than they are. Rather, it is about recognising and acknowledging the contributions of others, being open to feedback and learning, and treating others with respect and kindness.
Black Coffee, like most of us, has issues, but unlike most, he is modest enough to admit that he needs help, hence seeing a therapist.
Harvard University Professor of Psychology, Daniel Gilbert says:
Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they are finished.
I think and have always felt that Black Coffee has handled his fame with grace and modesty, and this interview with MacG is one of the instances that confirmed it.
He has allowed himself to be vulnerable enough to admit when he is wrong, similar to the incident with the manager of the late rapper AKA [Kiernan Jarryd Forbes], and he has appreciated the role that others, such as Oscar, Christos, Thibos, and others, have made to his success.
Black Coffee’s talent and willingness to cooperate with other musicians is something I admire, he doesn’t hog the space. He’s not just a genius, he is a genius maker.
Big ups to MacG, Sol, Ghost Lady [sorry for taking Coffee’s flak, but I guess it was coming 🙂 ] and the Podcast and Chill team and thanks to Black Coffee for being vulnerable and generous enough to share his life experience and dropping ever so many nuggets, 3 hours felt like 30 minutes.
Fame is a disease and its antidote is therapy.
rochemamabolo 