Good Vibes Only

“Good vibes only… when I’m with my homies”

– D.O. Gibson, “Good Vibes Only”

Good Vibes Only is one of those sayings that went from a line used in Hip- Hop culture to a popular hashtag.

Despite it penetrating popular culture, I think the saying still has merit. I think it’s extremely important to be surrounded by good vibes. I know it has had an incredible impact on my career.

When I entered the Hip-Hop scene in Toronto, I saw a lot of bad vibes. Sure, there were some good ones too, but many people I came across were just plain negative. You could see it in their body language. I’d notice it at concerts and industry events. Rapper Theo-3 labelled the city the “Screwface Capital” because of this negative energy. Much of it was out of frustration – we weren’t seeing success stories. The city was full of talent, but few were progressing and having success that matched their skill.

One time my friend Diz and I were watching a documentary about a Toronto-based rap group. It illustrated the challenges of making it in the Canadian Hip-Hop music business. I felt their struggle. The documentary was compelling. Diz had another take – “I hate their attitude,” he said. He had a point – the guys in the group tended to look at every obstacle as if the World, and the odds, were against them.

I’m a big believer in the Jim Rohn axiom – you are the five people you surround yourself with the most – choose wisely.

The people you surround yourself with have a huge impact on your life – whether you are conscious of it or not.

Good vibes led me to travel to music conferences.

The first conference I attended was in Orlando, Florida. Home of Disney world – “Where dreams come true.” The founder of the conference gave a speech to kick things off. “Give it up for yourselves,” he said, “you guys are taking a big step. You aren’t just believing in your dreams; you are taking action.” A surge of adrenaline shot up my spine.  I was on the right path.

But as I started attending more conferences, and hearing the line, again and again, I began to roll my eyes. Here we go again I thought. That changed when I started to look around the room. I’d see how it would resonate with younger attendees. I began to see myself in those youngins’, and I realize that those words still have value – we were placing ourselves in a place with good vibes.

Those first conferences I attended had me hooked. I’d go to panels and hear people inspire me. They would tell me that I could achieve my dream. I’d have to work hard, but I could do it.

What conferences taught me was that it wasn’t just about the panels, it was the people. Grabbing a coffee, or a beer, or lunch, or dinner with attendees was great. I’d meet people that were like me. They shared my same dreams. They were quick to encourage me, and I them. They were from different cities and even countries. It was amazing to hear their stories. I’d encourage them. They were full of good vibes.

Good vibes led to building my network. I’d keep in touch with people that I met at conferences. Their posts would dominate my social media feed. Maybe it was the algorithm. I would view and engage more with their posts because of their good vibes. I learned more about different markets around the world by having people on the ground that knew those markets first hand. If friends were going to the city or country where they lived I would introduce them. Turns out that nearly every time they would hit it off and become friends. Sometimes it would spawn collaborations and working relationships. Good vibes attract and mesh well with good vibes.

Good vibes led to opportunities. The combination of attending conferences and building my network led to creating more opportunities. People like to work with people they like. I’d heard it before, but now I was seeing that it was true. That’s not to say that I had opportunities given to me only because of friendship. I’d like to believe that I’m skilled at what I do. But I think that good vibes helped play a big role as well. When a festival or conference is booking an artist they think about who will be easy to deal with. Who will require the least amount of supervision? Who will get along with the other workers? Who will leave a positive impact?

It sounds basic, but it’s true. I’ve been at events and seen artists with bad vibes. They feel entitled. It’s a turnoff. At a conference, they will go to their performance and after their set is done, they head back to their hotel room. They don’t support other artists or other parts of the conference. They come off as aloof and selfish. It’s okay to be an introvert and shy, but it doesn’t justify not supporting others or giving off a bad vibe.

It’s like the artist that has a long ride of requests when they aren’t bringing in a paid crowd. I can’t help but shake my head and think – they just don’t get it.

A few years ago I found out a radio personality was dissing me on air. I confronted him directly and we worked it out. I was surprised because we had always gotten along. I brought up how we had a great time going to a music conference that I helped him be part of. He told me he thought it was a waste of time. He didn’t get anything out of it. For me, it was clear to see why – the vibes! He was going into it thinking, what’s in it for me? That’s never a good vibe. Good vibes are when you think Win/Win, when you think – what can I do to help the other person.

Saturday Night Live used to have a character named Debbie the Downer. She was the personification of bad vibes. She even had a soundtrack. Each time she would say something negative, you’d hear a sound effect like you’d hear in a game show when a contestant guessed the wrong answer. No one wanted to hang out with Debbie because she was always a buzzkill (a term popular when the character was at its peak).

Don’t be a Debbie. But also, don’t hang out with a Debbie – if you can avoid it.

The problem with bad vibe people is that they can often be the people closest to us. They can be one of our best friends. They could be our parents. They could be our siblings. They could be our boyfriend or girlfriend. They could be our husband or wife.

It’s extremely difficult when you feel like you can’t escape from negative energy.

Sometimes you feel the urge to convert the person. That’s how I’ve felt coming back from a conference with renewed passion. I tried to share my excitement with them, but it didn’t matter. Everything I said, the other person had an excuse for.

I’ve lost friendships because of people with bad vibes. I’ve lost music partners. But in doing so, I connected more with people with good vibes.

And even in a pandemic, I have opportunities coming in because of those. That’s why I’m a firm believer – Good Vibes Only.