Thought-Provoking Convo

This is a text conversation Thurman and a good friend of ours had a few days ago about music, life and the definition of "success".

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 FRIEND:  I just read that Drake article. 

THURMAN:  What you think?

FRIEND:  Popularity and money does not equal success. How much of the world is changing for the better is the question.

THURMAN:  Success vs. Good Success

FRIEND:  Right

THURMAN:  If you got the millions in the bank, you can't really say someone isn't "successful", but I will say just because you got a lot of money doesn't mean you actually make a lot of difference. 

FRIEND:  This leads to the definition of success, and being successful at what? Thieves can be successful at stealing...if they get away with it.

THURMAN:  Right, but that success isn't "good".

FRIEND:  So now it kind of leads me to a different thinking. People throw around the word success like it automatically has a positive connotation. Which is why God stressed the word, "Good" in the phrase "good success". (Joshua 1:8)

THURMAN:  God's Truth and definition of things is the ultimate definition, but like you said, He makes a point to the use the adjective "GOOD" before success, so we know what His will for our success is. But what is the definition of "success".

FRIEND:  "success: a favorable or desired outcome". That has nothing to do wit being positive, so I guess these guys are successful. Just not at anything world effective.

THURMAN:  "Favorable" usually has a good connotation though. It's almost like they're saying success is "good" already within itself. Kind of like you don't need the specific adjective in front to better describe success because "success" is already favorable and good.

FRIEND:  Right, but it's not. You can be a "successful rapist"...

THURMAN:  Right! If I'm a successful rapist, I'm "good at being a rapist", but someone who is good at raping people isn't GOOD. I think the person and their values and character has something to do with whether their success is "good".

FRIEND: Right, which is the dilemma with the word "success" and we see people as successful.

THURMAN:  These rappers are successful because they're good in their respective arena.

FRIEND: Yeah, but not to me because they take more than they give.

THURMAN:  Put aside your bias though...can you say that they are "successful"?

FRIEND:  But they don't get a pass. My standards of what success should be is way higher than them. Here's another question, What's the last GQ article that made someone sound less extravagant?

THURMAN:  Right, I feel the same but unbiasedly (in ethics we call it the "veil of ignorance") take yourself out of yourself and judge their situation for what it is. Lol! You're right about GQ articles though lol.

FRIEND:  Right! I like that. "The veil of ignorance" i.e. eating whatever stuff they drop in front of you. Nah bruh, I'm trying to go in the kitchen to see what's really going on !

THURMAN:  Exactly lol! The "veil of ignorance" says, you don't know it's garbage you're eating. We can only hope when you do find out that you'll pass it on hopefully tell someone else about it. 

FRIEND:  This is our battle...

THURMAN:  Right.

Happy Birthday

so we were sitting around some tables outside of Alexander's Market, idly passing some time before Montrell's latest vid shoot, when he jokingly tells the main girl in the vid we wouldn't be doing what we do if it weren't for him! we both lightly laughed it off because he was just joking, but we knew that what he said was 100% correct. we don't have any idea where our lives would be, neither do we know what we would be doing if it weren't for the guy pictured above. he's our leader, mentor, confidant, & coach all rolled into one, and he deserves it all because he gives nothing less than that. Happy Birthday Montrell! we love you and we're looking forward to celebrating (at least) one hundred more birthdays with you. 

Ashley is most known for her role as Ashley Davenport on ABC's, "Revenge". She is a Londoner by birth, and now resides in Los Angeles. We like Ashley because of her versatility in business, as well as her diverse interests. She is not only an up-and-coming actress, but she also has a super popular women's fashion blog called "Ring My Bell". As men of many interests we can respect someone who thrives at doing the same thing.

Check out Ashley's blog at: http://ashley-ringmybell.blogspot.com/

Faces of SU

we got the honor of being chosen to be featured in the latest installment of "Faces of SU". in the vid, we're answering questions about our experiences at Southern University. watch and enjoy!

our big bro DM just released his new EP! Go to www.dmontrell.com to give it a listen.

Being indie (independent) artists, we are in a position where there isn't much wiggle-room to compromise between the music and the look. Both are two very different and separate aspects of who an artist is, but they are still very closely related. The music and the look are the complete sum of "the package". The question we want to pose is, "Which of these two is the greater?"

The music is important because without the music, there would be no artist. The music is that thing the audience latches onto, vibes with, and in some cases, the music is who an artist's audience becomes. Undoubtedly music is the most influential medium on this earth, but in our opinion, it's not just the music that sells an artist to people. It's not just the music that turns a person into a "fan", or from a fan into a "supporter", an even deeper level of backing. Before you get to someone's ears, nine times out of ten you're going to have to get there eyes first. "If we can get their eyes, then we can get their ears. If we can get their ears, we can get their hearts." This statement was coined by us, both through observation and our own experiences thus far in music and life in general. We believe this is a truth that anyone can apply, whether you're selling CDs or insurance. The eyes are the primary gateway into a person. The harsh reality is that a solid look coupled with mediocre talent will beat solid talent paired a mediocre or below average look most of the time. Thanks to technology, it is neither overly difficult nor expensive to make quality sounding music, but an excellent look is what sets artists apart.  To our fellow indie artists: Yes, the music is important and sound quality is necessary, but the look is the difference maker. The look has three aspects:

1) the physical appearance – how the artist looks or is portrayed physically.

2) packaging presentation – how the product (the music) packaged. A lot of times, the first impression an artist makes on a potential fan is through the music's packaging

3) promotional presentation – website and social media used with the purpose of communicating, not spamming.

"The value of something is in it's presentation." You may have heard us use this Dr. Mike Murdock quote before, but it's the core of why the look is so relevant. As an artist, you're a product, selling yourself and your ideas to people. Interest is spiked and people are wooed, by an excellent presentation. Once again, as artists we're not saying that the music or substance isn't important, but we are encouraging you, in whatever you do, to be conscious of the look because it is über important, and could be that one thing to catapult you to the next level.

ATTB Q & A

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James Digby

just left a great meeting with an English bloke by the name of James Digby. hailing from London, he's a permanent resident of Copenhagen, but most recently he's been living here in B.R. James is a great entrepreneur, keynote speaker, & all around cool guy. the icing on the cake for us in this business relationship is that he's an Arsenal FC fan just like we are! anyone who knows anything about soccer is aware that us loving the same club pretty much makes us roll dawgs for real. working with awesome people like James is helping us take AskTheThomasBros to the next level. from Louisiana, to the world, we're ready & excited for what's to come.

FashionFriday

to us, this one small detail can make the biggest difference!

Polaroids

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Woman Crush Wednesday

this is Taylour Paige, the star of VH1's new hit series, "Hit The Floor". neither of us is really big into tv, but last week I got drawn into watching (and getting a kick out of) "Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta" with our mom and sister. before I knew it, "Love & Hip-Hop" had gone off and I had made myself comfortable in the love seat. up next was this show filled with an interesting storyline, drama, & beautiful scantily clad women, so of course I had to peep it out just to see what it was about. Taylour plays one of the main characters who's face was everywhere in the episode I watched and though I'm not a tv-head, I'll definitely be tuning in to watch "Hit The Floor" again.