Joshua Govender

Highest Paid Musicians 2015

I recently read a list of the highest paid musicians of 2015 and I was pleasantly surprised. Do You want to know who topped the list? None other than Katy Perry.

Amongst the list were Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake and One direction. Katy Perry topping the most grossed because of her huge touring schedule and grossing quite a substantial amount per tour.

I thought for people like Adele, Justin Bieber and Beyonce would be up there on the top 10 but seems like they didn’t make the cut. It goes to show that the music industry is often unpredictable.

Here are the top ten grossing musicians of 2015:

1. Katy Perry – $135 million
2. One Direction – $130 million
3. Garth Brooks – $90 million
4. Taylor Swift – $80 million
5. The Eagles – $73.5 million
6. Calvin Harris – $66 million
7. Justin Timberlake – $63.5 million
8. Diddy – $60 million
9. Fleetwood Mac – $59.5 million
10. Lady Gaga – $59 million

I think the highlight of this list is seeing Calvin harris on this list, even though he has been featuring a lot of well-known artists on his songs, it’s great to see a Dj on a list of really well-known artists.

I know 2016 is going to throw us some surprises and I cannot wait to see who will be on this list next.

God Speed.

Bill Murray

You may know him from Ghostbusters, Space Jam, Life Aquatic and many more great films but this actor has and will be one of my favourites.

His full name is Willam James Bill Murray born September 21, 1950. It was intriguing to me how growing up I loved the films he starred in but I never knew his name or never really acknowledge him in a film. Films like Ghostbusters, Space jam, Osmosis Jones and many more, where just a few highlights of the films I watched growing up.

Bill Murray even though he is an under-acknowledged actor still manages to attract a massive fan base. It’s almost like he has a cult following. It goes as far as having Bill Murray conventions to honour the work that he has done in the film industry.

I have to say one of my favourite pieces of work starring Bill Murray would have to be Fantastic Mr Fox, where he plays the badger in the film which wasn’t a main role in the film but still a standout.

Wes Anderson films often feature Bill in them, whether it’s a lead role or supporting. Both Bill Murray and Wes Anderson work well together it’s almost like paint to a canvas. It’s always artistic when they work together.

Long live Bill Murray.

God Speed.

Hustlers Ambition

I recently met a guy named Joseph, I met him because he was the guy guarding my car on the street. He walked to towards me as I walked towards my car. For some reason, I wanted it to get to get to know him.

I found out his name is Joseph, he has a wife and kids and has been hustling on the streets to feed his family. Talking to Joseph more, he began to tell me his dreams.

Here stood a guy, who could have been happy with the street hustle but yet he still chooses to hold onto his dreams. He began to tell me how he wants to buy a house for his wife and kids so they can be safe.

Sometimes we may or may not remember the dreams and desires in our heart but just like Joseph we kind secretly hope it come true. Hold on to those dreams, cherish them and always aim for something better.

After I spoke to him I prayed for Joseph and off he ran to the next car. Funny thing is Joseph will probably never remember that conversation but what he will never forget is his desire to dream bigger.

Dream big and never give up.

God Speed.

29 to life

You ever wonder how people live on the streets? Listen to this.

I recently met a guy in passing on my way to a local bar. For some reason, we began to converse with him and one thing leads to the next and he started beatboxing. I couldn’t believe it because this dude was crazy good.

He told us his name was Ricardo, he carried a huge sack with all his belongings in it. He didn’t look dangerous just interesting. After he had finished beat boxing, he began to tell us about his story.

He said that he had been living on the street for 29 years. He was born in Kimberly, he left home and has been homeless and without parents for 29 years. To be honest, I didn’t really believe him because that is a long time to be stranded on the streets and yet he looked so level headed.

He then also told us how he just got out of jail where he spent 20 days because he was wrongly accused of having heroin. It seemed like there was no luck for this.

You know all three of us walked away kinda shocked but also acknowledging that there are still some good hustlers out there. It was crazy to me that in the culture we live in a person like Ricardo would make people like us, people who do not lack, he would make us think about life and its twists and turns.

Ricardo taught me one thing that day. No matter what happens, keep your head up.

God Speed.

At first, I was against Kendrick but spending more time listening to his music and getting to know his life. I was proven wrong. He is actually quite a killer rapper, writer and musician.

Kendrick recently at the 58th annual Grammy awards, was nominated 11 times, way ahead of Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. It was fascinating to me how Kendrick, a guy who was known for his diss track and not making too many friends, was and is still on top of the rap game.

I began to look into Kendrick, his albums, writing style, music sense and began to realise that he is one talented dude.

Albums like “To pimp a butterfly” and “Overly Dedicated.” made me re-think the way I look at rap. It was crazy that one guy could create such pioneering music, especially rap music. It was almost like listening to Kanye’s College drop out an album and remembering how my mind was blown with what creative madness it was.

There were a few life lessons I actually took away from reading into Kendrick’s life.

1. Never underestimate

I found myself writing Kendrick off because in my opinion he wasn’t as good as rappers of the past or current well-known rappers, but as he grew my interest grew and listening to him more, I can say he is really good.

2. Keep an open mind

I was so consumed by my preference of rap music that I totally forgot to expand my mind and listen to new artists. Always keep an open mind, even if you hate it there is always something to learn.
Keep learning, Keep creating, Can’t stop. Won’t stop.

God Speed