They Wanted Me to Be a Bisexual R&B Artist... So I Walked Away

Overview

The speaker recounts how his early rap/R&B momentum nearly turned into a major-label breakthrough—until he realized the industry’s “marketing plan” wasn’t about artistry, but about manipulating his sexuality for publicity.

Main Plot (Timeline)

• Early regional success: He describes a pre-social-media hit (“Swagwalk”) that spread through YouTube and live performances—before platforms like Instagram/TikTok made viral growth easier.
• Major deal opportunity via “Martin”: He’s flown to meet a powerful figure in Atlanta (called Martin), who offers a contract quickly—so fast he doesn’t even tell his parents.
• Big Boy tour moment: Martin brings him onto a tour with Big Boy from Outkast. Big Boy is portrayed as cool but distant. The speaker initially enjoys the hype, but the “fun” fades after a week due to bus life and sickness spreading.
• Artist development in Colorado: Rather than immediate stardom, the label plans a makeover:
  • Move him from Atlanta to Aurora, Colorado
  • Backdate his age to make him seem younger
  • Build a “younger crowd” identity, even publishing it in a magazine that reaches fans—who then debate whether it’s accurate
• Switch to North Carolina + party-bus promotions: When Colorado doesn’t “break” him, the label relocates to North Carolina (Mooresville). A party bus becomes part of the strategy: “free” rides and drinks, but the “admission” is buying the single, with scanning/label-markup tactics presented as part of the business model.
• Video shoots + competing releases: The label pushes multiple music videos and worries about a competitor’s timeline, August Alcena. A proposed tactic—using media gossip by photographing him with a “hot” woman—fails when she refuses.
• New York pitch + the controversial “bisexual R&B” angle:
  • At a label meeting, executives outline a strategy to make him the “first bisexual R&B singer” to generate buzz.
  • He insists he isn’t bisexual, but they argue it “doesn’t matter”—the community will “love it,” claiming it’s the fastest route to fame and money.
• Studio confrontation and exit:
  • In the studio, after promises and framing it as “just a kiss,” he feels trapped and targeted, sensing pressure to perform something he won’t do.
  • The executive gives an ultimatum: comply or lose everything.
  • He refuses and walks away.
• Aftermath: He says Martin disappears and later tries other scams. The speaker leaves the music industry, reframing his life through ministry/content creation—arguing that performing, touring, and learning still contributed to his later calling.

Highlights / Jokes / Standout Reactions

• “Backdating” his age + magazine cover controversy: He laughs at the “wrong” origin/age, describing it as “industry standard,” emphasizing how fame can be manufactured rather than earned.
• Tour life reality check: He describes tour/bus sickness as inevitable—“if one person gets sick… everybody’s going to get sick.”
• The party-bus hustle pitch: He calls the scheme clever but transactional: you get on the bus “free,” but it effectively funnels into having to buy the single.
• The “bisexual R&B” pitch reaction: The room goes quiet when the executive says it. He’s visibly confused and defensive, stressing he “likes women,” while the label insists the narrative sells.
• Refusing the “kiss” pressure: The emotional peak is his realization that the “deal” isn’t just image—it’s coercion. His decision to walk away is framed as both self-protection and spiritual clarity.

Key Personalities Mentioned (By Name)

• Martin (deal/marketing figure; also accused of scamming)
• Big Boy (from Outkast; described as standoffish/distant during the tour)
• Killer Mike (on the tour)
• Kendrick Lamar (appears/opening during the Charlottesville-era show; described as already huge)
• August Alcena (competitor release the label feared beating)
• Jedakus (mentioned in/around the label meeting)
• Chris Brown (used as a comparison for the type of superstardom the label wanted)
• Curtis Keane / Curtis Keem (tied to his later self-understanding; described as a “meant to be” version of himself)
• W Coyote (radio interview connection referenced)
• Big Brother/Outkast / Tabernacle / Moses (religious framing used metaphorically for his later purpose rather than literal people)