by Jaramogi Adams

Success does not happen overnight, even for black entertainers. However, because the struggle for success is seldom glamorized our children believe that success comes easily and not by hard work or persistence. Highlighted success without understanding the the hard work behind that success is crippling. I have reason to believe that many children today who try and then fail, simply give up and believe that it just “wasn’t meant to be.” And yet anyone who has experienced success is all to familiar with tireless work and sleepless nights.

Jay-Z has produced a line of commercials called, “I Will Not Lose.” In these commercials, a series of entertainers and regular people are interviewed. In the interview, they give an account of their path toward success. At the end of the interview, they’re asked to state what the phrase “I Will Not Lose” means to them. You can check out the commercials here.