The artist part of me always wants to be appreciated. I read

The words of Nipsey Hussle — “The artist part of me always wants to be appreciated. I read every review. But I never wanted to seek validation by awards or anything controlled by politics” — shine with the honesty of a man who knew both the hunger of the heart and the snares of the world. In them he reveals the eternal tension between the soul’s desire to be seen and the spirit’s refusal to bow to corrupted systems. To be an artist is to create from the depths, and every creation yearns to be received — yet Hussle warns that true worth is not measured in trophies or institutions swayed by politics, but in the lasting impact of the art itself.

At its heart, this saying separates appreciation from validation. The former springs from the people — the listeners, the readers, the witnesses who are moved and changed by the work. The latter too often comes from the gatekeepers of culture, who bestow their honors not by purity of merit but by hidden rules, alliances, and influence. Hussle, rooted in the streets that raised him, declares that his spirit belongs to the people, not to the gilded halls where politics determines who is crowned and who is ignored.

History offers many echoes of this truth. Vincent van Gogh, whose paintings are now priceless treasures, received almost no appreciation in his lifetime and never won the validation of his peers. Yet his art outlived them all, proving that eternal value is not bestowed by institutions, but by time and truth. So too did Bob Marley, who was never honored with the greatest awards of the industry, yet became a prophet to the world through music that carried the cries of the oppressed. Both remind us that politics cannot measure the true power of art.

Hussle’s words also reveal his defiance of systems built to diminish. In a world where awards often serve the powerful and silence the authentic, he chose to walk another path: to build his empire, to own his music, to uplift his community. By rejecting the need for external crowns, he crowned himself with dignity. His reviews were read, his people’s love received, but his sense of worth was not bound to the judgments of those who trafficked in influence.

Let future generations hold this wisdom: seek appreciation, not validation; seek truth, not applause. For the power of the artist is not in statues or ceremonies, but in the lives transformed by their work. Nipsey Hussle’s words stand as a testament that greatness cannot be granted by politics — it is earned through authenticity, endurance, and love for the people who carry the art forward into eternity.