Cordae makes his TED Talk debut with a speech titled “The Hi Level Mindset,” inspired by his mother, who raised him by herself after giving birth at 16.
The 24-year-old North Carolina rapper hosted the talk back in April, explaining how the Hi Level” mindset helps him achieve his dreams. He reflected on his journey and accomplishing his goals, transitioning from dropping freestyles in his teens to being a Grammy-nominated artist.
What does it take to build a legacy? Hip-hop artist Cordae tells how he went from mixtape-dropping high school kid to Grammy-nominated music star whose “Hi Level” mindset helps him achieve his dreams.
“The Hi-Level Mindset wasn’t something that she directly taught me or purposefully instilled in me, but something I learned simply by observation,” Cordae explained. “The Hi-Level Mindset is a philosophy, it’s a wavelength to apply to your everyday thoughts and regiment.”
Cordae Explains His 5 Golden Rules
He also laid out the five essential steps of “The Hi Level Mindset,” and how he applied them throughout his life.
1. Remain Positive
2. Always be intentional with your desires
3. Discipline = Excellence
4. Remove Negative People
5. Create a legacy
He recalled how the first rule helped him after one of his early mixtapes failed to do as well as he expected.
“The Hi-Level Mindset made me think, ‘Man, these misfortunes are just going to make my triumph story a lot cooler,” he said. “I used this as fuel to the fire, motivation if you will. It made me think, life is just a book, not every chapter is going to be perfect, but it’s about how it ends.”
Cordae then concluded, “In anguish and a bunch of what ifs or leaving legacy? I choose legacy, the Hi Level way,” he added before thanking the audience. Check it out below.
While Cordae has been giving TED talks and linking with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, new music is on the way.
“Time to drop some music,” he tweeted last week. “F### allat waiting s###. I feel better.”