Last night, I was watching an interview with Dame Dash, co-founder of Roc-a-fella Records. Dame has a reputation for being blunt, unemotional, and direct about how he expresses his views on just about everything. This demeanor has given him somewhat of an “asshole” reputation, at least in the public eye, if not in the entertainment industry. However, I believe that his point of view on most topics have substance and are oftentimes lost in his delivery.

One major point he’s made, that I feel is misunderstood by the masses (and negatively influenced by Dame’s reputation), is when it comes to his comments on entrepreneurship, self-employment, and legacies. Dame is known for pushing the idea of being your own boss, saying that when you are an employee, you are working hard for other people, as opposed to working hard for yourself and your own dreams. He has even gone so far as to say it is emasculating to call another man (or person) your boss and likened it to calling them “dad.”

He recently had an interview with New York’s 105.1 radio show “the Breakfast Club,” where he discussed these views. One of the show’s hosts, DJ Envy, posed questions to him in an attempt to point out that Dame’s statements were offensive to many people, who work hard every day to take care of their families. It seemed Envy was personally offended, as well, throughout the interview, as Dash pointed out that Envy was an employee himself. Envy said that there was still honor in working hard to support your family, and that such a work ethic was a great example to set for your kids. He felt that Dame was belittling the efforts and successes of many people, through his statements.

Dame Dash went on to clarify the intention of his statements. He said that, as a parent, he wanted to exhibit behaviors that his children can aspire towards. One of those behaviors was the idea of being self-employed. He explained that his views were similar to the best-selling book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” in that he doesn’t want his children’s idea of their opportunities to be limited by the title or concept of a “job.” He thinks this system of sending kids to school to get “good jobs” is a system that enslaves the minds and creativity of our children and limits their potential. He pointed out to DJ Envy that, although Envy has worked for the radio station for years, and his personality (and that of his cohosts) fuels the show and make the station money, it is not his station. At any point, the owner of the radio station can choose to cancel the show or fire Envy. In that case, all that hard work and dedication would quickly be worth nothing, since it can be taken away based on another person’s whim.

Also, as an employee of Power 105.1, Envy does not have a position of power where he could ever hire a friend, family member, or one of his children. These options are not available to him, as an employee. However, if he owned his own radio station, he could never BE fired, and he would be able to hire whoever he wanted. Dash explained how he had ingrained this way of thinking into his son, who has gone on to be an entrepreneur, with his own company of cookies, that he does well with and supports himself through. He said that his son would not see owning his own business as an option for himself, if he did not already see his father in this kind of role.

DJ Envy rebutted, making a valid point in asking that if everyone were bosses, who will the bosses employ? Dash responded by explaining how he owns many businesses, but he doesn’t have one person who works FOR him, but many people who work WITH him. He believes that it is also the job of the “boss” to give his employees the opportunity to work autonomously, and eventually work for themselves. For example, this type of business practice is greatly used by Kim Kardashian West. Whether it’s her personal trainer, hair stylist, makeup artist, or her whole family, everyone is given the opportunity to work with her, until they make something for themselves. Her hair stylist, Jen Atkin, has used her association and success through working with Kardashian, to launch a successful line of hair products, Ouai. This is the kind of “employment” that Dame Dash is advocating. Bosses should treat employees like mentees.

I agree with everything that Dame Dash is saying. I believe his expression is harsh, and not delivered in such a way to be well-received, but his points are well-founded. It is important to work for yourself- both professionally and in life. I know this from personal experience. My boyfriend and I, for example, both have college degrees. He started his own business, and I went on to work for already established companies. Going down that path, I learned the hard way that no amount of hard work can protect us employees from things like lay-offs, company bankruptcies, loss of pensions etc. My boyfriend, on the other hand, has never had to deal with these types of things. He can’t be fired, and no one can tell him what he or his time is worth (i.e. no salary or cap on his potential income). He doesn’t have to request time off for vacations or ask to leave work early one day for a family emergency. So, I think that if we can find any way to do what we do for a living in such a way where we work for ourselves, it would benefit us more than the regular “9-5” hustle.

This may be too idealized for some of us. And there are also benefits to the “9-5.” It is nice to work a job where you go home and never have to think of work again until you go back. It’s nice to know you have a consistent income, a check every two weeks (no matter the weather). When you own your own business, you don’t have this peace of mind, and will work outside of regular 9-5 hours. You will always be conscious of keeping the business going or growing, so being a boss is not for everyone. But it is still worth raising your kids with ownership and autonomy in mind. Why? Because “if we shoot for the stars, and miss, we still land on the clouds.” In other words, the more we aspire towards, even if we “lose,” the more we still achieve.

This may not seem feasible for every choice of profession, but it can be if you are creative enough. For example, if I want to be a teacher, but don’t want to be limited in my curriculum, employment benefits, income, schedule, or if I just don’t want to deal with the BS workplace politics, I can choose to open my own school or educational center. However, even in that setting, I will need to hire employees as teachers, so not everyone can be the boss. But again, not everyone wants to be either.