#BEHINDTHELENS
Award-winning video director Daps, popularly known as Flex God Daps, the mastermind behind MANY of your favourite rap and hip-hop music videos, recently held a talk, #BehindTheLens, hosted and moderated by interviewer/presenter extraordinaire, Rob Bruce. This event sold out within minutes and looking back to that evening, I can see why.
Image: #BehindTheLens, FlexGodDaps. Source: AmzyOBR
OK. Pause. Before I continue, let me give you a super quick whistle-stop tour of Daps’ journey to present day. Daps initially went to America at the age of 17 to pursue his basketball career (if you didn’t know, Daps is pretty damn tall so a career in basketball almost seemed like a given). Unfortunately, due to injuries and a personal reckoning at the time, this was short-lived. During his time in America, he secured a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Master’s degree in Communication. Whilst doing this, as an innate creative, he continued to make beats, rapped and sought inspiration from the likes of G Unit, 50 Cent, Snoop and Nas (he definitely showed his age there!). From getting involved with video production and directing under his brother’s production company, Luti Media, a lot of opportunities arose for him as a result of him being between the UK and LA post-graduation and allowed him to get stuck in. It was in this time (2010-2013) that FlexGodDaps was birthed. Daps is THE first video director that we have knowledge of, to be locking down three different continents simultaneously, by way of culture-shifting content (EPIC!) - he has the USA locked down with the likes of Migos, ‘Bad and Boujee’, and more recently, City Girls and Cardi B ‘Twerk’; the UK with Dappy, ‘Beautiful Me’ and Stormzy, ‘Big for your Boots’ and Africa with Wizkid ‘Come Closer’ and Davido ‘Like Dat’. For Daps, quality work plus impact equals longevity and in going back to watch older videos, the impact still remains. Numbers do not lie and videos filmed by Daps have amassed billions of views.
Left to Right: Davido, Like Dat, Migos ft Lil Uzi Vert, Bad and Boujee and Stormzy Big for your Boots, YouTube
Several gems were dropped, I mean several - I was sat on the edge of my seat, frantically taking notes whilst taking his presence and the sheer wisdom that he has seemingly acquired over the years. I thought I would share a few that I felt were rather poignant and somewhat transferable into whatever industry or space it is that you are in.
Image: An insight into the man BehindTheLens
Mindset
Throughout the early stages of his career, Daps heard no several times. He mentioned that after assisting in the directing of Iggy Azaela feat. Rita Ora, ‘Black Widow’ with Director X, he heard no over 35 times. Now, I don’t know about you but hearing no once in itself can be disheartening and cause you to really question yourself but Daps continued to uphold his self-belief and even temperament. No journey is smooth, however your mindset is what will keep you going. How do you currently deal with negative situations and disappointments?
Preparation
In the low moments, it is so important to keep the momentum going and prepare in the present season accordingly. ‘Luck = preparation meets timing’, FlexGodDaps. Prepare, prepare prepare and in preparing, ensure that you put yourself in enough situations for that preparation to be activated. Ensure that you place yourself in the environments where your market is. Be prepared to take that leap and continue pushing, that takes me onto his next point - hard work…
Image Source: 20kvisuals
The importance of hard work
It goes without saying, if you want something bad enough, you will put the hours in. Talk is cheap. Everyone talks nowadays and social media has just amplified our voices all the more. The grind and success, however, is expensive and will cost you. How much are you willing to pay for it? How deep in the trenches are you willing to go? Daps shared how upon getting into the industry in 2010 and getting a few breaks throughout the early years, work was still undeniably slow, however he never stopped working. His work rate rather doubled, he put the hours in, continued working on putting treatments together and picked up smaller jobs as and when he could. ‘You cannot fight the war virtually, you have to get in the trenches’ (FGD) and I believe it was this phrase that pushed him to continue honing in on his creativity and refine his craft. Breaking into any industry is difficult (that in itself is an extreme understatement), you have to go that extra mile to prove yourself. It will cost you. Are you ready to work for it?
Image: FlexGodDaps, VGMA 2019. Source: FlexGodDaps
Business and personal branding
Personal branding is extremely important and it is often in our lowest seasons that we question ourselves - Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I want to be known for? Daps is no different. Back in 2016/17 when work was trickling in after a few smaller breaks as aforementioned, he asked himself, ’How do I get residual income from just being me?’ and it was this question that acted as one of the main motivators in him deciding to work on building his Instagram and showcasing his lifestyle. Daps does not stop and he gave us a brief insight into the things that he has built over the last few years and a tiny glimpse into what he has planned for the future. ‘Gods from the Corner’ is his street-wear brand that we saw him sporting very well on the day. He mentioned a few assets that he has acquired, of which include a flat in Ghana and some land in Nigeria. Directing is still Daps’ main role, I guess you could say, and he stressed that it is essential to ensure that your main ‘pie’ should be churning on its own before you try something else. Have your main venture working for you before you expand and start something new. Daps is building an empire and is definitely an exciting one to watch and we must continue to support him when his upcoming projects are released. Be sure to follow Daps on Instagram, Twitter and his website - keep an eye out for all new videos, adverts and everything in between!
Image Source: FlexGodDaps
The biggest lesson I took from hearing Daps’ journey was the importance of perseverance and hard-work. From his first, personal video released 5 years ago, ‘Ian Wright’, to his latest video, Migos, ‘Frosted Flakes’, Daps has come SO far. In this game, there are no shortcuts, you have to be in it for the long-haul and willing to stick at it even when times get rough. Whilst I am sure he is always looking at how he can top the previous video, what he has accomplished thus far is incredible and I can only imagine the great heights he will go on to occupy. For a young man originally from North West London, his story is relatable and should act as a reminder to you that you can hit those targets if you are willing to work for it.
He quoted the African proverb, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’ and it really hit home for me. He spoke on and gave credit throughout the evening to his various friends that have helped him along the way as well as his team on and off-set. Make sure you have the right people around you, people that are like-minded and share a similar vision to you. Get you some friends that are willing to halt traffic in Piccadilly Circus so you can get your shots!
jenniferfrimpong.com is all about sharing the journeys of young professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs. I love hearing about how people have managed to attain their current levels of success and with every post or interview, it is my hope that you leave with some insight that will push you to take action. Time waits for no man!
Many thanks to My Runway Group and BSBP Consultancy for putting on an informative, intimate evening at such short notice. I look forward to seeing many more intimate discussions like this. Now that you have read my post - follow them and don’t sleep on the job! I am sure a few more events will be hosted in the coming months and year and I would implore all creatives and non-creatives alike to attend, network, learn and ultimately, get inspired to take action.