Off My Chest: Producing and Real Estate...ATL's Sought After Professions

The two most popular industries in Atlanta are by far entertainment and real estate. With that being said, not everyone actually makes a sustainable living from those industries. If you do not make at least 40% of your income from these fields, then I beg of you, when you run into me on the streets, DO NOT TELL ME THAT YOU ARE "A PRODUCER" or "IN REAL ESTATE." No. You are not!

Having Fruity Loops downloaded on your computer, does not make you a producer. Having a demo cd with some wack a** tracks, does not make you a producer. Until you have beats that are in heavy rotation on both V 103 and 107.9, you are not a producer. Until Polow da Don, JD and Lil Jon know you by name, you are not a producer. Get over yourself. Maybe you are an ASPIRING producer, maybe music is your hobby, but I repeat, you are not a producer.

Similarly, just because you purchased a cheap a** house in the hood and "flipped it." You are not "in real estate." Being a part of an inflated appraisals scheme does not legitimately place you "in real estate." And surely, renting a condo at Twelve does not place you "in real estate." Do you have a broker's license? Have you attended a real estate course? Ever been to a closing? Know what the Fulton county property tax rate is? I think not.

Fellas, those lines do not impress us. In fact, for a chick like me, it turns me off. You say, "yea, I'm a producer" or "you know, I'm in real estate." I hear. "I'm broke, with no job, and I push a lil weed to survive." Please. Stop the madness. You are so not the business.

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.