RJ Mr. LA on Setting Goals, Having Patience, and the Team Behind the Artist

We took The Keep Going Podcast on the road to the West Coast for this one, and RJ Mr. LA gave us some of the most practical advice we've had on the show. He's a father, a rapper, and a man who told us plainly that he is "seeking global success."

Set a goal and put a date on it

When we asked what one thing he'd tell a young rapper, this was his answer: "Have a goal. Set a goal, bro, and put faith to it." Later he sharpened it: "Believe in God. He going to get you there for sure. Have patience... And take action. But like, put dates to your goals."

He also said something that changed how I think about ambition: "This is your world. That's what they never told me." His point is that believing you can achieve something is only half of it. You also have to picture who you want to be, and act on it every day.

Learn from the generation coming up

RJ has strong views on mentorship. He said you go further with your message when you listen to young people, and they go further when they listen to older ones. "A smart man going to learn from his own decisions. A wise man going to learn from somebody else." He described how many young artists are "begging for mentors" and how much they respect the ones who show them a plan.

It takes a team

RJ credits his manager for the vision behind his career. "I just know how to listen and take heed and know when I'm wrong. And know when I'm right, too." He kept coming back to the idea that a strong artist needs strong people around him: "It take a team."

On staying balanced, his answer was that the people around you are the balance. "We all just have to have somebody strong... correct us when we wrong and congratulate us when we right."

Doing the work

He described booking a studio for 24 hours and making 20 to 30 songs. His manager suggested turning the freestyles into short clips, and the response was so strong that they kept going. That is the lesson we keep hearing on this show: once something works, double down on it.

His keep going moment

RJ told us he reached a point where he was ready to quit, worn down by the ridicule and by people treating him as if his past work had been erased. His manager told him the streets needed him, and he stayed. His advice from that moment: "Have good people in your corner, bro. Have good people around you." He says a big deal came right after.

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