We recently had the chance to connect with Trenton Pinkston and have shared our conversation below.
Trenton, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My love for fitness has been apart of my routine for some time now and it helps give me peace of mind. I get to take my mind off things and work on myself in the gym. It’s therapeutic for me in a sense. The deeper I’ve explored my fitness journey, the more motivated I am to continue. It’s definitely of form of self-love. That along with strengthening my personal relationships with loved ones.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Trenton Pinkston. I promote and advertise music artists, primarily hip-hop and R&B, through my platform Hip Hop Appreciation (HHA). I’ve owned and managed the platform since I was a high school freshman, since then it has attracted over 320,000 people across social media platforms and millions of views per month. Currently, I’m primarily focused on creating and curating more content. The next steps are to finally get the ball rolling on bringing employees on board, merchandise, creating a website, and continuing to expand the brand further. I recently left a retail job I had entered upon graduating from Georgia State University, so now I have more time on my hands to focus on taking HHA to the next level. I’ve invested in a trademark and gave the platform an entirely new logo and aesthetic. I’m very excited for this next chapter!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I’d say my procrastination and self-doubt. I developed bad habits that often held be back from taking opportunities that I could’ve taken or delayed my progression not only as a businessman, but as a person. There was a time when I could get too comfortable or slack off and it wouldn’t ruin my success story altogether, but now as a 24 year old college graduate these habits can either make or break me on achieving my goals. No one else is coming to do the work for me, so these are habits I need to release if I want to see success on the path that I’m on.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I’ve battled with anxiety over the course of my life. It took a sharp turn once I entered college. I still remember how I felt experiencing panic attacks and heart palpitations for the first time. I didn’t understand why my body and mental health was failing me then. I was so young and never dealt with something so challenging before in my life. At the time, I wasn’t ready to be out on my own in a fast-paced social environment in the middle of a major city and underestimated just how difficult that adjustment would be. I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety and General Anxiety disorder in 2020. That battle is still ongoing, but I have made progress since then. Pushing myself to meet new people throughout the rest of my college years, attending business events, and working in retail have helped improve my confidence. As an entrepreneur, this is a necessary skill to have so I’m sure you can imagine how much of a challenge it can be, but now I have a more optimistic outlook on being able to overcome it and to use it as an experience for personal growth.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
There seems to be a narrative by some music media and fans alike that if a piece of music or an artist is popular and puts up high numbers then that means it’s the highest quality product on the market. The same thing applies if an artist is smaller and not well known, then they must make subpar music. Of course music taste is extremely subjective, but a lot of what we hear promoted by labels and corporate machines isn’t always coming from the most talented artists. Someone as insanely talented as Leon Thomas was putting out great music years before his hit “MUTT” was released. This doesn’t mean he was putting out weak material beforehand, it just means the industry didn’t find what he was providing marketable to a commercial audience or were just simply overlooking him as TikTok played a large part in that song’s success. The same concept applies to an artist like Ravyn Lenae, who over the last year is finally seeing commercial success despite putting out music for almost a decade prior. On the other hand, Vanilla Ice was the first rapper with a No. 1 song on the Hot 100, but most people wouldn’t rank him higher than Ice Cube on their all time lists even though he’s never had a No. 1 hit. Numbers don’t lie, but sometimes people confuse what they’re actually saying.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Investing. I’ve known the importance of setting myself up financially for quite some time now. I’m into stocks as well as ETFs and I want to start investing in properties one day. I believe managing your money wisely and putting it into the right places will put you in a great position down the line.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hoo.be/hiphopappreciation
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopappreciation/
Image Credits
Kaylah Johnson
Shayla Stansberry
