Creativity Quote by Patti LaBelle

LaBelle’s line is the kind of hard-earned gospel you only get after watching talent get chewed up by contracts. “Show business” sounds like spotlights and applause; she drags your attention to the other half of the phrase, the half that actually decides who gets paid, who owns what, and who gets forgotten. The rhythm is almost parental: you’ve got to know X before you go to Y. It’s a warning disguised as advice, the verbal equivalent of grabbing a young artist by the shoulders before they sign something they can’t read.

The intent is protective but not sentimental. LaBelle isn’t arguing against artistry; she’s arguing against the fantasy that artistry is enough. The subtext is blunt: the industry will happily monetize your voice while you remain broke, and it will do it with a smile and a “we believe in you.” Knowing business means understanding leverage, royalties, publishing, touring economics, managers who skim, labels who recoup, and the quiet ways “exposure” becomes a substitute for compensation.

Context matters: LaBelle came up in eras when Black performers were routinely underpaid, under-credited, and overcontrolled, from label gatekeeping to radio politics. Her career spans the shift from physical sales to streaming, but the power dynamic stays familiar: the platform changes, the paperwork doesn’t. The line works because it flips glamour into accountability. It’s not anti-dream; it’s pro-survival. In a culture that romanticizes being “discovered,” LaBelle is saying: discover your balance sheet first.