Most people on the internet would remember Snoop Dogg’s “I Wanna Thank Me” speech which he gave when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.

He even released an album and single of the same name the following year. The speech is a meditation and reflection of the rapper’s philosophy on hard work.

The video has since received millions of views and shares across all social media. Thousands quote Snoop Dogg when they share their hard worked achievements. It has indeed inspired a generation.

South African author Tiisetso Maloma has written a chapter about the speech in his philosophy book titled ‘Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism: Gain Joy, Resilience, Productivity, and Defuse Anxiety’.

The author says he doubts if Snoop Dogg would even consider himself a Stoic, but to him, his speech embodies the ancient Greek philosophy.

“His speech made me realise the importance of accumulating everyday activities that help us get closer to achieving our goals and wishes in life. Are we doing all we can to achieve our goals? Are we going at it daily? Are we working hard relentlessly? This is the way we can be able to ‘thank ourselves for showing up every day’ years later as Uncle Snoop did”, says Tiisetso.

Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy, written and practised by people who played different roles in their societies: slaves, politicians, businessmen, warriors, emperors, and artists.

“It’s like writing notes to yourself, then meditating on them daily to have devotion to them in practice. A simple and telling example is this quote: “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” This is second century Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, in his notes called ‘To Self.’ They were reminder notes on how he should conduct himself and not let his position poison his ego or fragility”, adds Tiisetso.

Introducing Ubuntu Stoicism is a philosophy book, and, is a slight deviation from Tiisetso’s usual entrepreneurship and innovation writings.

The book narrates practical philosophies and virtues the ancients used as resilience tools against hardships.

In the book, the author meditates on the combination of the two ancient philosophies of Africa’s Ubuntu and Greece’s Stoicism as a pathway to getting a healthy grip on joy, anxiety and productivity.

Tiisetso Maloma is a South African author of 8 books as well as an entrepreneur, product creator, innovation scholar, stoic enthusiast, and hobbyist DJ.

In the last twelve years, he has co-created and launched over 100 products in different industries, which have sold thousands of units.

Here is part of the speech:

“I want to thank me for believing in me. I want to thank me for doing all this hard work. I want to thank me for having no days off. I want to thank me for never quitting. I want to thank me for always being a giver and trying to give more than I receive. I want to thank me for doing more right than wrong. I want to thank me for being me at all times…”