Recently, one of my friends who raps has decided that, in order to focus on finishing up his new album, he‰’s going to go off the grid. He came to the conclusion that maintaining relationships with friends, family, and love interests was distracting him from his music. At first, this struck me as puzzling and preposterous. But then I realized maybe this is just one of those things ~artists~ do.

It takes a certain kind of person to be an artist. There exists an eccentricity that often comes along with creativity. Artists deal with the pressures from their craft differently. For some, the solution to dealing with the stress that comes with making music and the pressures of the fame is to go off the grid. The whole going MIA plan highlights a strong dedication to one‰’s musical craft and value of their music over all other sectors of one‰’s life.

In the early 2000s, Lauryn Hill went into a self-imposed exile. In an interview with Essence, Ms. Hill said “For two or three years I was away from all social interaction. It was a very introspective time because I had to confront my fears and master every demonic thought about inferiority, about insecurity or the fear of being black, young and gifted in this western culture.‰” These escapist tendencies are not uncommon among artists and are rather beneficial for one‰’s mental health.

Frank Ocean is another musician notorious, perhaps even infamous, for disappearing and continuously pushing back the release date of his new album. Some have described his absence as ‰loud silence‰’, in that he makes a strong statement by staying out of the limelight. The disappearing act can serve as a strong career move due to the buildup of anticipation surrounding the release of Frank Ocean‰’s new album.

While only time will tell if my friend going MIA is the best move for his rap career, it is definitely a risk that a lot of other musicians have decided was worth the costs.