Nothing indeed comes easy in life and especially in the entertainment industry. Better ask somebody. Talented rapper Ace Tha Don took to social media to let the whole world how tough his coming up was and indeed it was. He overcame all that to become what he is today, a respected rapper in the game. This is the tough life of Ace Tha Don told by him
Backstory to “Ace Tha Don” catalogue:
2011. A couple months after I started rapping I made my very first tape “Birth Of The Best” on loan. I had only 100/= in my pocket. I used that cash to make 1 copy of the tape, walked 8km to the first person who wanted to buy, made 300/=, walked back 8km, made 3 more copies, sold to 3 more people, walking a total of 38km (plus the first 16) on the first day.
I did this until I made enough money to pay for the tape…so I didn’t make any myself, but my music was out there, and that was something to me.
I dropped my next tape, “Underrated”, shortly after; it didn’t do so well. The success of “Birth Of The Best” overshadowed it.
2014. I had just dropped “A’s & B’s – Vol. I: Before The Fame”. One day I made enough copies to fill my backpack and took a matatu to town. Hit up everyone that ‘promised’ to buy my next project after it’s out. Some stayed true to their word, but after getting flimsy excuses like “aaaah, nitakutafuta”, “mi sina pesa yote. Si uchukue hii mia”, “weh nipee mixtape yako free, nitakupromote”, etc. from most, I resorted to stopping random strangers and convincing them to buy the tape. I did this all around town/Ngara/Westlands, and got on that Rongai matatu at around 7:00pm.
I did this every day until I made a considerable amount of money for my upkeep.
2015. I had just made the “Life In Rhyme” EP, but decided that that be a free project and available online. So I put it up on Audiomack. That’s when I became heavy on social media. I straight-up spammed any and everyone’s inbox with links. Some ignored, some cussed me out, some “advised” me otherwise (and not open the link), but most did, and were not disappointed. To a point I saw blogs from all over reviewing the tape; Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa…even Canada! That, to me, was progress.
For a brief stint I was signed…fuck ’em!
2016. By far my toughest year. I was broke and back to square 1 when I was recording #BARS101; I used to book the recording sessions in advance, then leave an hour earlier and walk to the studio. Once that was done, I sold my playstation console to pay for mixing & mastering.
August 25th, I released the tape. An influential person in the industry convinced me:
• I should make a website; my music/merchandise will be easily accessible, and also for professionalism.
• I should create an iTunes account and upload the tape there.
He then suggested that he would do that for me. Desperate and open to consider any lucrative idea, I parted with literally all the money I had saved up. Months went by, he uploaded my tape on Soundcloud; no iTunes a/c, no website. My complaints were met with either excuses or threats. Eventually I concluded that that money was not used for its intended purpose, and I may never get it back. At this time, I was crashing at a friend’s in Kariobangi South. I was down to 600/=.
I used 50/= fare to town, made 500/= worth of copies, and took to Facebook, announcing that I was selling the #BARS101 tape. That’s how the hustle started. I was on the grind DAILY, with a bag full of CD’s and clothes, not knowing where the night will find me. Times were hard. I’ve slept at day ones’ couches, strangers’ houses, Keg joints, etc. .
I used to make enough money for food and self sustenance, making other copies of the tape, and still save up a bit. A bit of that I used for the “Night Life” video; a fairly good video, considering the budget. That generated more traffic, and more people wanted to buy their copies.
Come March 2017, I paid for a high-budget video (“Banana”), and had a manager on a payroll, so I can focus more on creating the content (coming soon…) and have help with the rest.
And here I am, living a better life, still chasing after success.
It’s been a bumpy ride…it still is…but looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cus’ everything that happens to all of us is either a blessing or a lesson!
Moral of the story:
• Success takes time, dedication….and MOST of all, patience! Heck, I don’t consider myself successful YET, but I’ll be damned if I gave up on the way, seeing as I’ve come this far.
• Nothing ever comes easy. You get as much as you give.
• “Enough” no longer cuts it; if you’re not willing to go the extra mile for something, then you don’t deserve it.
• Do not take any achievement, however minor it may look, lightly.
• You will come across many MANY people with promise of success. Know how to separate those who mean well for you, those who have their own objective in mind, and those who are all talk n’ nothing else.
• Also, the harder you grind for something, the more you will cherish your success, and that will motivate you to work even harder and stay successful. Often times people used to hand-outs take what is presented to them lightly, and are more likely to not last.
I’ve been through it, I’m past it, now I can talk about it. I only share my story hoping it will inspire some of y’all out there to not give up. N’ embrace your hustle. There’s beauty in the struggle!!
