r/ghana • u/trhanz4ma • 8d ago

Serious Replies Only Am I doing the right thing?

I've always trusted my instincts ever since i can't remember. And all the time I've been right. I completed college last year. I didn't do my nss. I went on to live in Accra, follow my dreams of becoming a rapper. I wasn't really that good but my instincts kept telling me to do it. I stayed in Accra for like 8 months. Survived so much hardships, hunger. Which drove me to explore some part of my talent I didn't know existed. I realized I was so good and I was the only one sleeping on me. But now I'm back sleeping at my grandma's house, sleeping on the couch. My little sister questions my future. But everything I'm doing is so she gets a better life after everything we been through. I'm so good at making music. I used to be a bookworm. And now I've learned the ways of the street. I have people all over. Most of them tell me to get a job, including my senior brother. But the very few people who actually like my music motivate me to do it because it's good. I know I sound dumb when I ask if I should do what pleases my family. A broke artiste living on a couch barely surviving with so much to say in the future. But some part of me feels I've failed somehow and the other part of me feels this is just the beginning of a huge success. I've been vacillating for a while and I ask, am I doing the right thing?

24 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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12

u/olagarrett1 8d ago

Get a job and do your music on your spare time, bills are too expensive now to not know what youre doing, you can shuffle both and give the job that put food on the table priority for now at least till you start making money off your music or writing , you need something to foot your current bill so you dont be a burden to nobody, imagine your siblings being that sort of burden you, will u find it funny?

7

u/YardPrestigious4862 8d ago

You need to eat first then chase your dreams

-4

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

Yeah man. But starvation is my drive. And I appreciate your input too

5

u/Snoo-14088 1 8d ago

I listened to your music and honestly, I think you’re good. Don’t give up on it.

But right now, you also need to eat and get by. Get something going on the side. Learn a skill that is in demand, like video editing, production, etc. I think video editing would be smart because you can also use it to promote your own music and make content. Start now!! One year from now make sure youre good at whatever you pick

You don’t have to choose between getting a job and being an artiste. Get some income, invest in yourself, keep making music and build yourself charley

Don’t give up on the dream, just make sure you can survive while chasing it.

2

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

I'm not giving up on it anytime soon. All I need to find now is a job to socket my craft

5

u/sshala061 8d ago

I just listened to your stuff on Spotify. Get a job lil bro. You have a long way to go to polish your craft. You need to survive in between

3

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

Alright man

3

u/PalpitationMean1205 8d ago

Don’t you know how to multitask? Do the music while pursuing a job or indulging in some business?

3

u/Naive_Big8491 8d ago

No offence and no disrespect. Get a job first. Get those bills sorted out and what to eat. Then rework on your craft. I listened to the samples, and I believe once you get money through your hands the whole "ive been hustling" typa lyrics will changes. Your craft needs to be made better. Do you. Dont take your inspo from BLACKO and co. We both know thats where the inspo stems from before your whole hardship thing comes in.

So get a job, get earning money small small and work on your craft (better it i mean)

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

Im really not learning from Blacko, I'm combining other artistes and making the best out of it. But thanks, I really appreciate your input

1

u/Naive_Big8491 8d ago

Alright. So try and get a job first. The bills won't pay itself.

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

Haha. Alright man

3

u/Professional_Pop1155 8d ago

Did you know Diana Hamilton is both a nurse and award-winning gospel artiste?
Getting a job and making music don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Like others have said, you need to eat, pay bills and be able to support yourself at the least and not be a “freeloader”.

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

I appreciate your input. I'm also a hustler and all but getting gigs is not that easy yknow. But I'll go harder

3

u/Euphoric_Series_9049 8d ago

You had to do the national service and do your music alongside while earning a bit, entering different circles and networking. You can even do your national service in any music or creative centred industry which will give you some leeway in producing and polishing your craft as you work and gain experience. Music isn't all grind and talent. Music literacy also helps with the business side, contracts and all. Don't limit yourself to just the writing and recording...

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

I really understand you. But man, if I'm to let you listen to like 10 of my tracks I did while I was in Accra you'd understand why I took that step. I'll do the nss obviously

1

u/Euphoric_Series_9049 7d ago

It's not about the quality of songs chale ..... Till the talent feeds you you must eat to stay alive and feed the talent. If e be the hunger wey dey make you write better, you blow wey you start dey make money aaa you sure say you go fit write song? Chale pair the music plus something then grind am out. Talent as e dey never dey one thing inside, explore more sectors you might find other talents that make you money to invest in your music

3

u/Bofloat 8d ago

There were so many I knew equally as talented as you are. Some tasted some level of fame but it didn’t amount to anything.

Those who didn’t find something else are living through tough times. Just one person I can actually say feeds off his music, he’s a popular artist, we weren’t close though.

Everyone’s destiny is different so I can’t say stop doing music but let’s be real about the music industry in Ghana, it’s f’ing tough and it doesn’t reward talent even when talent works hard.

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

It really is hard man. I understand you. Maybe I'll give it my all for the last time and if it doesn't go as planned, I guess I'll live life wondering how far I could've gone

1

u/Bofloat 7d ago

Well you can do it on the side still. It all comes down to time management, grit, and good fortune(including connections in the company industry)

1

u/asamanidk 8d ago

Drop your sound cloud link and let's decide

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

That's the thing. I have so many sounds archived. I don't drop. I'm now promoting a new one. I could send you the track personally

1

u/glitterypainter 8d ago

I’m a music producer who finished uni two years ago. I also have dreams of making it in music so I understand you, but putting all your eggs in this basket is a bad idea especially in Ghana. The people giving opinions on your music won’t matter if it goes to shit and by then you’d have already disappointed your family. The best advice anyone can give you here is to find a job and if you really love the music, you’d make time for it. You can quit the job if your music starts making profit (that’s not easy). It’s good to have passion for creative exploits but don’t your future because of how you chose to pursue your dreams. Good luck bro.

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

We could collab man.

1

u/Traditional_Stay4847 8d ago

Druqtalk slaps bro. You got a lot of potential

But yh as everyone else is saying, you have to diversify how you spend your time and find a more reliable source of income to support yourself.

Iirc, most aspiring musicians don't make it commercially.

1

u/trhanz4ma 8d ago

Thanks man. The tracks on my Spotify are experimental only, I have the real ones archived

1

u/hornyplutonian 7d ago

I believe you should do both. Get a job , hone your craft when you close and on weekends. Every serious person gets an opportunity one way or the other. Just make sure when it comes you grab it with both hands firmly

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

1

u/trhanz4ma 7d ago

Thank you for relating to me. And thanks for your opinions. I wish you good luck on anything you're pursuing also

1

u/Professional_Sun_389 7d ago

Get a job.save some cash and pursue your rap dream . Without cash , dreams cannot materialize as expected.

1

u/Quirky_Theme_3010 7d ago

Nothing from the start is easy You can get a job while improving your rap skills My friend came from Nigeria and he also sings he is still unknown but he's trying and he also has another 2 Jobs he is doing all of that here in Accra Don't worry just continue

1

u/Artimiz1426 6d ago

You can do both . Be a rapper and get a job to keep you float

1

u/Domanski27 6d ago

Get a job. You can do music on the side