Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marcus Money. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Marcus, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I’ve been creating music for roughly 23 years now. It took 19 of those years (1999 to 2018), before I was making a full-time living from it.
The story of that journey could take a book series to go through, but basically I was always fascinated with rhyming, documenting back to 5 years old, where I would do my classroom journaling in rhyme form – about things like “Ninja Turtles that wore the color purple”.
By 10 I was writing poetry and had already published in a few books. Fast forward to making mixtapes in my teens and starting in the freestyle rap circles by the time I was in high school. I adopted the alias “Real” for my no nonsense approach to handling business and staying devoted to progressing my craft as a rapper, producer and audio engineer.
I made money in every creative way possible the whole time, and invested sometimes my last dollar to upgrade and improve my studio gear, my rapping skill set, my audio engineering skill set and my sound quality, and now it’s to the point I compete with big record label artists sound. I’ve released several albums and mixtapes with success, over the years, with one in the works right now.
To have my own recording studio and be able to keep working on my craft (which takes a lot of time), I’ve sacrificed having a regular place to stay. I’ve slept in my car, slept in office buildings I was renting a unit in, where they turned the A/C off at night to discourage people sleeping in them, and showered at fitness centers. I’ve had my main bathroom be a public bathroom.
You asked earlier could the process of making a full-time living from music have been sped up for me. I think the answer to that is no. The value of all of the lessons I’ve learned to make it possible to sustain my creative career right now can’t be understated.
Having the creative ability to sell expressions to people is one thing, honing your skills to do that and run a business behind it is another, but some things that I just really started to master recently, like self-discipline, I couldn’t have sustained a career earlier without.
It’s only you, telling yourself what to do, when you’re out here selling art. The biggest difference between the starving artist and the successful one, is the latter stays focused and disciplined when the unexpected big storms come along, threatening to take away everything that you’ve built. I’m happy though that I’ve taken the route of integrity and excited to have a solid foundation to move forward with. Yall just wait for this next album.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
“That song saved my friend R*****’s life”. -Unnamed fan
(Referring to my song titled “Second Chances”)
That was one of the many times I’ve heard that my music has helped someone over the years.
My main motivation for rapping is to touch an often forgotten, lost, or in other words neglected youth, and show them through my experiences and lessons that there’s a brighter future ahead of their troubles.
Me myself, coming from a broken home where there was violence and alcohol abuse, eventually leading to me engaging in drugs, violence and criminal activity, that ended me being incarcerated and returning to my christian values, I was raised with, I felt I should be a leader or teacher figure for others less fortunate.
I just felt like the best use of my time here on earth, my calling I guess you could say, was to fill that void. I don’t tell this to people often, but that’s been my main drive in this music thing.
I also have my recording studio business [Real Paid Recording Studios] here in the Houston area, open to the public. With it I provide services to artists of all levels. I help with their recordings, music videos, marketing, artist development, PR and more. I record and produce for pop and r&b singers, rappers, bands, voice actors and more.
I love creating, relating and taking others to new heights with me as I continue in my musical journey.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I built my audience literally one person at a time, reaching out and being personable, introducing myself or whatever it took to give them value and thanks for their interest in my music. There’s no other way in my opinion when you’re just starting.
The best piece of advice I have for those just starting is this. Do not buy views or followers, it’s going to stunt your growth, not help you.
Have patience, be friendly, be open, get out there and talk to your fans and build relationships that will keep them checking on you for years to come.
Don’t fake it!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Most rappers tend to follow the stigma that looks down on being educated.
I’m against the grain on that stereotype I’m always trying to gain more knowledge. I want to have every skill and insight there is, so that I can have a competitive edge with whatever I’m doing
So, I love books and their authors because you can literally learn someone else’s whole life’s worth of learning, condensed down to a few hour read.
One that stands out is “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. How he broke down time management helps me to this day to make sure I’m always doing the most important things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marcusmoneyofficial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcusmoneyofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcusMoneyOfficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/marcusmoney
- Other: Artists, check out my recording studio, open now. Real Paid Recording Studios: 1120 Winfield Lane Kemah, TX 77565 Producer Marcus Money: (832) 777-7984 Google Listing: https://g.co/kgs/ViwgNm Website for pricing, availability & production portfolio: https://www.realpaidstudios.com