The music industry can be a very cruel game to break into. Countless artists get pick-up and chewed out never to be heard again, and it takes talent and smarts to be a lasting figure in the industry.
Zaytoven is one of those people, as he's been one of rap's biggest producers since he hit mainstream success in 2010, but according to him, he still had a back up plan in case he didn't make in the music business.
In an interview with the Producergrind Podcast, Zay admits that even as he got his six-figure pay day for his work on Usher's number-one hit, "Papers," he still kept working his day job at the local barbershop.
"My check from Usher was like $101,000," Zay says [via DJBooth]. "My parents ain’t even seen that much money together. You know, I ain’t even seen that much money at one time before, but I’m still at the barbershop. I’m still at the barbershop because I still feel like ‘Man, that’s a blessing, that’s crazy I got that, but I know it’s over after this. I know I’mma fall off after this.’ That was my mindset. My mindset was like, I’m still gon’ keep cutting hair ‘cause, what if this don’t work out? I can’t really base my life on this right here."
It wasn't until 2013 when the Migos dropped "Versace" that Zaytoven finally quit his hair cutting gig, only due to fans coming around to snap a picture with him.
Clearly, Zaytoven is living proof that you don't need to drop everything in your life to chase your dreams, and that it might be better to have a back-up plan.
