Military or Music

rehabmusic1

New member
Ok here's my deal.around 7th grade(2002)I taught myself to make beats.they were a little on the terrible side but Ass years progressed I got better and better.fast forward 13 years later..basically I went from the soulja boy type tracks to the j cole,big Krit type beats,and I rap too.I'm very talented and music has always been my passion and it's what I want to do with my life,but at 26 with a fiancee and 3 children I can barely pay my rent let alone dedicate money and time to music .which brings me to thinking AIR FORCE. I was just wondering if any one else has been in this position and what decision did you make.my biggest fear is me signing a contract and then all of a sudden our ( guys I rap with) single is all over the radio..and I'm stuck.I also Don't wanna be too old and UN interested in it once I get out (I'd be about 33).Any advice would help.
 
You need to stop sacrificing the security of your family for your dream.


You're an adult. Your #1 priority is putting food on the table, and a roof over your family's head.


Rap isn't doing it.
 
I like what Troupe said. Also, some things to think about... I'm an Army vet. I spent 10 years with the 199th Army Band. My father was a 35-year-plus lifer; I was always going to go military (in my mind!) as a youth. Then I got close to graduating high school, and I said-- "What am I doing?!? I'm a musician!" So I opted out. YEARS later, I did join, but that was after I found out that you can be a musician in the military too! Nobody had explained that to me. Do you have any other (more traditional) musical skills? Can you play an instrument? Sing? Read music? If so, consider auditioning for a band slot. If you want to make steady, decent money, _and_ serve your country, that is one way to do it.

The other thing-- If you do go military, I like your Air Force idea a lot. The reason? Anyone who has been in the Army, Navy, or Marines will tell you. Go Air Force. The pay-scale for US military is uniform, but all of the other benefits are so much better. A lot of Army bases are adjacent to Air bases; the difference is night and day-- ghetto vs. Uptown. The Air Force has the best of everything, and their people are generally treated very well.

Hope everything works out. PM me if you have any questions, and I'll try to answer (not a recruiter!).

GJ
 
You need to make the choice cause the you're approaching the Air Force age limit I think it's 33 and you gotta do all that training
 
​Go with the music idea. It sounds irresponsible and foolish. But you have to take a chance on yourself. If it doesn't work out after a year, go to the military.
 
Desire Inspires;4***8908 said:
​Go with the music idea. It sounds irresponsible and foolish. But you have to take a chance on yourself. If it doesn't work out after a year, go to the military.



It takes way more than a year to establish a music business.
 
If u love music enough there should be no choice ' do u live to be creative or to take orders and be trained to help make war ' if u need money to support ur family maybe get a normal job and make music in your spare time ' but if air force is something u really want And ur gonna regret if u don't then do it ' obviously u can make music in ur time off - but prob will be tricky - I say music and normal job for money
 
A couple thoughts..

I agree with Troup. With 3 kids and a wedding on the way, providing financial stability for your family should probably be your #1 priority.

And 33 is definitely not "too old" to make a run at a music career. In fact, my most financially successful times in music have come in the past 3-4 years (I am 35).
 
Just go for the music. There are more than enough people that played it safe, went to college or the military, got a job, got married, had kids, moved up the company ladder, retired, and wondered where in the hell they went wrong. A normal life is safe but boring. That is why many adults cheat, abuse alcohol, get divorced, get fired, and do other crazy things. Boredom is the plague. Seek excitement no matter what everyone else says. If you fail, you fail on your own terms.
 
Desire Inspires;4***9233 said:
If you fail, you fail on your own terms.

But failing sucks, and failing a family of 5 sucks even worse. I hear what you're saying, but that whole mentality works better for people with less to lose, ie younger, single, flipping burgers, etc.

For some people raising a family and holding down a steady high-paying job so they can retire rich on a beach somewhere is their #1 plan. For musicians, there's always going to be an itch to go for it. We love to play music, and we see there is an extremely lucrative lifestyle (or even just a steady relatively high-paying job in music) that can happen for you if all your stars align. But reality says its also a very slim chance to achieve that. So again, you can crash and burn if you want to and say "I did it my way" with a grin when you're old and grey. But in this case, OP has other people depending on him. Not as easy to be so carefree, IMO.
 
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This ain't the 90's. The days of "getting a record deal" are over. The days of new guys making their sole living off of "getting placements" are over.


Songwriters can't get paid. Producers can't get paid. Engineers can barely get paid. All because streaming is the dominant music consumption method, and sales are steadily going down.


In order to make any real money as an artist, you have to STAY on the road. You got a wife an 3 kids. You really think you're about to be on the road doing shows 300 days a year???


At 26, you have grown man responsibilities, and you need to be a grown man about them.
 
I'm in the military and still DJ on the side when I can. I've made a few friends that make beats and have credits on the side. As long as you know how to manage and carve out your time properly you'll be alright. I have my days I wish I did it full time rather than my current career, but family gotta come first. Good luck fam.
 
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