Today we’d like to introduce you to CTO Band$.
Hi CTO, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Well, it all started when my mom introduced me to MJ (the king of pop) and more artists from the ’90s like. Aaliyah, Tribe Called Quest, Ice Cube, of course, 2Pac, biggie, I could literally list 30 artists lol. That’s when my love for music started, but when I started pursuing music is when I was 13 years old, and I was grounded a lot of my life from 12-17. I couldn’t have my phone, tv. I could go outside, but I was such a weird kid. I didn’t have many friends, so I would sit in my room alone with nothing but toys and my imagination but the one toy that helped my hunger for music was paperjams! Paperjams are fake guitars and drums with random songs on them. One of the songs was “Hey there, Delilah” it inspired me to write my own music, so I did, but I had no beats because I was always grounded. So, most of the music I was making was “a cappella” until I was allowed to use a radio, I had some CDs that I made myself. When I went to my dad’s house, he didn’t really believe in the groundings my mom was handing out to me, so he would let me play the game or use a laptop that he bought for me on Christmas one year. The CDs I made had mainly Lil Wayne, Drake, Ne-Yo, Rick Ross, and many others I can’t remember I was starting to move away from the MJ faze and the alternative rock phase to more Hip-hop, rap, underground music. Fast forward about 5 years, I meet CTO Chop after pretty much giving up on music for about 2 years and going thru heartbreak and mental health problems, and many other things. Now I’ve been a top artist on Muzicswipe, reached 90k on Spotify, 200k on SoundCloud, etc.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was never a smooth ride for me. I constantly gave up on myself, didn’t believe in myself, and felt as if maybe I’m just not good at music or anything I do. I went threw a lot with family just for the simple fact I think they didn’t understand me. They made me feel as if it was stupid to case what I’ve been chasing for so long. Another thing it was hard for me to get a job because of my mental back then so of course, no one understood that I’m the first of both sides of my family to be put on meds for depression or anxiety. Something always went wrong, and shit still goes wrong, but I maintain because I have to.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an Amazon driver. I know not much lol. I’ve done a lot of job hopping in my life since I didn’t graduate school, but one thing I’m proud of is I had jobs where you needed a diploma and still got accepted to the jobs. I set myself apart from everyone around me because I keep going no matter what anyone tells me it goes in one ear out the other; I’ve learned you don’t listen to the people that pushed until they couldn’t you look up to the people that pushed and kept going until death called, they name.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I can’t think of just one 😅. The lessons that really stuck with me is. One, People close to you and the people you let close to you will hurt you and leave you feeling worthless, which will knock you off your path. Two, sometimes you don’t need confidence, sometimes you just need peace of mind, don’t think too much because everything happens when it needs to. Three, the only fan or support you really need is yourself. I mean, without you, the energy you wish to get out of the goal will only be negative if you focus on your numbers, focus on the progress you are making, and nothing else.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://unitedmasters.com/cto-chop?fbclid=PAAaaELKNdD4aMmebANDcU0FTwP3sXouak_pW9i59ds-kd02zVyyblbOfNGpQ_aem_th_AaEa0QinaimdVYhAtwCEHvGOo0gFiPQ-vEuDsBkbRkxYU3BNPVp9iuOMdRY36kAUiE8
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cto_bands?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UClZxaTOHTL9aln87oxy21zw
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/sXEZFfjX3i2YhYvP6
