Family is important, but for rising rapper Ausar (who you might remember from Netflix’s hip-hop competition series Rhythm + Flow), it represents the key to him becoming the budding star that he is today.
After laying down his musical foundation with the gospel sounds he learned in church with his mother, his brother got him into hip-hop.
“We would write and listen to instrumentals,” he says. “It went from me being competitive with my older brother over having to have the best verse to me really having a love for hip-hop.”
Ausar grew up in Chicago, a proud city known for its many beloved hip-hop icons. For him, the city was pivotal in his development.
“It [Chicago] has influenced my style. Chicago has influenced me on all levels,” he adds, giving a nod toward his music and his efforts to show up for the community as an advocate and example.
Besides hip-hop, Ausar has learned a lot of lessons from the game of basketball. Most importantly, discipline. “More than anything, knowing that it requires a regiment to get to where you’d like to go,” he says. “The results come directly from the work you’re willing to put in. On the other side is knowing your role within the team. Knowing when to step up and be a leader. Knowing when to fall back and rely on the people around you. You have a team for a reason: you can’t do everything on your own.”
That drive and positive mindset haven’t made Ausar immune to challenges in his career, though.
“Every step on the road, I’ve faced some form of rejection to get to the yeses,” he says. “I’ve had instances where I entered competitions and I felt like I was good enough, but didn’t end up winning. It killed my confidence. Then I came back around, did the work, was right back in those same positions, and succeeded in them.”
His experience on Rhythm + Flow ended in disappointment, but he knows how rare an opportunity it was and he’s using it as a building block.
“I was knocked out in the first round, but years later, we’re getting the results we were looking for,” he says. Ausar’s absolutely right on that. His recent single, “Homies,” has been gaining traction on streaming platforms and is racking up tens of thousands of plays.
As Ausar continues his journey, he hopes that other up-and-comers like himself can observe and take something away from it.
“I’m continuing to be myself and be a resource and an outlet for anybody who needs one,” he says. “I think a lot of people feel like you have to fit into a very particular box in order to be successful, but that’s not the case at all. As long as you stay true to you, you’ll find it.”