Today we’d like to introduce you to Rashawn Banz
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. My family was very big and we lived in a 3 bedroom house in North County that was painted pink. At one point it was 13 of us in that house- aunts, brothers, sisters, and cousins- and as I got older we had new additions to the family that made us an even bigger clan.
Eventually my mom moved out and got her own apartment, but the family remained close and throughout the years we would still see each other often and have sleepovers and family functions as if we were all still living together.
I was the oldest of my mother’s children, and I was always a bright kid that loved to learn. I was particularly interested in the subject of science, and at the early age of 7 I knew that I wanted to be an astronomer. Apparently I was a bit advanced for my age, and I even remember my stepdad joking one time saying “what kind of 7 year old wants to be an astronomer?” Ha.
Fast forward to my teenage years and things were a bit different. I still retained my love for learning, but I started to feel the effects of growing up in an environment that wasn’t necessarily conducive to my academic advancement. My mother was going through a divorce and was having a hard time transitioning back into being a single mother of 5 children. So, naturally, I had to mature quickly as I was now the “man” of the house. At the same time, I found myself being influenced by outside elements that are usually associated with those living under the poverty line in America. There were gangs, drugs, and violence that became an everyday part of my life as a teenager trying to navigate a plethora of emotions and decisions not only pertaining to myself, but my mother and siblings as well.
After a few years of feeling the pressure of my surroundings and my responsibilities I was searching for an outlet. That’s when I found music. For the first time in my life I saw myself as an artist, as I started to write poetry and songs to express how I was feeling. I loved it. It felt like it was the only thing I actually had some control over. And shortly after my first few rhymes I started to take music seriously and record songs under my new artist name- Rashawn Banz.
Rashawn is my middle name, and Banz was a play on the word “bands”, which is a slang word for money… something that I always felt would be the answer to all of my problems.
As I stated earlier, I never lost my love for learning, but I didn’t do too well in high school as I was unconcerned with schoolwork. My GPA was very low. However, due to me having a very high score on my ACT test (29) I was able to be accepted into the University of Missouri- Columbia (Mizzou), a school that was about an hour away from St. Louis. I was so excited because I was the first person in my family to be accepted into a four-year university, and I finally felt that I was taking the correct steps to create a better situation for myself and my family. However, I would come to realize that that might not have been the case.
After completing my freshman year at Mizzou, I came back home for the summer to the reality that was still very present for my family. My mother, struggling with addiction at the time, had lost her home. Her and my siblings were going back and forth from staying with my aunts and short stints at motels around St. Louis. I felt guilty. I was away enjoying living in my upscale campus dorm room, with lavish amenities and even a meal plan so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to eat. Meanwhile, my family was suffering.
It was extremely hard for me do so, but I ended up returning to Mizzou for my sophomore year after working two jobs during the summer to pay off my student bill. It was short lived. After two months of being back on campus, and with my families situation not getting any better, I decided to drop out of college to return home and take care of my siblings. It was a decision that I made out of love, but nonetheless it was very difficult for me to process what I had just done. Attending college was a life changing experience for me, and I wanted to continue that experience. But I couldn’t bear the thought that I could be doing something now to help my family, instead of waiting four years to get a degree and maybe land a job that could help support us.
So, once I returned home to St. Louis I got a job at a food distribution warehouse and worked 60-70+ hours a week to earn enough money to bring some stability for my siblings. At just 19 years old, I was able to rent a small 3 bedroom house in the municipality of Berkeley in North St. Louis County. The burden was heavy, but it was not so much a burden for me because I was proud that my siblings finally had a place to call home.
I continued to make music throughout this entire time. I had a lot of support in that area. My friends and family encouraged me heavily to keep going, and I had amassed a fan base that made me hopeful that I could become successful from being an artist. It was tough to make time for being creative after working my job for 12 hours and having to be up again the next day to do it all over again. In spite of that, I always made room for my gift. So I worked, paid the bills, took care of my siblings, and any extra money I had leftover I invested into my art.
On August 5th, 2017 my daughter was born. She came at the perfect time. I needed her. I was heavily depressed; though I thought no one could notice. It was noticeable. My music had become very dark and sad and I was just very nonchalant about life. My daughter became my biggest motivation. I don’t know who I would be today if it weren’t for her.
After a couple years of me being the head of household my mother was finally able to secure a spot in the Section 8 program, and she got a house for her and my siblings. It didn’t take long for me to take advantage of this opportunity. One day, after multiple days of deliberation with my inner selves, I told my mom that I was thinking about moving to Los Angeles.
I had never traveled before my 21st birthday when I went to Los Angeles for a weekend trip. The very next time I found myself in LA… I was living there. In the middle of the pandemic, June 2020, I moved to California to pursue a life as an artist.
Four months later… I was leaving.
It was an extraordinary time that I had in those four months, but the reality of the cost of living in LA hit me. So I was forced to return home and recalibrate. I spent the next year and a half planning my return. And in October of 2022 I moved back to Los Angeles, but this time with another reason. To pursue modeling.
I’ve now been in LA for one year and 8 months and I have been featured in various campaigns my many of my favorite major brands, as well as newly discovered brands that I now have good relationships with. It’s funny that my journey led me to modeling as a career because I’ve never known any of this was possible for me. It’s so interesting where life ends up taking you, or actually, where you end up taking your life.
As of now I am still making music, modeling, acting, and there are a few other things I see myself getting into very soon. If I had to put a label on myself it would just be: ARTIST. I live my life in a creative way and I want to inspire others to understand the power that they have to create the life that they want.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I’m grateful for all of the obstacles that challenged me to become a better version of myself. One thing I struggled with the most was finding the courage to pursue what I truly wanted. I had spent so much time and energy taking care of other people that I forgot what it was like to take care of myself.
It was, and still is, extremely difficult for me to make the decision to be away from my daughter. I still judge myself sometimes and wonder if it’s all worth it. My family and friends are my biggest support system though. They help to take care of her and they remind me that what I’m doing is necessary in order to create a better life for her. Every time I book a new gig, or meet a new person, or get a new wave of inspiration I remind myself that it is worth it, and that very soon I’ll be able to provide a life for my daughter that I may not have ever had the chance to if I didn’t take this risk.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve been creating music as a singer/songwriter for 9 years now. I started out rapping more but I eventually leaned into my singing background (I was in my church choir when I was younger and was also in my high school choir). If I had to describe my music in a few words I would call it “dreamy and spacey”. I like slow, chill vibes. The type of music that you play on a late night car ride. I have listeners all across the globe from St. Louis to London to Sydney.
In addition to music, I’ve found myself becoming more and more engulfed in the modeling world. Which, I’ve learned, is very intertwined with the music world. Working with extremely talented photographers, directors, stylists etc. and collaborating with various brands from fashion to skincare I’ve seen that the relationships with music artists are very prevalent. My music career and my modeling career compliment each other very well, and I feel that getting into modeling has given me another avenue for my creative expression.
I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built in the industry. I would do a shoot for a brand, but then the director would also be interested in shooting something for my music. The synergy resulting from being a creative individual surrounded by other creative individuals is amazing. I think that sets me apart from others because I’m not afraid to step outside of my comfort zone and partake in projects that have nothing to do with my personal view of my self image.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is living with all my cousins in one house. There was an empty field next to our house and we would do all sorts of things like have football games with all the other kids in the neighborhood, and host barbecues where everyone would just pull up and have a good time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rashawnbanz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rashawnbanz
Image Credits
Shaun-Andru
Veezy Vizion
Samba Diop
Juwan James
Brian Trampol
Pablo Rossano
Pashi
Joelle Grace
Alexus Diaz
