Pretty Tony’s Journey: Basketball Player Turned Rapper

It is true that anyone can have a dream, however, you first need the courage to chase after it. One of the many life lessons you can learn from Anthony Lezell Davis, Jr., known as Pretty Tony, is precisely that. He's been a basketball player ever since he was 5 years old. It goes without saying that forgoing what he has worked on as an athlete to pursue a career in music must have taken a lot of courage.

Before he decided to be a rapper, Pretty Tony was a basketball player that many admired for his skills and potential. He received numerous awards because of the sport and was even granted a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. However, Tony knew that his true passion was in music. To pursue music, he left basketball and all sports behind.

During the last semester of his junior year, Pretty Tony finally revealed the truth about his passion to his parents. They had hopes of Tony being an NBA star and learning about his plans for a different future was a shock for them. Nonetheless, they supported Tony and his decision to enter the music industry.

This choice tells a story of mustering the courage to chase and work for what you want. Pretty Tony knew how proud his parents were of him. Both of them were, in fact, basketball players and coaches, so their influence has shaped his childhood. He'd also achieved a lot in basketball, and he saw a bright future ahead of him. This made it even harder for Tony to tell his parents that being an athlete wasn't what he wanted.

If he lacked the courage to tell his parents that he wanted to pursue his dream of becoming a rapper, then nothing would change. It was Tony's first step towards his dream, and he made a choice to take it. Fast forward to today, he now has tens of thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram. His debut album "Rich Tony" also earned him 10,000+ followers and over 21,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 224,000 views on YouTube.

It wasn't just all about courage. Pretty Tony has an undeniable talent for rapping, but his dedication also played a significant role in becoming a music artist. He worked hard to prove to himself and to others that he wasn't wrong in his decision to chase after his true passion. That dedication allowed him to release an album, work with some of the most talented figures in hip-hop, and steadily grow his fanbase.

Pretty Tony has no regrets over his decision. It allowed him to work in the industry that he had always fantasized being a part of. He has more years ahead of him to grow as an artist, and the global hip-hop scene is no doubt more than ready to welcome him.