The inspiration to grind hard and never give up can come from anything and anywhere, and also in different forms especially when there are a lot of people who have been where you are now, but never gave up and today they are constantly displayed as symbols of inspiration for others to keep it real. We have created a list of the top 10 artists that came from poor backgrounds, but kept the hustle real until they changed their background story. We hope these artists inspire you and give you even more gists on some of your favourite artists. Let’s get down to business!

10. Wizkid

One of the most celebrated African musicians that have managed to break record after record, landing his name in the Guinness World Records. The story of Mr. Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun is such a heartening one that can get you emotional, yet inspired and motivated to not settle for less. Many people know him as a talented artist that created world magic through “Essence” but his life before then was devastating especially for the fact that his father married 3 wives leaving Wizkid with 12 siblings. He dropped out of school twice before finally meeting fame and today he is one of the most influential African artists we have with a net worth of $4 Million. 

9. Eminem

Eminem is considered one of the fastest rappers on earth, although a lot of people seem to argue this fact, we choose to remain neutral with our opinion. The unchangeable truth nonetheless is the fact that he has made history. But before dwelling in the spotlight, life for Eminem was nothing to be proud of. Marshall Mathers’ father abandoned him and his mother at a very young age and life wasn’t easy for the kid after they moved all around the united state looking for greener pastures. He got bullied a lot in school before he finally dropped out of school to focus on music. Today, his net worth reads $230 Million.

8. Zayn Malik

Zayn Malik grew up to be part of a world celebrated band that has managed to maintain a position of producing best-selling music for 5 years straight. Many people know this guy as a cool superstar, but his life before meeting fame was not classic at all. He initially planned on studying English so he could land a teaching job, but since he came from a working-class family, he couldn’t afford it so he focused more on music. He later landed a spot in the Boyband One Direction and is now worth $65 Million. 

7. Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson, the celebrity on our No: 7 spot for artists that came from a poor background, is now an American idol that is worth $45 Million. Her life before now is what we call pitiful. She grew up in a house that was falling apart, and no day went by without her fearing for her life. At some point in her life, she relied on food stamps to survive, but she never let go of her dream and look where it got her.

6. Justin Bieber

A lot of people know Justin Bieber as the cool kid who became famous after releasing his first hit song titled “One time” but how was life before now for Justin and his single mother who raised him all alone? The house Justin grew up in was manifested with rats and he spent almost all his childhood sleeping on a pull-out couch. Have you ever slept on a couch? How did you feel afterward? Imagine spending your childhood sleeping that way. To cut the long story short, Justin is now worth $285 Million and we feel he deserved it!

5. Celine Dion

Celine Dion believes the love and little support she got from her family was worth it even though she grew up in a poor background. Although she never used the word “Poor” to refer to her family, she admits that they never had enough money to live at least, a comfortable life and we can imagine how devastating that was especially for her having up to 13 siblings. Celine Dion rose to fame regardless of her background and today, she is worth $800.

4. Nicki Minaj

After being one of the most successful female rappers in the history of music, it is hard to digest the fact that Nicki Minaj had a terrible beginning. Nicki grew up with a drunk and abusive dad and at a point, all she could dream of was becoming an actress. However, she couldn’t make ends meet so she had to settle for working as a waitress in the meantime and that was where she harnessed her talent for rapping. Things didn’t end badly for Nicki and we feel you will believe too after hearing about her stunning net worth of $130 Million. 

3. Cardi-B

Imagine stripping to make money just so you could make ends meet. The story of Cardi-B is truly devastating because she was just a teenager. After being sacked from where she used to work, she had no other option as of then but to consider stripping for money, while she endured an abusive relationship with her boyfriend after her mom kicked her out. Cardi-B gradually gained popularity from stripping and she converted the energy into music. Today, she is worth $40 Million. 

2. Jay-Z

Jay-Z is one of the richest musicians to ever walk the earth with a net worth of $1.3 Billion. Many would least expect that this man came from a poor background, even though that is the fact. Due to the struggle in the family to make ends meet, Jay-Z had to consider selling drugs to assist his single mother. His father abandoned the family when Jay was still a kid with 2 siblings. He later dropped out of school and faced the music with all of his heart and we all can see and agree that things took a positive turn for the musician.  

1. Rihanna

Rihanna is currently the richest musician on earth with a net worth of $1.8 Billion, and do not for once think that she got this far due to a good beginning. If anything, she suffered countless abuse, pain, and poverty, but above all, she rose to fame and there is no doubt that her beginning pushed her into giving it her all until she got where she is now. Rihanna has a lot of honorary awards to her name and she is a living legend. 

Conclusion

Two things these artists have in common is the fact that they all came from poor backgrounds, and all never gave up until they reached the end of the tunnel where the light shined bright like the reflections of diamonds. We hope the backstory of these artists inspires you to not give up nor settle for less!!