The guests on this week’s episode of the More Hustle podcast emulate the entire reason the podcast was created.

James Fauntleroy and Larrance “Rance” Dopson are the ultimate hustlers. They really make it happen, are constantly showing up, and are always making other people’s dreams come true.

From Snoop Dogg, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Travi$ Scott and Kendrick Lamar, the two have worked with some of the top artists in the world.

Not ones to be selfish with their success, they’ve hosted seminars in the past to share their experience and knowledge and co-founded the 1500 Sound Academy for aspiring artists/musicians/producers/writers/and music executives to help students become the next biggest thing in the business.

Where did it all start? Well, in a church, where the men first met.

Rance was playing for Bobby Valentino (now known as Bobby V) in the church band and trying to get James in the band for Valentino’s Def Jam showcase. He was successful in doing so but … James was quickly fired the same day he was hired. Why?

“He was taking all the girls away!” Rance says as he cracks up into his microphone.

“I got fired for being awesome,” James confirms.

Thankfully, the firing would only be a funny story to tell in the future. The duo was only at the precipice of their success story.

“[Terrace Martin] needed a ride to a show, and he told me that the keyboard player might not show up and I might be on the gig. I was his driver, so I took him to Palmdale so he could do the show with Snoop Dogg, and the guy didn’t show up,” says Rance. “So I knew the chords anyway, and from there he asked me to go on the world tour with him. So then I did six world tours right after, and that literally changed my life.”

To make that clear, Rance went from being a driver to a member of Snoop’s band traveling the world in less than a few hours. His story is the come-up story to end all come-up stories.

What about James? When did he tap into his genius and know he had a gift?

“I always felt like that,” he smiles. “I felt like that for as long as I can remember.”

“Not only because of whatever personal gifts or whatever I am blessed with, but also because when I was a kid and everybody is really unsure of themselves and worried about how people see them – and not that I don’t have those feelings – but I remember I had a teacher that pointed out that everyone thinks that everyone is looking at them and everyone is also so nervous but everybody’s so busy looking at themselves that nobody’s [actually] looking at you,” James laughs. “And that just really made me think about so many things in life, like why do I care if somebody thinks this, or ‘this is whatever.’ So that’s what propelled me from being fired to also fumbling my way into being a songwriter and all these other things because I was just like, ‘why not?’”

The More Hustle podcast is all about exploring the grit behind the glitz and glamor. Hosts Brian and Nef are on a mission to uncover the hard work and relatable struggle behind every success story, not only to inspire listeners, but to show how attainable wild success is no matter your background or challenges.

The duo has had many times where they were ready to quit the music business.

“I remember when James literally quit the music business, he told me, because it was literally just too much. And then he came back,” shares Rance.

“In the business they have a term ‘falling off’ when people are off. Now I know more than ever that being off is a state of mind, it’s stopping. So yeah, I have quit,” James laughs.

No matter how dreamy your job is, it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and “done.” You can always come back, or you can walk away.

“Every time you get to a goal, there’s going to be a new goal, every single time,” James tells us. “Goals are mountain peaks, and the valleys are everything else. So I really spent a lot of time appreciating the journey part because that’s the main part. If you’re living for those other things, it’s an infinite loop.”

To hear about Rance and James’ success story, as well as to get more information about their school 1500 Sound Academy, listen to the More Hustle podcast here: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio or wherever you consume your podcasts.

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