Rapper Quits Music Career to Start a Cat Rescue

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It has been said that winners never quit; hence people have been holding to jobs that do not even light up their soul for the sake of a lucrative paycheck. In reality, giving up on one thing to pursue another, you are passionate about is not losing. After all, they say money cannot buy happiness, and it should not surprise you when a rapper quits his music career to start a cat rescue organization. You cannot put a price tag on compassion so let’s tell you the story of Sterling Davis and his mission to save cats.

It Started as a Side Hustle

Davis was a rapper but has always loved cats. Therefore, when he had around three months to kill before his next tour, he checked on Craiglist for any gigs he could do to earn some extra money. While browsing through the adverts, Davis saw someone was looking for a liter scooper at an animal rescue, and Davis went in for the interview. Unfortunately, he did not answer the questions as expected because his focus was more on the cats than on the interview. As he told KARE 11, he picked up the cats and cuddled them instead of answering the questions. However, his way of handling the felines was more than enough to qualify him for the job, and he was hired because the animal shelter had never seen anyone do what Davis did.

The former rapper began helping the staff trap the cats and bring them to the shelter where they would be spayed and neutered. He made such a good impression on the shelter staff that they asked him to stay because they knew he could help make a difference. However, Davis was determined that working there was only for a while before going back to pursue his promising music career. As he was strained, he noticed that only women were in the field with him. It suddenly dawned on him that he was the only man and Black person working in the cat department. Davis asked if more Black people or men were helping, but it was only him. That answer was all that he needed to push him towards making a drastic change in his life. The rapper decided to quit music thus informed the band he would not be going back and would instead devote his life to rescuing cats.

It Has Been a Bumpy Road

When he started training at Best Friends Conference in 2015, one of his trainers told him that he would end up becoming more of a social worker than Davis thought. The prophecy was fulfilled when, in 2017, Davis started a non-profit organization, The Trap King Humane Solutions, since by then, he was already going by the name “The Trap King.” As he told Best Friends, he chose the name because it would appeal to the Black community and relate to a different demographic. Of course, he at first had some reservations about the chosen name because it’s an old-fashioned version meaning the top drug dealer, but now it means anyone good at whatever he does. Through the organization, he started trapping cats full-time. Although Davis now has managed to get people to be more welcoming, it took a while before they could even understand what he was doing. His serious demeanor did not help matters; he felt like a bounty hunter, out to get cats and not deal with people’s attitudes.

Unfortunately, he realized the approach was not working, and some people would get defensive, wondering what he wants to do with their cats. Luckily, his military and music backgrounds have helped him know how to deal with different people. He uses various strategies; sometimes, he shows people a picture of his cat because he realized they are a bit more responsive to a cat parent. Other times, he gives them time to get used to him by only leaving food for the cats then finally coming in to take the felines for spaying and neutering. As if that was not hard enough, Davis had to deal with limited finances. When he started the non-profit, he relied on the money he had made from his musical career. However, without any more tours or concerts, the money dried up, and he resorted to selling all his belongings. He then bought a van to operate from, plastered it with the name “The Trap King,” and held concerts to educate the public about the TNR (trap neuter and return) program.

Another Man Quits a Lucrative Job to Save Animals

Dan McKernan has always been a go-getter. He dropped out of college just before graduation to go to Venice and Bulgaria. By the time he was 21, he had taught himself computer coding and development skills that helped him land a job at a tech firm in Austin, Texas. For five years, Dan worked 24/7 and made $100,000, but the lack of human and animal interaction got to him. As he started thinking of alternative opportunities, Dan began reading a book about living the sanctuary life. Stars began aligning in his favor; his father, who lived on a farm in Illinois, was not ready to sell the farm despite receiving many offers. The farm had been in the family for 140 years; thus, Dan came up with the concept of running a farm animal sanctuary. The ambitious young man got things rolling immediately his father agreed to take up the idea. According to The New York Post, he built a website, filed for non-profit status, and crowd-funded $3,000. His first rescues were two cows, but since then, he has rescued all types of animals, including chicken, turkeys, goats, sheep, and pigs. His efforts to save animals have not gone unnoticed; in August 2020, the Dearborn Police Department hired him as a part-time animal control officer.