Eva Alordiah: How I went from being a starving rapper to co-owning tech firm

Eva Alordiah has opened up about her journey through financial struggles and the challenges of being an independent female rapper in Nigeria.

In a recent newsletter, the rapper shared how her passion for music initially came without the knowledge of how to turn it into a profitable career.

Eva Alordiah said she faced years of financial hardship as a result.

“I was barely able to stay afloat. Being an independent female rapper in Nigeria was hard,” she wrote.

“Being a star is one thing, but being a broke star is a whole different level of struggle to take on.

“I was living from check to check, barely able to afford rent.

“Being a broke, starving artist made me come face to face with my ignorance about money and how money works.”

Alordiah said rap was not seen as a commercially viable genre at the time.

She said being a woman in the industry made it even more difficult to succeed.

She said she found herself performing shows for little pay that mostly went into covering studio bills, promotions, and her personal needs.

The rapper further said she made a tough decision to step back from music to focus on improving her financial situation.

She credited the book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, which she first read at age 16, for giving her insight into how to approach money.

The rapper said this new focus led her to co-own a software company that helps people monetize their knowledge online.

“I went from wanting to make money online to becoming part-owner of a software company that helps other people make money online,” she said.

In 2022, Alordiah said she gave up her dream of becoming the “greatest female rapper in Africa” after a “deep, dark” depression.