Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabian Cannon.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Sabian Cannon, aka “Sabo” or “Sabo From The 4.”I was born in January 1997, in North-East Austin, TX. My parents, aka my “Mama -and Daddy,” both raised me. I am the fourth child of my siblings, but my mama’s firstborn. Both of my parents are Austinites. So Austin is pretty much all I ever knew growing up, no other place ever gave me a sense of “home’ feeling other than my hometown. I attended Barbara Jordan and Sims Elementary, located on the Eastside of Austin. As a little boy, I walked to school a lot, unless I was riding in style on my bike. So the evil of the world was introduced to me at a young age. Whether it was kids at school trying to act tough and be bullies, or the dudes waiting “on the block,” on my way home. I had to catch on quickly, but it helped toughen me up! My parents did their best to keep things away from me, and I appreciate them for that. I never knew what poverty was until I got older, but I also never realized that that’s what we were going through.
My childhood was good yet real, living with both of my parents and my siblings (from time-to-time). If I wasn’t doing homework, then I was either outside playing ball or writing poems for my Mama. My Daddy has always been an all-around go-getter, or a “hustler” as we say. Since I could remember I always saw him taking care of our family and all of his kids. Although we only have twenty-four hours in a day, he made it seem like forever. He gave me and my siblings tough love, but it was real love. Similar to how he was raised, because my grandpa served in the army. He taught himself a bunch of stuff that I picked up along the way. My pops can; sculpt fruit, swap an engine out, and do plumbing all in a day’s work. When it came to my mama, she was the one that was compassionate and got to spend more one on one time with me. Raised by her grandparents, she was on the farm and was a country girl. My mama’s a female version of my daddy when it comes to putting in work. I’ve seen her run multiple businesses on her own from the ground up, but childcare was her thing, so at an early age she introduced me to poetry and rhyming. We would spend hours and hours doing nursery rhymes and playing different games, that time was something I’ve always cherished. I fell in love with music from day 1. My mama had me in the church choir, even though they could never get me to lead a song, they still had me in the choir stand. I actually ended up enjoying it, my grandma was the youth director until she got too sick. That was my daddy’s mama, we eventually ended up losing her to breast cancer. The day she passed was something I will never forget, I always remember how that made me feel. Carolyn Jean Cannon was her name, that was the first time I saw death. Right when you think that the emotions may change, it seems like they never do. I’ve buried at least 10 family members in my lifetime, and that’s on both sides of my family. My mama lost both of her parents, both to illnesses. My aunt Betty, my mama’s sister; she lost her life in a car wreck and just then this year her daughter got killed. Just seems like if it’s not one thing, then it’s another! When I’m making music, I’m at peace from the world, I get to escape. Some people don’t get to do that, because they’re “trapped in.” I feel as if music chose me, and I can help set some other people free.
Football was my first love, I played for most of my whole life. I used to think that I would play in the NFL one day, but in reality, I just wanted to “make it out.” Putting my family in a better situation, and being able to provide an opportunity for others to do the same is all I ever wanted. One year I rushed for over 2,000 yards and 20+ touchdowns, making me 7th in the nation as a dual-threat quarterback in my junior year of high school. A lot of things started to come my way, good and bad. I had college coaches left and right trying to get me to go to their programs. Unfortunately, I wasn’t focused, I squandered a lot of opportunities that came my way. So instead of being able to go to TCU or any other D1 programs that were interested in me, I had to go to junior college. I met a lot of the people there that I’m still connected with till this day. There were people that came from upbringings similar to myself, I felt like this was as real as it could get. It was an eye-opener seeing that regardless of where we come from, we still have to press to make a way. This never really hit me until I wasn’t playing football anywhere, and didn’t have anything going on. I had to ask myself, “is this it? I can’t let adversity break me now, I’m not going out like this.” In 2018 I was blessed to become a father to a little girl who changed my life for the better. I started to see things clearly, and I told myself I’ll never let her down. While I was at work one day, I met a guy named “Oz,” who ended up becoming a brother to me. He actually ended up being a music artist who introduced me to my other brother “Cisco.” When I first met them, I had already been recording songs on my own a little. Watching them perfect their craft is all the motivation I needed, they work for real. From doing shows on a; floating stage in the middle of the water at MakeASplashAtx, the green belt and even opening up during SXSW for Stalley. I haven’t dropped any major projects, but I got some things I want to share with the world, stay tuned.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This journey that I’ve been on hasn’t been the easiest. It was hard for me to deal with death, while I was playing football in school it seemed like a lot of people got called home. I tried to keep my head down and achieve my goals, but it was hard for me to stay focused. Alternative schools and redirection kept me on track in life I feel like, or I wouldn’t be able to share this story with you today. Throughout anything that I do in life, I always look back on the people that I lost and the tough times my family had. “The trials and the tribulations are what made me, hard times could never break me”. This mentality is what put me in a position to keep progressing in life, a lot of things are starting to get better. I’ve fallen in love with the process of making music, and it seems like everything is starting to fall in place in life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a hip-hop artist, with a melodic rap flow. I feel like I’m versatile, and it’s not a beat I can’t get on. Besides making music, me and my boy Mike did some skit videos that went viral. Whether it was acting with just me and him or a whole cast, we did numbers! I’m most proud of my daughter Sa’Riah Nyelle Cannon, that’s my baby. When it come it’s my flow and vision, I feel like that’s what sets me apart from other artists.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If your heart is telling you to do something, you should listen. The more you love something, the less it starts to feel like “work.” You can’t worry about the haters, because it’s haters everywhere you go. When you first start out, don’t expect to be the best but make sure that you give your best. If you have a dream go for it, but remember what made you hungry to chase it in the first place. When it comes to finances, you have to be willing to invest in yourself. Don’t be scared to bet on yourself. If you don’t, who will? You have to be careful who or what you put your time and energy into, not everyone or thing deserves it. Once there’s a good balance, it’ll make smoother transitions for you to get to the next level on your journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sabofromthe4/tryna-get-it
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcjPxADDoWw/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ft4_sabo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGg8uygzFKKsvom92kbwhkw
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/351nhDMofP5jtdSVdXtuRz?referral=labelaffiliate&utm_source=1011lwbJ5b5W&utm_medium=Indie_Distrokid&utm_campaign=labelaffiliate
Image Credits
Ram Photography
