STAR of the Month : I-Octane sells soup with mother

STAR of the Month I-Octane sold soup at his mother's stall during his formative years, so when he chose to sell with his mother in the Swallowfield community on the weekend, it was like taking a trip down memory lane.

THE STAR arrived in the community about 3 p.m. and was greeted with cups of soup courtesy of I-Octane's mother, Pamella Williams. She was dressed in a red apron, while I-Octane opted for a back apron.

Pamella made sure to set the pace by selling a few cups to persons who wanted a piece of the excitement. When the stage was set, I-Octane took over and begun to share cups of soup while simultaneously pocketing money on behalf of his mother.

"When mommy a cook soup, she count the amount of meat she put in the pot. When she does that she knows how much money she can make on how much cups of soup she will be able to provide. Mi still used to thief out some same way and give mi friend dem," he told THE STAR.

The artiste, who had songs from his album, My Journey, blaring in the background, also explained that selling soup is no easy job since one has to avoid getting burnt when customers are being impatient.

As for being ridiculed by his peers for selling the product when he could have been elsewhere having fun, I-Octane said selling with his mother was never a bother.

"Nuh shame nuh inna mi game. The Bible seh if you have too much pride, yuh a guh sin because you are not going to do the necessary things to achieve success. We grow up on the roadside, so we don't have pride because we accept our situation," he said.

"Circumstances make a man who he is, so we are grateful for the negatives. We are more upset if we don't sell because we know we will be missing out on Sunday dinner. Sometimes you wish you were on the other side. Instead of selling, you want to be the buyer because at the end of the day, everybody wants better for themselves."

The artiste also revealed that his hustling background influenced his attitude to business. Before this occasion, the artiste last sold soup with his mother 12 years ago. Some customers who came out to purchase soup took the opportunity to get I-Octane's autograph.