The absolute heart wrench of a high school breakup is never easy. But sometimes, it can be used to boost an entire career. WO Alumni Braden Book, also known as Amba$$ador, is a new and upcoming rapper who’s career sprung from a high school breakup. 

   “When I was a freshman and I broke up with my girlfriend, I decided to start writing poems to express my feelings. I just wanted to get it out on paper to see what it looks like.” But, Book wanted to turn these poems into something more, lyrics. “I started to tell my friends and they told me they were really good and that I should keep writing poems.” 

   Book graduated from West Ottawa in 2018 and started attending GRCC for their Recording Technology Program. This program consists of learning to make beats, mix beats, record artists, and master music to release it onto streaming platforms. After receiving his certificate from GRCC, he began his rapping career.

     Book also credits his favorite rappers for the kickoff to his career. “Listening to rappers such as Hopsin and Logic really inspired me just because of their lyrics and stuff. They stood out to me more than any other rappers. They had really good flow and lyrics and I related to some of their songs.” What makes a really good rap song is more than just talking about the common topic of women, drugs, and money. Book puts a story into his songs.

   Combining songwriting skills, inspiration from other rappers, and knowledge from GRCC, Book was ready to start releasing his songs. Book currently has two albums, one EP, multiple singles, and many songs he’s featured on. His first album, Pamphlet, was released onto streaming platforms in 2021. He then came out with his next album, Cookbook, in 2022. Book kept up his hard work and released his most recent EP, Torn Pages, in 2023.

Some Amba$$ador fans may not know that Book produces all of his own music. He makes his own beats, writes his own lyrics, and releases his music onto streaming platforms on his own. Sometimes, Book has fellow rappers collaborate on a song with him. His friends may send him a beat or give some lyrics of their own but ultimately, the song is mixed and mastered by Book.

   As far as lyrics go, they come to Book naturally. “The lyrics just kinda come to me. A lot of times I’ll listen to other artists and stuff and hear how they craft their bars and it’s almost like building a building. You need a foundation to the song, you need purpose, and the lyrics gotta make sense. I usually relate it to my life and it’s easy for me because I’m talkative and stuff.” Crafting the perfect lyrics is a difficult task for some, but a natural one for Book. 

   Along with the lyrics comes the next step, making the beat. The process of making a beat is not as easy as one may think. “I usually start with the drums. I have a simple drum pattern at first to get a feel for what I want. Then I do the tempo to see how fast I want it. Sometimes I listen to another song to see if it inspires me. Then I’ll add a background melody and pads in the back to help the melody to bring out. Then, I add a lot of Braden magic.” Coming up with a melody is also not easy. With billions of created melodies already out in the world, coming up with a new one can be quite difficult. “A lot of other music in general inspires me. Usually it’s hip hop and rap but I listen to tons and tons of other music, not just rap. It helps me to be more creative in every beat that I make.” 

   Book makes sure his music is authentic and relates to his life a lot of the time. Book credits his favorite rapper, Logic, for Book’s talented music authenticity. “His whole story is really compelling. His dad is black and his mom is white. His mom was super racist and did terrible things to his family. But throughout his upbringing, he had a good soul and wanted to get out of it the whole time. He’s a really good human and he’s inspiring and I strive to be like that. He’s great at projecting the way he feels and I aspire to be like that for sure.” 

   Book is very proud of what he’s accomplished in his career up to this point. He says his proudest moment in his career so far was when he made his first album, Pamphlet. “Although it wasn’t the best album I’ve ever had, it solidified that I’m a rapper. It was very important for the start of everything else that I’ve made. It just really helped me gain the confidence to put out more albums.” This confidence boosted Book to release another album, an EP, and some singles.

   Book has many dreams and aspirations for his career. Book wants his current and future fans to know, “I want to inspire other people to look at life in a better way because of my music and my beats. I just love making people feel happy. I really like making music that I would want to listen to personally myself. I listen to so much music, especially rap, and I know that I can make music that sounds just as good as other artists. I want people to see that I have that ability.”

   Make sure to stream Amba$$ador’s newest EP, Torn Pages, on all streaming platforms!