Before Ace Hood was hustlin' hard he was actually broke.

The Miami native reveals that when he started out in the rap game he fell into the trap of excessively spending money on expensive clothes, blinged-out jewelry and luxury cars. After releasing two albums that sold poorly, Hood found himself nearly destitute.

Thankfully, the 23-year-old rhyme-spitter is being managed by DJ Khaled who help Hood hold on to his money after years of financial missteps. As a rising rap star, Hood also sought financial advice from a few honchos in the rap biz including, Cash Money CEO Birdman and Maybach Music Group leader Rick Ross.

"I'm mature in a lot of aspects but the best advice [I've gotten] is just to save," Hood tells The Boombox. "Be wise with your funds. If you're able to, invest and expand your money."

Now with his new album 'Blood Sweet & Tears' in stores, Hood is ready to go from ashy to classy. But he is also humbled by his past experience of having no money in his pockets. "I endured that when I was young and that is an experience I never want to go through," he says. "I will never reach that point again. I'm not a huge flasher type dude; as long as my mom and my loved ones are taken care of and I'm healthy, that is all I really care about."

And that, my friends, is hustling smart. Good luck, Ace Hood.

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