February 8, 2021
Rouben and his family came to Providence, Rhode Island from Armenia when he was 13 years old. They escaped as the Soviet Union collapsed and were very poor, coming here with no work permits or papers. They moved to Olneyville where he remembers walking to the supermarket as a family, so they had enough hands to carry home all the grocery bags. By 14 years old Rouben DO3 was jumped into a gang and was doing things that risked his life and freedom nearly every day.
His big Homie ended up catching a murder charge and the gang disbanded as they lost their leader and amidst a police investigation. He went to Nathanael Greene Middle School for a year and then moved to the north side of Providence where he went to Mount Pleasant High School. He tried to clean up his life and was going to high school Monday through Friday and working on the weekends at a local gas station. Not happy with working 16 hours a week at minimum wage he started selling drugs and quickly got into the Hustler lifestyle.
He barely graduated high school because he was focused on growing clientele and went to Rhode Island College for a year, but ended up dropping out and focusing on Hustling full-time. As his success grew so did the jealousy and hatred. AT 19 he was set up and was arrested in East Providence facing felony drug distribution charges and deportation from the US. He was able to beat his case, thanks to local attorney Donna Uhlmann. It was then that he decided to change his life and though it took a couple years, he ended up getting a job, and went back to college part time at night.
He dropped out of college again after the success of his business: buying, fixing up and flipping houses. It was a partnership that only survived a few years, and he lost everything and had to start over again. But he never back to the street life and started over alone, with no partners. He still has that same construction and development business to this day. Rouben DO3 comes from a musical family and hip-hop has always been an integral part of his life. Matter of fact It was Jay Z who inspired him to get out of the streets and become an entrepreneur.
He makes music to share his story and inspire people that are going through similar things in the streets, in business or in their personal lives. Rouben DO3 is a writer, performer, producer and visual artist. His music cannot be boxed in any single category and transcends time and trends.
Rouben and his family came to Providence, Rhode Island from Armenia when he was 13 years old. They escaped as the Soviet Union collapsed and were very poor, coming here with no work permits or papers. They moved to Olneyville where he remembers walking to the supermarket as a family, so they had enough hands to carry home all the grocery bags. By 14 years old Rouben DO3 was jumped into a gang and was doing things that risked his life and freedom nearly every day.
His big Homie ended up catching a murder charge and the gang disbanded as they lost their leader and amidst a police investigation. He went to Nathanael Greene Middle School for a year and then moved to the north side of Providence where he went to Mount Pleasant High School. He tried to clean up his life and was going to high school Monday through Friday and working on the weekends at a local gas station. Not happy with working 16 hours a week at minimum wage he started selling drugs and quickly got into the Hustler lifestyle.
He barely graduated high school because he was focused on growing clientele and went to Rhode Island College for a year, but ended up dropping out and focusing on Hustling full-time. As his success grew so did the jealousy and hatred. AT 19 he was set up and was arrested in East Providence facing felony drug distribution charges and deportation from the US. He was able to beat his case, thanks to local attorney Donna Uhlmann. It was then that he decided to change his life and though it took a couple years, he ended up getting a job, and went back to college part time at night.
He dropped out of college again after the success of his business: buying, fixing up and flipping houses. It was a partnership that only survived a few years, and he lost everything and had to start over again. But he never back to the street life and started over alone, with no partners. He still has that same construction and development business to this day. Rouben DO3 comes from a musical family and hip-hop has always been an integral part of his life. Matter of fact It was Jay Z who inspired him to get out of the streets and become an entrepreneur.
He makes music to share his story and inspire people that are going through similar things in the streets, in business or in their personal lives. Rouben DO3 is a writer, performer, producer and visual artist. His music cannot be boxed in any single category and transcends time and trends.
Our newsletter is filled with up-to-date information about the music and entertainment industry and events.