Pursuit of Happiness: Quando Rondo Finds Peace in Islam

Any way you look at it, Quando Rondo has been as troubled as he is talented. Since emerging from Savannah, Georgia in 2017, he’s blended pain melodies with blunt street raps to become a powerful young voice in Peach State hip-hop. But legal issues and explosive rap beefs have often threatened to overshadow his talent behind a microphone.

Before dropping the new project, Rondo chopped it up with Okayplayer to break down his journey to stronger mental health.

Quando Rondo: I don't look at online negativity as that bad anymore. At the end of the day, whether it’s a positive or a negative comment, this is just another person who can potentially stream my music. Nine times out of 10, they can help me make more money; you can hate somebody, but you don’t have to hate their money.

I'm not the type of person to have a whole bad day. Not for the whole 24 hours. When I get mad at something, it will be for an hour — if that. The bad days don't really last because I always find out a way to solve whatever problem I was going through at that moment. That’s me, though; everybody’s different. That's what I was doing for years and years and years. You’ve gotta practice certain stuff. It's just like saying, “Woosah.” It’s just like meditating. You gotta constantly train yourself to think that way. You can't just meditate one time and be like, “But I don't feel like anything happened.”

Being sober helped me become a more positive thinker. When you're sober, you have a clear head. You’re less likely to act out. I take a little shot though every now and then to celebrate, but I’m not really a liquor person. I'm in a mindset where, at the end of the day, whatever’s going to happen is going to happen, there's no reason to stress about it.

Islam made it easier for me to accept certain things, too. It’s always been in my life. My uncles, cousins, and my homeboys are Muslim. It took years for me to convert. My family had already told me that I need to go ahead and take my Shahada. I've been studying Islam, I’ve been reading the Quran. I just woke up one day and said, “I'm ready to take my Shahada.” Before that, I just felt like I wasn't ready. I feel like I wasn't even positive enough to do it. Now I'm just taking all the fruits off the tree.