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The Side Hustle He Saw on YouTube Earned Him a Multi-Year Deal With Sony and Income Streams Generating Tens of Thousands Ethan "Haze" Hayes, 22, picked up the hobby in college — then turned it into a full-time career.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

Key Takeaways

  • Hayes' musical side hustle earned him a Grammy nomination by the time he was a sophomore in college.
  • His work brings in multiple income streams, including earnings from the multi-year deal he landed with Sony last year.
  • He could have dropped out of college to pursue his career but decided to complete his degree in entrepreneurship.

Ethan "Haze" Hayes, 22, started making beats in the summer of 2019, right before his freshman year at Bryant University.

Hayes had a musical background — he'd played the piano from a young age — and picked up the hobby for fun after watching people create their own beats on YouTube.

But Hayes' newfound past-time would become a lucrative side hustle, then a full-blown music career, while he was still a college student.

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