While there, Rusty J began to write a record titled "Self Employed," which he wrote, produced and launched on his own. "I lived in Australia for two years," he said. He cut off ties with his management in September 2010 and decided to make a big move, except this time, he would move to the other side of the world: Australia. "I think it was just an attempt from my manager to get me to move back." The duet never happened. "Around that time I got a call from my manager (Spencer) saying that he set up a meeting to do a duet with Taylor Swift in Nashville," he said, sounding nonchalant. The commercial would later air for four more years, collecting more than 1 million YouTube views. Rusty J then wrote the famous jingle for Education Connection alongside producer Anthony Falcone in 2009. Within the first three months of playing shows in L.A., Rusty received three music management contracts. While in L.A., Rusty J sold tickets to shows in Hollywood, L.A. In November of 2008, Rusty J's MySpace music jukebox page shows 290,000 play counts, 250,000 YouTube channel views and 50,000 MySpace messages from fans. "At the time, I had a serious MySpace following," he said. "But I finally got a job at Starbucks and served coffee to some famous people like Slash, Pamela Anderson and Tim Allen." He still tried to pursue his music career even though it was a tough economic time. "It was really tough to find a job in L.A.," he said. "I was mixing singing and rapping on the same track before I became popular." He said he knocked on every door in Nashville and later packed his bags and moved to Los Angeles in 2008. "I was mostly making pop music," he said. After two years with Blendz Records, Rusty J parted with the record company and moved to Nashville to further pursue his career in music. During his stay in Oswego, Rusty J played shows, eventually landing a record deal with Blendz Records, an independent record label based in Syracuse. Rusty J graduated from Hannibal High School in 2000 and attended SUNY Oswego to earn his degree in business administration with a minor in marketing, "So I guess I'm an alumnus," he said with a laugh. "That was the first award I ever got that had anything to do with my talent," he said. He entered to perform a talent contest at Hannibal's annual Strawberry Festival, which he won. If there was ever a time to microphone it, I would," he said. "Every time there was a school dance, I was there. "I had friends who would beat box and I would sign and rap down the hallways, like a mini celebrity." Rusty J performed at dance contests at school dances. "I was always singing in the Hannibal hallways with my friends," he said. "But that was before I could even remember things." His parents returned to Oswego, where Rusty J attended Hannibal High School and discovered his love for music. "When I was a child we lived in Africa and Central America," he said. Jason Sheldon, excitedly reveals his journey to becoming an online musician, an author and a self-proclaimed "rolling stone." When he was younger, his parents were in the Peace Corps.
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