10 years ago I couldn't
tell you I'd be trying to pursue my music career
in Hip-Hop, I would've told you I'd probably be
playing professional basketball in the NBA or playing
ball overseas. I guess the harsh realities of growing
up in Cleveland OH brought me to my senses after
realizing that my basketball career would be put
on hold along with my academic probation preventing
me to play college ball. But my mama ain't raise
no fool! See no matter what I did in life I had
to be successful. I had to finish college and I
had to do something positive with my life. I was
getting caught up in the street life most males
my age were experiencing and I knew I was much better
than that! So, what did I do...in April 2000 I joined
the Air Force. Me getting away from my old surroundings
and daily routines was the best move for me. I got
stationed at Langey AFB, VA where I got reaquainted
with some of my old past times. You see growing
up in Cleveland was different than growing up in
let's say New York. New York is known for their
reputation of molding top-notch MC's, but what about
Cleveland? Besides Bone Thugs-n-Harmony we didn't
have anybody else who had that big of an impact
on the Hip-Hop culture. But Cleveland has an abundance
of quality rappers who never make it out and take
it beyond their hometown, so I feel it's definitely
time for someone else to step up and carry the torch
for my city. So, that's where I come in at! Hip-Hop
was always a major part of my childhood to early
adulthood. It was the way I talked, dressed and
the way of life for me, since I can remember sneaking
tapes in my room when I was 12 years old. I grew
up listening to Slick Rick, N.W.A., WU Tang, DEF
Squad, Ghetto Boys, Tupac, Common Sense, NAS, Jay-Z,
Biggie, Snoop Dogg, KRS-1, ... I'd be here allday
naming everybody but just about everybody! I think
I get a lil something from all the rappers I listened
to, I just personalized it a lil bit. But I first
started writing when I was 13 and I was actively
freestyling when I was 16. But see back then I never
looked at myself as wanting to pursue music like
that, it was just an around-the-way thing ya know.
I would freestyle in school at lunchtime with a
couple of buddies of mine and I started getting
noticed more as a rapper and less as a ball-player.
I never payed it any attention. Years would go by
and I was still trying to pursue basketball...determined.
I worked so hard at it I just knew I was going to
make it. I failed! I had stop going to classes in
my college and I was just throwing my life away
slowly but surely. My NBA dreams had vanished forever.
I still remember it like it was yesterday. Oneday
I was playing one-on-one with my homeboy,"China-Man",
and he said,"You ain't gonna get in the league(NBA)
but you should try the rap game." You should
have seen the expression on my face...I laughed
at him right in his face..."Pass the ball scrub!"
I never knew I would actually record my first demo
2 years later and start getting recognized as "A
Problem" in the rap game out here in VA. Let's
just say 4 years after that I would go on to make
15 more independent albums, 3 dvd's, 20 various
mixtapes hosted by VA's most renouned DJ's; countless
shows stateside and overseas including popular clubs
in some of the biggest cities and in countries like
Iceland and Canada and over in the Bahamas; thousands
of downloads of my music across the world; featured
on over 50 music websites including Itunes, Napster,
Sonymusic..etc I'll just leave it in God's hands
and the rest is fate. That's why I always say, "Never
Sleep On Your Dreams", because sometimes the
things that are right up under us are the things
that can turn our whole life around, and I believe
it! God Bless!
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