Growing up I had no passion for school, I knew I would graduate from high school, but elevating my education to a college level just wasn’t a goal I had. For some strange reason I thought succeeding in life without college would be an accomplishment. I would always tell my family and peers I was going to be a Chief Executive Officer of my own record label, but little did I know I would need a degree or some type of marketing training to establish myself. People always told me without college, success wouldn’t be guaranteed unless I get lucky. I ignored those voices and kept taking steps down the wrong path. Failing classes, skipping school, and serving detention was a routine I seemed to follow constantly. My behavior in school was to the point my mother would sit in her room and shed tears praying and hoping that I become a changed young man one day.

The desire I had while growing up was to become a professional NBA all star one day. I carried a basketball everywhere I went whether it was the corner store, the barbershop, or even to bed. I was motivated and determined to become NBA’s next Kobe Bryant, practicing in the rain, exercising, working on dribble techniques, and even reading books on the history of the sport. But I could never make my junior high school’s basketball team because of my grades, and I couldn’t stand school so I decided to just give up. Now with that dreams deferred due to people criticizing me, telling me I wasn’t good enough in the sport, I wasn’t athletic enough, and I didn’t have the passion I said I had for it. So here I was this young man with no motivation or passion for school, with grades that weren’t going to get me anywhere. I admit I didn’t know where or who to turn to because everyone kept saying the same thing, I need to take school more serious and get my grades together.

One afternoon at my grandmother’s house I discovered a craft inside of me that changed me forever. I always had the passion for music but never knew I could actually do it until I decided to freestyle to a beat for my uncle. After I finished the freestyle he complimented me telling me if I wanted to I had the talent to change the world. From that point on I decided I was going to make it rapping and didn’t have to attend school, but that thought changed after my mother told me rappers really don’t make a lot of money. She suggested I get into the business side of it. While talking to my grandfather one day he told me owning a business require lots of knowledge, CEO’s without education don’t last long in their profession. When he told me that, my first thought was to take school serious. I knew without it I wouldn’t achieve my dream.