How has your upbringing shaped where you are today?

• “It is hard to say because we were raised differently than the typical Caribbean family. My parents were not as strict as many and we had a lot of freedom. From early on we knew not to go overboard and learned to focused more because we got all of the fun out of the way.”

• “I learned hard work is key. My parents are very hard working and they taught me to be observant and to pay attention to my surroundings. You should always be open to learning new things. For instance, if you see someone standing outside fixing the car, go outside and watch, for you may learn a skill you never knew you needed and that skill may help you in the future. “

As an adolescence, we usually dream about the direction we would like our life to go within our career paths. What was your dream during this time?

• ” I wanted to be a plastic surgeon or dentist at that time.”

Can you talk to me about specific instances that influenced you to diverge from the route that you were on?

• “I began thinking more of what I wanted for myself and not what my parents want me to do or what would look good to the outside world. I started thinking about 50 different career paths, I did not know for sure. One thing I always knew I wanted to do was to help people or reach people in some kind of way. In high school I had a really good chemistry teacher who had passion in his job and would go above and beyond to teach me more than what was on the curriculum. He was the first teacher I felt loved his job and was not just there for check. Along with that, I always had a knack for chemistry.
• “Also, I always loved music, specifically hip-hop. My brother and his friends all around me rapped and I had some friends who rapped as well. Music is part of our culture and is something I always like to do. I like to watch my brother and other people to see how they put words together, as well as watch def jam poetry. “

Do you believe the grey area is temporary or permanent?

• “A combination of both. I would say it is temporary because once you achieve those short-term and long-term goals you move out of that space. You might remain in the grey area if you are never content and you chase after different skill sets. However, I say it is both because some people are content with their lives while others strive to achieve goals.”

Can you talk to me about your emotions or struggle in the grey area?

• “Anxiety, frustration, exasperation all kinds of emotions. I have been in and out of school for a while now, sometimes, I feel it is one thing after the other. Sometimes my interests changes and I do not need school to be successful, but I know my parents want me to finish and I want to finish to do for myself. Half the time I am thinking, why am I here? Why am I choosing this major? Is it something I really want to do? Or is it to make people around me proud? Sometimes I am stuck I that space.”
• “Within music, I have experienced a lot of setbacks. Honestly, moving out here to the Middle East was a gift and a curse. Coming out here I did not have access to my usual poetry spots, open mic spots that are hip hop related, or any spot where I can emerge in my environment. However, not having like minded people near me who love to create has given me more of a push because for the simple fact I do not have my musical resources here. So, I taught myself how to produce music, create beats and how to do the music process myself.”

Why did you decide to go to college?

• “First college course I took was in my senior year of high school in a program called “Move on, When ready”. Initially, I just felt college was something I guess we had to do. In our family, the generation before me did not go to college but they kept telling us to go to school, get grades, go to college get a good job. So, college is something I always felt I needed to do as opposed to what I wanted to do.”

What does your post-graduation timeline look like?

• ” I want to use my musical platform to speak out on issues that people turn a blind eye too. Even if I can only reach one person at a time, I know that I am making progress. As my work in the music real progress, of course, I would be honored to win a hip-hop award, BET award, Grammy, and etc. Also, utilizing the skill set from my courses, I want to help people. One of my goals is to bring clean waters and energy to the region’s places, such as Africa, that lacks it. “

Any lessons learned , you would like to share?

• “Be and do what you love. People are always going to have opinions about different things but you will never know for sure unless you try it for your self. Maybe one thing that is not for me and not for 5 other people, might be for you. Even if they have something to say about it, if it makes you happy, go along with it and do not care about what anyone has to say. You can not please the world.”