Born Friday the 13th on September of 02’, Jahsia or JJ was born in Chicago, Illinois. I was a very bright child. I mean that in the least corniest way, but when I came out I was literally white and my mother was like “this ain't my baby”. The nurses reassured her that I was hers. My eyes at that time changed for a while so I didn’t have a color given at birth. They later settled and became a beautiful hazel-brownish color. In the sun they stand out and the rays make them look greenish. They remind me of my grandfather's eyes. I was born a tall baby but I didn’t weigh a lot, I was a good baby, didn't cry that much, and only desired to be held by my mother. From a young age, I’ve always been creative and adventurous. Always wanting to explore and learn more and more. Those days as a child were like the best and the worst moments for me coming up.
During elementary school as a kid, I was very shy and quiet. Interacting with lots of other children made me feel awkward and uncomfortable. But I did enjoy having an occasional buddy or two in my circle that I would hang out with. These people over time encouraged me to talk more and be myself. Before going into school I would always hide behind my mother whenever someone talked to me and would never look people in the eyes. But one day a teacher had a talk with me about respecting adults by looking them in the eyes. At first, I thought it was really weird. It made me wanna run away like I had ants in my pants as an excuse to leave. This helped me later on though and I wish I could thank that teacher. Living on the Southside of Chicago was interesting as a kid. From a younger perspective I didn’t understand race or segregation, but I noticed when going where more white people lived had nicer things and more options to do funnier things. Race was something brought to my attention when I was about 8 or 9 and I was very confused that somebody would hate me because of my identity. Well that made more sense considering the first thing I was taught in middle school was, I was bought and sold like cattle. This blew my mind and changed my entire view of certain people. Kinda like Neo finding out his life was a simulation.
Moving along as a younger me, I was introduced to the Boy Scouts. I liked their neat uniforms and how they marched in formation. I thought it looked cool so I joined. When I joined I had begun learning about the scout law and the oath as how I was supposed to live. Scout Law: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” The law helped me learn to respect and care for others even if I didn't know them. This impacted my life tremendously as it taught me patience and how to live a morally straight life. Without the Scouts, I wouldn’t be who I am today and I’m thankful for all my leaders in my troop who supported me along the way.
Shortly after Boy Scouts, I was introduced to basketball and tried out for the middle school team. I fell in love with basketball. To me, basketball was like my counselor when I played. I let everything in my mind go blank. Playing basketball became more and more serious over the years from middle school to travel teams and high school tournaments. It was like that one rollercoaster at Six Flags that you never wanted to get off. But everything wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Eventually, things started to become sour as a Warhead and the dark clouds rained on my shine. Around this time I had started to display signs of depression. In the beginning looking back it had a lot to do with family issues. This mental hurdle I faced ultimately could have destroyed me. I didn't let that happen though. I stuck with focusing on the good and ignoring the bad. I would tell myself it could be worse and to be thankful for all I had because I knew that it could be taken away in an instant. So art came into play in my life, music influenced a change in my mood, and basketball practice/games allowed me to break free from my bondage.
Graduating high school was a relief but also like a dream come true because it happened so fast. I made it through those long days and I was proud of myself. But what was I gonna do in this next chapter of my life? The question would revolve around me like a spinning globe 24/7. It stuck in the back of my mind like a sharp thorn until I found my purpose. In my early 20’s, I started to play in a band in college. I would practice every day on my guitar after lectures. This turned into an overnight passion. I began to find inspiration in music. I’ve always been into art all through my younger life so music came to me naturally. Understanding that a 9 to 5 job wouldn’t satisfy me, I quit my job and started to perform gigs after about 5 years. I then began to record myself during live events and upload videos to Youtube. My band and I began to haul in thousands of dollars from our views. We gained attention from large record labels and small radio stations that would air our best songs. During all of this, I had completed my bachelor's in Business Administration at UIC and later moved to Atlanta. Eventually, I signed to Columbia Records and left my band going solo to pursue my music career. I became an overnight sensation making hit after hit. I performed at Rolling Loud, Lollapalooza, and went on tours.
On this glorious journey to fame, I struggled later in my career to write songs. I often had mind fogs and drifted into abusing narcotics to come up with songs. Mentally I was attacked with what felt like demons trying to lure me into doing crazy stunts. At one of my performances, I jumped off the stage and broke my neck. I suffered from my ticks and withdrawals while in the hospital and also had a neck brace. During my time in the ER I went to rehab and physical therapy. I can say these things all happen for a reason and made me want to clean up my act. Some days I felt like giving up but I found God along the way and He opened doors to my healing. After my traumatic incidents, I turned a new leaf and writing songs became easier as my mind cleared. My music went platinum and I became an award-winning artist. My songs expressed my trials and tribulations of how I overcame them. These influenced people all around the world as I became an inspiration for rehabilitation for those with addiction. I started a foundation that dedicated time into supporting lost souls who need comfort and compassion. The foundation was called Free Spirit.
Towards the end of my career, I met a woman and we got married. She was as beautiful as the morning sunrise. We were not only lovers but best friends. A figure in my life that I thought I could relate to was Jimi Hendricks. He was a guitarist in the early ’60s who rose to fame like me. He lived a short life, but he faced similar challenges of drug usage as a musician. Over these past 30 years, I’ve learned how to endure and tackle obstacles that made me a better person for myself and others around me who I impact. Every experience has taught me a lesson and I wouldn’t change how it happened.
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| "Stage Dive"- JNL 2021 |
