Unlike*Lee

Maybe things arent supposed to be easy in life. The difficult moments that

leave their scars on our souls create the very marks that identify and define

us. The answers to lifes greatest questions lie not in trying to avoid these

battles but in facing them and learning from them. Who we are and what we make of our opportunity will be determined by our decisions at the crossroads of life. We are not victims of fate but instead are free to be who we are even as events unfold around us that we cannot control. The lyrics and sounds created by Sick'7 reflect this struggle to be true, the same struggle we all face regardless of who we are. It is the struggle to overcome the distractions, detours, and dead ends that are put before us by others, or that we choose for ourselves.



Growing up in Fort Myers, Florida, Sick'7 experienced both the difficult

challenges and the generous opportunities life has to offer. Raised by a loving and gentle great grandmother during his early years, he found in her care more love and compassion than many receive from both parents combined. Through elementary and middle school he grew in his love of basketball and hip-hop. By the time he entered high school, Sick'7 and his great grandmother had moved in with an aunt and uncle. The ravaging effects of aging and Alzheimers were taking its toll on the woman that had taken him into her heart and been his shelter from the world. On February 14, 2001, she gave her last breath for him, a breath that became her unspoken, final gift of love on Valentines Day, her promise to love and watch over him forever.



Through his years at a Catholic high school, Sick'7 navigated life's minefield of

shattered dreams and broken promises. The loss of his great grandmother

combined and the challenges of growing up created a depth of feeling and a

search for something more. He turned more and more to basketball as an outlet and to rap for a means of expression. Early attempts to write lyrics, create beats, and give a voice to his struggle were quietly shared only around close friends. His music and lyrics were too heartfelt and raw to be placed at the judgments of others. A basketball scholarship paved the way for a few years of college, but academics provided little insight to his struggle. Self-understanding, spiritual meaning, and life lessons were better learned outside of school for him, tested in the classroom of everyday experience and never far removed from the challenge of

real life. Writing lyrics, freestyling, and collaborating with local rappers

opened new doors for his understanding of hip-hop as an art form and an

industry, with all the good and the bad that it offers.



Despite the risks of leaving traditional education behind, he has now pursued

a career in music production. At the same time, he continues to explore and

express his struggle to be true to himself through the creation of his own music with a growing confidence in his talent and a willingness to risk expressing his struggle to others. Whether or not this becomes his career remains to be seen, but the purity of his struggle remains the driving force behind his music. The struggle continues. And the songs here are provided in the hopes that others may find something to help them in their struggle. With an insurmountable amount of student debt totaling around $108,000, he now has to put it all on the line and try to make the best of his situation, in hopes that one day he will be able to provide for himself and elimanate his debt with his hard work as a musician.



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