Built From The Ground Up
I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Growing up, I was a troubled young kid trying to find my place, and the choices I made put me on a hard path early. At 13 years old, I went to juvenile detention for the first time. By 16, I had been kicked out of school.
For years, incarceration became a cycle. I was in and out of the system through my teens and into my mid-20s. Those years came with consequences, lost time and lessons I had to learn the hardest way possible. But they also showed me that if I wanted a different life, I had to create it myself.
In my mid-20s, I made the turn. I got into software programming and discovered a world where focus, creativity and relentless problem-solving could build something real. I put the same intensity that once worked against me into learning, creating and building a future. That decision changed my life—and eventually made me a millionaire.
I don't make music for fame, and I don't make it for money. I already have the money. I make music because it's a passion of mine.
Music gives me a place to tell the truth without cleaning up the edges. It lets me turn struggle, ambition, pain, growth and experience into something people can feel. There is no industry fantasy behind it and no need to chase validation. I create because the process means something to me.
Da Renegade is more than a stage name. It represents refusing to let where I started decide where I finish. My story is proof that a person can come from chaos, change direction and build life on their own terms. The music is the sound of that freedom.