Making ends meet for the average rapper might not sound like a success story. Most rappers have 9 to 5 jobs, while others part take in certain nefarious businesses most people shy away from. I met a rapper on twitter by the name of Young Gifted who lived a life of crime before settling down and becoming a gifted rapper.

   He's, originally, from Haiti and grew up as a teenager gang banging in the United States. He was caught and sent to jail. His experience in jail proved to be a benefit because he was trained to counsel drug dealers and AIDS victims. From there, he was finally deported back to Haiti where he was given a decent job as a counselor and a middle class life style. His gang banging days were over, but while in the prison system in Haiti, he met his wife. Young Gifted had already fathered a daughter in the states . ..but after his deportation, he was forced to live a new life and settled on a female professional he met within the Haiti prison system. It was after meeting his new wife when Young Gifted was told he had a knack for rapping. . . .He ventured into a few recording studios and a few clubs that promoted rap artist and the rest was history. After signing onto twitter and soundcloud, he became a recognizable presence in America . . .and soon was able to promote himself back in the USA – where he had been deported, some years back.

   Because of his middle class life style in Haiti, Young Gifted was able to afford studio time – allowing him to create a career in show business. I asked Young Gifted how he came up with the name “Young Gifted” . . .and he said he was naming himself after criminals when he first began his career – names like Young Gangster and other labels dealing with crime. When his daughters or children were old enough to understand what a gangster was . . .Young Gifted, quickly, changed his whole philosophy in rapping and renamed himself gifted rather than gangster. He wanted a more positive role model for his children and began a new path in the rap world where he rapped about making it in society as a respected individual and business man. Instead of rapping about the streets and thug life, he began rapping about making it in society as a pious individual. Later, he renamed himself Young Gifted and became a more positive image to comprehend.

   What's odd about Young Gifted's career was the fact that he never thought about rapping while gang banging. He was a criminal, first, and later realized he could become a more positive entertainer after changing career goals and becoming a counselor instead of a prisoner. Instead of rapping about crime . .he ventured into social politics – creating a persona most educated lawyers and doctors would approve of.

   Life in Haiti, today is middle class. Young Gifted claims it is so easy to get arrested in Haiti and punished for crimes a person did not commit. His wife was a good example of how the prison system unfairly accused her of a crime . . .and later, dropped all charges against her when discovering she was innocent. Men and women have to be careful when dealing with the wrong element in Haitian society. Fortunately, Young Gifted was well trained in his career path and was able to lead a decent life style. All he wanted to do, from this point - forward, was to attend to his clients in prison and become famous rapp'n about a social ideology most upwardly mobile college students would support. What's even more promising is the fact that Young Gifted's wife in Haiti supports his goals in entertainment – 100%. She was the one who nudged him into picking up a microphone and spewing out a few lyrics for audience members. Fortunately, people like myself were able to find Young Gifted on a map . . or in our case, a social network and learn more about his musical style and production brand. Not very many people in Haiti become rap Gods in the USA . . .but getting attention from American audiences in the hip hop arena can prove to be successful and worth while. Young Gifted can come up from a hidden community and confront the mainstream after utilizing networks that most Americans find entertaining and comfortable comprehending. Americans can link onto entertainers of all genres and get to know them – a resource many Haitians never had before the internet became a sea of media attention.

   I asked Young Gifted if he'd ever be able to live back in the United States . . .and he seemed optimistic about the USA changing it's position on deportation. One day, many successful people like Young Gifted will be granted the power to fly back and integrate back into American society as respected men and women. One day, Young Gifted might be able to see his daughter in the US, again. He often ventures into other countries and enjoys life the way most individuals do,  but in the United States, he is still considered a problem and undesirable. The US might change it's policy in a few years or decades and allow Young Gifted, back.. By then, Young Gifted might become a new icon for Americans to tune into as a media gift from the internet. If you happen to bump into a video by Young Gifted . .or find his soundcloud via google . . .you'll hear someone who has lived and struggled with the wrong side of the law. I'm sure his lyrics mimic his new philosophy in life – living with pride and investing in a career most prudent businessmen would admire . . .

 

(click on a url to listen to a hip hop album . . )

https://soundcloud.com/young-gifted05