Raised solely by his mother until he left home at 15, the young genius always had a healthy obsession with music despite his unhealthy family life. But pain often breeds great passion and fuels purpose. It was the creative process of composing music that made being poor, dropping out of high school and enduring multiple jail stints sufferable, which stimulated his hope when the world looked hopeless. It was also the storied career of Tupac that contributed to his professional development. As a result of Pac’s inspiration, he chose to use his birth name in part as his stage moniker, preferring to build on his own character versus emulating one “I wanted to be true in every aspect of my music including my name,” explains Joey. “I just wanted to be myself and I feel like your name reflects the type of music you make.”

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