Born Derrill Knighten II on June 18, 1988, in Flint, Michigan, the young rapper grew up in an area known for its unique hip-hop sound and its long list of notorious rappers. He became fascinated with weird, lyrical and disturbing metaphors from rappers like Eminem, and the diabolical, punch-line-spitting storytelling from Biggie Smalls. He became a founding member of the group H.M.O.B., which would become one of the city’s most talked-about young hip-hop groups – including rappers such as Fresh, Tez, Vic, Soop, Kut, Chuck and more.