Simmons was born in Gary, Indiana on September 17, 1988. At the age of 6, he won the citywide speech contest and began gaining local popularity as a public speaker. He performed his speeches at various events, such as Mayor Scott L. King's campaign banquet and in Washington, D.C. on the steps of the Congress building concerning the National Deficit.[citation needed] When he was 8, his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee.