VERBAL’s first taste of Hip-Hop took place in the summer of 1985, at a YMCA summer camp his mother took him to in Boston, Massachusetts. The mesmerizing moves of head-spins and pop & lockers captivated the young 5th grader. What VERBAL originally experienced was nothing imaginable back in Japan, where a certain regimented society left little room for the improvisation and freestyle associated with Hip-Hop. The sights and sounds were a lot to take in for the youngster as his own bowl cut hair style, short shorts and long tube socks would be juxtaposed against that of children his own age ripping it up with their boomboxes. As a testament to the cultural change, “the first day in there I got my bag stolen… I’m like WHOA I don’t see that in Japan.” Among his peers, the chosen music selection would often lie in popular cartoon soundtracks. Throughout his junior high school days, going through a series of different names, the artist now known as VERBAL would start to ply his trade. As previously mentioned, music was never more than just a past time for VERBAL. Following High School, he made the jump to the US where VERBAL attended Boston College with a focus in Philosophy and Business. After his roommate introduced him to the Bible, VERBAL converted to Christianity when the philosophical nature of the book appealed to his beliefs. He also discovered an appreciation for helping out young, under-privileged kids in straightening out their lives. Experiences working amongst juvenile delinquents paved the way for a path as an urban counselor. However, the financial aspect of staying in college as he pursued a graduate degree in Christian Theology became difficult… his second calling had arrived.
