BLOODRAW - "The Return Of Mr. Florida" It has been stated, one cannot be a true artist without first experiencing pain. If that is accurate, BloodRaw has struggled all of his lifetime to earn the right to be a hip-hop Picasso. "That's why my music is so soulful. I have people crying when they hear my music because I'll only spit what I've been through." Born to a mother that did the best she could to raise he and his sister by hustling, BloodRaw learned the game at a tender age. By age 12, BloodRaw lost the center of his universe when his mother died. As for BloodRaw's father, Tupac described it best, the coward wasn't there. So, to put food on his table, BloodRaw did what he knew best, serving fiends with whatever vice they needed. Street life is not as glamorous as music videos describe, it is a matter of continuing to exist. Unfortunately, as with most urban soldiers, the life was leading BloodRaw to the grave or jail. It just so happened, the latter got to him first. After losing 6 years of his life to the Florida Department of Corrections, BloodRaw saw the time spent as a blessing. The Click here to find out more! time in prison allowed BloodRaw to cool down and reflect upon the life he was leading. Soon, he began putting his experiences to paper and testing his verbal skills in the yard. Day by day, year-by-year, the other inmates noticed this young, brash, and focused lyrical monster gathering crowds under the basketball hoops. They began awestruck whispers among themselves, "Damn, dat boy is blood raw." Meaning his ability to rhyme was amazing and off the chain! Ever since, he was rightfully dubbed, BloodRaw. When his release date finally approached in 1998, BloodRaw decided to take rapping seriously and joined his uncle, Dennis Wesley at the Hip-Hop Cafe in Atlanta, GA. Since he was responsible for the music that was played, BloodRaw rubbed elbows and linked with the hungriest talents who just wanted to be heard. The likes of 50 Cent, Ludacris, and JT Money were constantly in attendance during the Rap Offs every Friday night. In fact, he often picked the brains of these future millionaires while he broke their music. Ludacris even placed BloodRaw's son on the intro to his multi-platinum "Chicken & Beer" album. In 1999, BloodRaw decided to move back to his native Panama City, Florida to join the Niggaz Fo Life (N.F.L.) crew. However, the storybook ending he was looking for was postponed after an appearance on former Lox member Genovese's album did not blossom as he had hoped. Undeterred BloodRaw theorized, "not everybody is promised to get out of the streets" so he continued his annual grind. Luck occurs when opportunity and preparation meet. Luckily, BloodRaw found a management team in C. Wakeley that prepared him for the opportunity when fortune smiled upon BloodRaw at a show in Dothan, Alabama. "I performed and Young Jeezy was impressed with my show. Although I was talking with T.I. and had a few other situations, working with Jeezy just felt right." A week later, BloodRaw became an official member of Jeezy's crew, USDA and toured the country. But as Michael Corleone learned, once you think you're out, they pull you back in. Fresh from an appearance on MTV in front of 8 million viewers, hours away from a European tour, and a lifetime from the soul sucking vacuum of the streets, the federal government snatched BloodRaw at the passport office and charged him with the same crimes that sent Boston George (of the movie "Blow" fame) up the river. BloodRaw changed directions from living the life to fighting for his life. BloodRaw would have to serve a mandatory life sentence if found guilty. With a 98% conviction rate, there is a reason why Biggie said, "only the feds I fear." Against this heavy pressure, many have folded, flipped, or snitched. BloodRaw's response? "I could never live and face my son knowing that I had snitched. This situation is bigger than the federal government; it is in God's hands. And I have never felt such peace." To paraphrase Jay-Z, even though the D.A. tried to box BloodRaw in, somehow he beat the charges like Rocky. And the entire state of Florida rejoiced! But, BloodRaw with a smile attributes his victory to "God. He knew my heart. He knew I gave up everything to do my music. I could have easily went back to the streets after He took away everything. But, I've got relationships instead of fans. I had so many people praying for me that I'm sure He was like, 'who is this dude?'" Now with a new lease on life, BloodRaw does not plan to waste a second. "I've adopted a new nickname, Mr. Florida because the game plan is to get back to business by repping my state." BloodRaw is constantly in the studio making fire tracks like "Indictment Papers," "Problems" produced by Orlando's DJ Nasty, "Getaway" produced by Tallahassee's Justice League (Mary J. Blige), and "My Way" featuring T-Pain. Plus, fans can look forward to a BloodRaw edition of the legendary Bigga Rankins' R.N.R. mixtape and BloodRaw becoming the first Florida artist on DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz mixtape series. Not to mention BloodRaw's debut solo album is set to drop on Young Jeezy's imprint CTE Records. BloodRaw has learned "when you go to jail or die is when you find out who really loves you. This is something you should learn when you're alive." Thankfully, Mr. Florida will see first hand how much the world loves their music BloodRaw. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.