Jholla started rapping at the age of 13 when his street life showed him the basics of rhyming and word play. Inspired by rappers such as 2Pac, Canibus, Nas, Eminem and Jay-Z,[citation needed] holla developed a love for telling stories in his lyrics. At age 15, J. holla had notebooks filled with rhymes but no beats of his own to record them with. His mother bought him an 808 beat machine so he could produce music himself in NY and North Carolina where he was raised by his mother and aunt and his cousin Corey. Graduated in 2005 He decided that he had a better chance of getting signed in New York City, so he attended St. John's University on an academic scholarship where he majored in communication and minored in business, graduating magna cum laude.[
[Rap]
