B.J. of da Young Hustlerz

Bio His body is twenty years old, but BJ's mind has aged much more than that. His hometown of Daytona Beach seems to age people like that, at least if you're not a tourist. The real residents of Daytona have to deal with a lot more issues than a college freshman on spring break, or even one of the many retirees that are flocking to the area. "At the time growing up, I didn't really realize it, but looking back now on the stuff that I've seen - it's crazy. Watching drug deals, people shooting at each other, people running through my house... After awhile you become immune to it."

Daytona Beach will allow major acts that make money, but fostering homegrown hiphop is not on the agenda. "They want to turn it into a retirement community. That's what's driving me right now, they don't respect music in Daytona, they don't respect the art in it. Rap music to them is just... noise." The biggest blow was when the Black College Reunion show was cancelled - he had magazine coverage lined up, A&R reps, talent search, radio station coverage, the whole works. Once the authorities heard about it, they shut him down, saying he didn't have enough security. Or permits. Or whatever they could think of to make sure it didn't happen.

His heart is in Daytona, and he dreams of making a difference. Bringing artists up, bringing attention to his scene even though some people in Florida don't want it to exist. He knows what he's had to do to make it out of the hard times, and the desire to improve himself and the community is undeniable.