Zerk

Zerk is an American rapper, songwriter and producer from Flint, Michigan. He released his first album in 2011 at the age of 19. Zerk began to gain recognition after participating in various contests, both online and through radio stations, both locally and nationally with his music. In 2016, he founded and established the record label, Systemattic Music.

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Zerk (born Jarred Adams) moved to Flint, Michigan at the age of 4 months old when his parents separated. Not ever knowing what it was like to live with both parents in the same house, he still went back and forth between his parents. Throughout his childhood, and most of his teenage years, he moved around a lot, switching from school district to school district, year after year, ultimately going to 3 elementary schools, 3 middle schools and 3 high schools.

He’d always enjoyed writing, whether it was essays for school, short stories, etc. At the age of 13, he developed a strong interest in music and began experimenting with writing song lyrics. Eventually, at age 15, he recorded his first song and released it in April, 2007. Soon after, he moved to Naples, Florida. While in Naples, he participated in Drama/Theater, developing his acting/writing skills, writing scripts, monologues and poems and performing them on stage while also writing music as well. He began to gain somewhat of a local popularity in the area while living and performing in Florida, but after 6 months, he moved back to Flint.

Hoping to continue doing what he was doing, he tried raising the money to record again. He was back where he started, in a very low income home in the middle of a dangerous environment. A few months later, he had earned enough money to record 2 more songs and released them as singles that year. Pushing his hardest to try reaching a larger crowd with his music, his involvement with music gradually slowed down to almost nothing. Thinking music was no longer an option, the 16 year old set his focus on the most important thing at the time; school. Over a long period of more than 2 and a half years, he still continued writing while pushing himself closer to finishing high school, participating in Entrepreneurial Business and Career Building classes, allowing him to realize that music could be an option, after all. After high school, music became an option again. Not only had it become an option, but a priority.

After High School, he took the only money he had, and