While music is made for every reason imaginable, in it’s birth, hip-hop was specifically created to make people happy by giving them an opportunity to cut loose and have a good time. Therefore it makes sense that it would reward an MC like Symba, who’s driving motivation for creating music, as well as obtaining success, is to bring as much joy as possible into the lives of others. Known by his friends and family for being a selfless comedian who puts the needs and happiness of the people around him before his own, Symba has been able to ingrain that part of his character into his art. Musically he’s built a reputation for not only being one of The Bay’s premiere lyricists, but also for making club friendly singles that’ll help listeners temporarily forget about their worries, and instead focus on making the best out of each moment. His artistic catalogue is a reminder that whatever we are going through, life is precious, and there should always be time to feel good about who we are and live life to it’s fullest. Judging from the number of fans he’s amassed and the recognition he’s received from his peers and many of The Bay Area’s most important taste makers, it’s a message that didn’t take long to be fully embraced by the community. Symba’s future is undoubtedly a bright one, but things were not always that way. Since he was a child, his road to success has been filled with heartbreak and tragic loss. At a young age his grandmother, who had played a a critical role in raising him, passed from Emphysema. This would be the first in a string of emotional losses in the family that would include his grandfather in 2008, and his father getting killed in prison in 2011. Despite the difficulty of coping with the death of his grandmother, as time went on, things seemed to be moving in the right direction. When Symba was 11, his mother and stepfather were able to build a thriving business in real estate. It allowed him and his family to move from Berkeley to Antioch California, and gave them the opportunity to experience a brief taste of a life in which worrying about money was no longer an issue. Yet when the business and financial stability the family had built for themselves suddenly fell through, everything was brought back to square one. At the same time, despite dealing with profound loss and disappointment as a teenager, Symba showed signs of the resiliency and optimism that would later define his career. He was able to use his family’s setbacks as a humbling and inspiring experience, that helped give him the drive to succeed for himself, but most importantly for his loved ones as well. By the time he reached his senior year of high school, Symba’s childhood dreams of playing in the NBA were slowly being replaced by his passion for rap. He began to take the lessons he learned from basketball, such as the importance of consistency and the commitment to practice, and applied them to his music. Towards the end of 2009 he dropped his debut mixtape entitled, The Crowd Favorite, which landed itself as a sponsored project by Dat Piff. That tape was then followed by No Pen No Pad Volumes 1 & 2, as well as You Name It. Less than two years after the release of his first tape, in 2011 Symba was named by KMEL’s DJ Amen as one of The Bay Area Freshmen 10. This boosted his already sizable reputation in The Bay and helped him land opportunities to rock crowds all over northern California including San Francisco, San Jose, Petaluma, Davis, Fresno, and Walnut Creek. Yet having the chance to perform his hit single “Round of Applause” to a sold out crowd at Oakland’s Oracle Arena, is when it became clear that the success he had been dreaming about was finally within reach. With the release of his next major mixtape, II Words, 2012 will see Symba taking the necessary steps to branch out beyond The Bay, and have his music heard throughout the country and the rest of the world. Staying true to his selfless nature, Symba’s goal is to make music that will connect with as many fans as possible, as well as inspire them to get energized and have a wild night, whether they’re at the club, a concert, or a house party. He knows that if he can make his fans happy and share memorable experiences with them, that will give him the opportunity to provide and help out his friends and family, who have supported his dream since day one. When he gets to see their situations improve, that’s when he’ll know that he finally made it. .