AS THE ELDEST OF SEVEN CHILDREN BEING RAISED BY A SINGLE MOTHER, JV FELT AS IF HELL WAS JUST ACROSS THE TRAIN TRACKS FROM THE WESTSIDE PHEONIX PROJECTS WERE HE GREW UP.(HENCE THE NAME OF THE ALBUM, "RISE OF THE PHOENIX".) AT AN EARLY AGE JV WAS FORCED TO BECOME A FATHER FIGURE TO HIS SIX YOUNGER SIBLINGS. LEARNING THE WAYS OF THE STREETS HUSTLING BECAME SECOND NATURE. “WHATEVER IT TAKES TO FEED MY FAMILY.” WITH HIS GRANDMOTHER BEING A MAJOR FORCE IN HIS LIFE SHE CONSISTENTLY ENCOURAGED HIM TO MAKE GOOD USE OF HIS TIME INSTEAD OF WASTING IT OUT ON THE STREETS AND DIRECT HIS TALENTS TO SOMETHING POSITIVE. THIS INSPIRIED HIM TO PLAY SPORTS, WRITE MUSIC AND JOIN HIS DRAMA CLASS WERE HE EXCELLED AT EVERY LEVEL. AFTER THE PASSING OF HIS GRANDMOTHER JV MADE A PROMISE TO MAKE HER PROUD AND WAS DETERMINED TO GET OUT THE PROJECTS . SHE BELIEVED HE WAS DESTINED FOR GREATNESS.
DURING HIGH SCHOOL JV MOVED TO SAN DIEGO AND CONTINUED TO PLAY SPORTS MAKING FOOTBALL HIS LIFE. IN DOING SO IT PAID OFF, JV WAS OFFERED A SCHOLARSHIP TO PLAY FOOTBALL AT USC. FULLFILLING HIS PROMISE HE MADE TO HIS GRANDMOTHER, JV FINALLY FELT LIKE HE WAS LEAVING THE PROJECTS, LIFE COULDN’T OF BEEN ANY BETTER AND IN WHAT SEEMED TO BE A MINUTES NOTICED IT WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM. JV HAD TO SADLY PASS UP HIS CHILDHOOD DREAM DUE TO THE BIRTH OF HIS FIRST SON AND HIS MOTHER HAVING ROUGH TIMES AND AGAIN LIKE IN HIS CHILDHOOD FORCED TO BE A FATHER, RECEIVING FULL CUSTODY OF 3 OF HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS. FRUSTRATED WITH THE REALITIES OF HIS SURROUNDING CONDITIONS HE FOUND THAT WRITING MUSIC SPARKED AN INTERNAL FUSE THAT DROVE HIM UNCONTROLLABLY, WRITING MUSIC CREATED A CANVAS FOR HIM TO EXPRESS HIS DEEPEST FEELINGS IN A WAY EVERYBODY COULD UNDERSTAND, RELATE TO AND ENJOY.
THE TIMING OF THE WAR WITH SADDAM HUSSAIN CO-INSIDED WITH HIS MUSIC BEING HIS MAIN PRIORITY, WRITING ABOUT EVERYTHING HE FELT PASSIONATE ABOUT, THE WAR HAPPENED TO BE ONE OF THEM. HE WAS EAGER TO BE HEARD, THIS WAS A PERFECT TIME AND HIS CHANCE CAME WHEN A LOCAL RADIO STATION WAS DOING A TRIBUTE TO OUR US TROOPS. JV WENT LIVE WITH HIS “LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT” AND MANAGED REACH PEOPLE YOUND AND OLD, BLACK OR WHITE AND MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY.
WITH LITTLE INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE, A UNIQUE LOOK AND SUAVE STYLE HE SINGLED HANDEDLY GOT GIGS IN MANY OF THE LOCAL VENUES, BECAME A FIXTURE IN THE ANNUAL 4th OF JULY CELEBRATION PUT ON BY THE CITY OF EL CAJON, OPENING FOR ARTISTS LIKE Lil ROB AND THE YING YANG TWINS AND GETTING AN “ A FOR ORIGINALITY” WINNING HIM A COMMERCIAL SPOT IN THE ‘SINGLE THE JINGLE” AND WIN CONTEST FOR MOSSY NISSAN. HIS ORIGINAL WESTCOAST STYLE COMBINED WITH HARD HITTING LYRICS AND THE ABILITY TO DISECT A BEAT LANDED HIM THE #1 SPOT WITH AN INDEPENDENT LABEL SPONSERED BY ONE OF SAN DIEGOS LARGEST HIP HOP RADIO STATIONS, HE WAS BACK ON TRACK. WITHIN MONTHS OF GETTING WITH THE LABEL THINGS WENT SOUR, LEAVING HIM WTH AN ALBUM NEVER RELEASED. BACK ON HIS OWN AND RETRIEVING ALL OF HIS WORK HE IS NOW WORKING ON GETTING HIS MUSIC OUT THERE THE RIGHT WAY.
