Shelliano, 35, is a rapper and father of 5 from West Philadelphia. His mother Debra Cobbs, a crack addict, gave her son up for adoption at the age of 8. He lived in 13 different homes all over Pennsylvania thereafter. "Through my mothers addictions and the pain of wanting to be back home with her, I used to take words from my pain and make them rhyme together in my head." He was a popular hit at Industry Tuesdays at Club Flow, a staple in North Philadelphia, a weekly open-mike rap night. However, a shooting closed down the club. "Through these rhymes it was therauptic for me. I could only find myself because I was always by myself."