
Strykez
Strykez was born on July 18, 1984 in the city of Oakland. He was born into a family of four, 2 sisters and an older brother. He lived there for 7 years where he then moved to Stockton, Ca. Growing up in a church he wasnt allowed to listen to secular music however it was everywhere around him so he couldnt help but be influenced by it later on in life. The first song that he heard that turned him on to hip hop was House of Pains jump around in 1993. Since then he was hooked. It didnt take long for him to want to learn how to rap. In 1994, his older brother bought a keyboard, and thats when it all began. At age ten he would freestyle to his brothers beats, about his dads poor looking cars and their struggle to maintain, but from a comedic view point. Strykez always grew up around a church and church like settings, his parents enforced strict rules which didnt allow or him or his siblings to listen to the type of music he was now heavily engaged in. He would disobey his parents, and listen t o rap when they werent around. By age 13 he was fully caught up in the whole ambience of hip-hop. By age 16 he had recorded on tape, his first freestyles. His parents didnt condone of his habit nor could they afford to buy the equipment, so he would put a tape recorder next to his computer and play an instrumental and rap over it. He made many tapes and he would listen to them and practice on perfecting his skill. In the year 2001 he connected wit his rap partner, 3rd Rayle. They formed the group Lyrical Outlawz and that is where he got the name Strykez. He has worked alongside the great Stockton veteran PlayGyrl Slim, who has been a mentor to him. They have done shows together in Stockton and Sacramento; Ca. Look out for this kid cuz the name Strykez is going to be a big name in the near future.
Your musical influences
'Pac