P.O.E.T. is an acronym for Perseverance Over Everything. This phrase is more than a catchy alias for the young hip-hop prodigy, born Kevin Gardner. The phrase represents the passion, strength, and ability to overcome any obstacle. Life has been anything but easy for this Baltimore-native hip-hop artist, formerly known as KG.tha.Don. His life story is expressed through his music and the first chapter of these events can be heard on his debut album, “Heartless” which was released on October 5, 2010. Born on October 7, 1987, P.O.E.T. was raised in a traditional household with both parents. His interest in music began at the age of seven when he began taking piano lessons. His interest in music increased throughout the years. His parents noticed his incredible ability to imitate sounds and melodies and presented him with his first electronic keyboard at the age of 10. As the years past, P.O.E.T.’s interest in music silently grew. P.O.E.T. attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Randallstown High School. During his high school years, his interest in music peaked. During this time, P.O.E.T. began writing and producing material for other independent artists and released his first mix-tape “Open Mic” in 2005, which was a collaborative effort of artists working with the now defunct independent label, Imfamous Entertainment. After the release of “Open Mic,” P.O.E.T took a hiatus from music. This followed the death of his best friend; break up with his first love, and lack of focus in college. After a two year sabbatical, he released three digital singles in 2007 that received very favorable reviews and began working on his debut album “Destination: Fame,” an effort that was discontinued after over a year of delay. Even though the project was shelved, P.O.E.T continued to perfect his craft and study industry trends while actively pursuing a major recording contract. P.O.E.T. prides himself on being an intelligent, articulate, unique, and lyrical hip-hop artist. Over the past several years, despite industry trends, including the popularity of auto-tune, P.O.E.T. maintained his originality, hoping his sound and relative content would prevail in a music industry dominated by gimmicks and trends. “Heartless” is the debut, concept CD largely focused on a failed two-year relationship. Production for the project began in January 2010 and is largest project P.O.E.T. has worked on to-date, investing eight months, over 50 hours of recording, and thousands of dollars to complete. On July 17, 2010, P.O.E.T released the first single, “The Fame” in honor of his prior shelved project. This song continued the trend of prior releases, and received very favorable reviews and was ranked highly in a number of online competitions. On August 15, 2010, after 9 months of anticipation, P.O.E.T. experienced a traumatic loss after the delivery of his first child was unsuccessful. After several weeks of anger, confusion, and depression, he continued focusing on the release of his debut CD. P.O.E.T. is often compared to Drake, KiD CuDi, and Kanye West, all of which have influenced his style in part, however he prides himself on his originality. Because independent artist are increasing in popularity, P.O.E.T. ended his chase of a record deal and released his debut project on his own label independent, Implicit Soundz Music Group. P.O.E.T. has learned from his experience that anything worth having takes self-sacrifice, as seen by his blood, sweat, and tears tattoo on his chest. His ultimate goal is to make his mark in music history and influence many generations to come that anything you want you can have.