He waits backstage before his name is called to perform in front of a room full of roaring young adults. The lights dancing across the room show his face just enough to see his expression every time they pass it. He looks focused and ready. Microphone in hand, his name is called and a whole new energy is upon him as he runs on stage. The crowd gets louder and busier as the music starts. After he raps his first song, he walks across the stage and touches the hands of people below him. His energy gets brighter as his next song continues. This kid isn’t just any aspiring artist performing in front of a large audience. His purpose on stage isn’t to show off or gain popularity. This kid has a story to tell. CodeMan was born with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. “At three weeks old, my parents started seeing that I was turning blue and took me to the doctor,” CodeMan says. “The doctors told my parents I had a ten percent chance of living through the catheterization,” says CodeMan. Since then, he has undergone a total of 7 heart surgeries, any of which could have been fatal. 10 hours after his last surgery in August of 2007, complications nearly killed him. As an aspiring hip-hop artist, CodeMan has been writing and releasing his own music for the past 7 years. He began his own record label several years ago called A-Class Records, but decided he needed a new approach and couldn’t follow that label any longer. “After the new album and having a whole new outlook on everything, A-Class Records was the “old me” rapping about what everyone else was rapping about,” he says. “I dropped that and started a label called DetermiNATION.” The name of the label was inspired from the title of his third album, "Determined." As far as performances, CodeMan has been on stage since he was in high school. “Cody was the first young rapper doing his own shows in Elk Rapids and Kalkaska,” B. Jenkins says, CodeMan’s good friend and fellow aspiring artist. “I’ve seen this guy bring out 150 people when he was in 11th grade. He never disappoints on stage.” Jenkins says that he admires him tremendously. “He motivated me to start doing my own shows. Everyone can talk about how many units they sell but the truth is in the crowd.” Jenkins remembers meeting CodeMan when he was waiting to have his final surgery. “The interesting thing about him is that he never used his condition as an excuse for anything. He took the bull by the horns and was determined to win, and he did.” Jenkins describes CodeMan’s natural energy as laid-back. “But when it comes to his music, he’s very focused,” he says. “On stage he tends to come alive." CodeMan says that the support from his family and friends has been nothing but great. “If anyone can do something, Cody can do it,” His step-mom says. “He is going to work harder and longer to make something happen, and he believes in himself. We support him 150 percent. I just respect how determined he is. I don’t know if Cody will be famous someday, but I believe an opportunity is going to approach him and that it's going to be something great.” “If I got famous, cool. I’d want to get famous for what I do, though. I don’t want to be offered a deal and then be forced to change my style and music. There has been a lot of sell-outs because they want the fame and the money.” Regardless, CodeMan says that music is all about self-expression to him because he likes to tell stories in his songs. “I have gone through things in my life that made me want to express myself and music has been my way of doing that,” he says. “I’m not one to preach about God but I do know there is a higher power. I believe it’s because of my music.” Written by: Katie Carlson