Keith Cozart was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on the city's South Side.[4][5] He attended Dulles Elementary School and the Banner School, a therapeutic day school.[6] Cozart dropped out of high school at age 15.[7] He began rapping at a very young age, regularly listed as 5, using his mother's karaoke machine and blank tapes to record his music.[citation needed]