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Biography

Through Struggle Comes Success

Multi-talented artist: 103, born Shane Jackson, is currently the most unique and versatile rapper in the game. He was born in the Big Apple and raised in New Jersey. Spend just a minute in the room with him, and you can’t help but feel the presence of a star. Aside from talent, 103 possesses such a great personality, which is why his fanbase is international.

His style of rap is smooth and catchy. His stage presence is electrifying. “Through Struggle Comes Success.” Everyday, 103 is reaching for a higher level and aggressively seeking more to accomplish. The sky is the limit for this amazing new songwriter.

“Growing up in the 80s, I was highly influenced by hip hop music. By rap artist such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Rakim, Big Daddy Cane, & EPMD. Then as the 90s era came in, that’s when my eyes and ears really opened up to all kinds of music. Also around that time urban movies started hitting the big screens such as Juice, New Jack City, Menace to Society. Also, the fact that my older brother was a dj, I remembered all the soundtracks to those movies. And he was a high influence on me by taking me to parties and showing me how to rock the crowd.”

At the age of 6, 103’s dad died and he began writing poetry in school. Eventually as he got older those poems turned into rap and that’s when he first realized that he had the ability to rap.

“My passion for music grew more as artist such as Snoop Dogg, Doctor Dre, Nas, Giggie Smallz, and Wu-tang Clan came aboard the hip hop nation.

As I got older I started to loose focus in school and turn to the streets. First by cutting school to buy dj clue’s mixtapes on 125th street. Then I took a turn for the worse and caught on to the drug game instantly by the age of 15. Times were hard on me and I didn’t really care about high school anymore.

At the age of 17, 103 dropped out of High School. His brother and his friends took him into the studio that they were recording in. That’s when 103 started developing his craft as a lyricist. From then on he began to hook up with producer and long time friend C-Uno and they began to work on many projects together.

Instinctively, 103 made his first finished mixtape called AMW, which was also known as Americas Most Wanted. That was prior to 103 doing a 4 month time in a Bergen county jail. At the same time, he was still struggling with the streets and court cases.

As time went on, 103 hooked up with more producers such as Payday, Manacala, Antrone, and Riky Rokstar. History immediately was in the making. 103 began to work on many more tracks. Then he met Anthony Hoyte and at the time they were just friends. Until 103 mentioned to him that he had a passion for rapping. Seeing 103’s pure talent, Anthony Hoyte started promoting him in the streets and investing time and money through his record company, entitled, A&H RECORDS & ENTERTAINMENT. Moreover, seeing 103’s potential, Anthony brought him aboard and history is being made daily.

I think I am the next big thing in hip hop because I was bred in the era of true lyricist. I’m a 80s baby, but the 90s made me. I’m bringing old school originality and mixing it with today’s modern version of today’s Hip Hop and R&B. Hip Hop is my life and I can’t picture myself being apart of any other nation but the Hip Hop nation. And I do believe that one day soon I will take this hip hop game to the next level and I will rise to the top.