“I feel like a lot of people will be able to relate to the place I come from.” Southcentral Los Angeles native and underground hip-hop artist Presidentrj, aka Street Priest, has had a rise to success that has been accompanied by its fair share of hardships. With the most challenging parts of his rise behind him, Presidentrj is riding the extended length project’s success and singles he released throughout 2020. Looking to piggyback off this year’s success, the LA rapper is currently prepping his first release of 2021 that might just launch him out of his underground status and into the spotlight of the hip-hop industry.
Presidentrj began to pursue a career in hip-hop back in 2018. Frequently collaborating with Atlanta producer Kutta Beats, the LA rapper quickly displayed his natural suave persona behind the mic and accompanied it with his passionate storytelling prowess. However, Presidentrj’s career had to be put on hold when in March of 2019, the aspiring rapper came face-to-face with a life of homelessness. After being evicted from his LA apartment, Presidentrj struggled to make ends meet for his daily necessities, let alone finance his studio recording time.
Finding himself back on his feet by the start of 2020, the young rapper had a plethora of new life experiences that he could pour into his rapping. “My songs give listeners an idea of what life is like in the streets and what a lot of people have to go through to survive,” shares Presidentrj. With the release of his 2020 project, STREET PRIEST, the young rap hopeful explored the topics of homelessness, struggling with trust, and the ups and downs of relationships. Following up that project with its sequel, STREET PRIEST II, which is set for release in January, Presidentrj hopes to further expand upon the groundwork he laid with his first project. “I want people to understand the process I took to get where I am at today.”
To hear Presidentrj’s music, check out his Spotify and follow him on Instagram for updates on STREET PRIEST II.