Whether she was listening to the sounds of the Isely Brothers and Zap & Roger that her dad played around the house when she was a kid, or penning her own potent rhymes, music has always been an important part of Lil Sum'Em's life.
Reared in Denver, SumEm often found solace by writing poetry as kid, using the medium as not only a form of expression, but healing.
"I've always had poetry in my heart," she says reflectively. "I went through some pretty difficult stuff as a child and the only way to express myself was to put my pen to a pad. Writing was my way of releasing what was inside of me."
Over the years, her music has done exactly that, serving as a natural platform for her inner thoughts and emotions. She first ventured into rap when her older brother brought home a four-track. Immediately intrigued, she wrote her first rap at only 12 years-old, encouraged by her brother.
"He was writing raps and making music and I looked up to him," she explains with a nostalgic grin. "I wrote my first rap and everybody liked it so I just went on from there."
Honing her skills, SumEm eventually went on to perform in and throughout the Denver-metro area. In 2001, she released Midwest Ridaz with her brother, Biggie 420, an album that was well received in the city and helped establish her as a solid emcee on the local Hip Hop scene. Shes also been featured on numerous independent albums including the compilation The Product (2000) and Lowdown Productions presents: The Last Minutes(1999) among others. Listing everyone from Pharrell, Missy Elliot and Mariah Carey to the Temptations, Tupac, Outkast and Above the Law as influences, SumEm is dedicated to making sure her sound is embraced by music lovers all over.
"I try to do something for everybody, a little club, some rider shit," she explains. "I try to mix it up. I'm versatile; I can rap about pretty much everything."
Currently, she can be heard on the mixtape 4 Cryin Out Loud Entertainment Presents: The Other Side of the Game- Part 1: The Takeover.
"My ultimate goal is for people to just hear my music," she says. "It relates to everyday life and I think people can feel that."
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