KING STAX

I'm King Stax, born and raised in North Long Beach, California. The Carmelitos projects, to be exact.

Funny thing is, I never planned on being a rapper.

Music was originally my brother's thing. He was the one learning how to make beats, messing around with Fruity Loops, playing instruments, and figuring out how to put songs together. I was more interested in the business side. I wanted to help him do something with his talent.

But he wanted me to rap with him, so I gave it a shot.

And let's just say people weren't exactly impressed.

I got clowned a lot. People used to call me the Norfside Ice JJ Fish. Others told me I sounded like I was rapping in the '80s. I'm not gonna lie, that shit hurt. Nobody likes being laughed at when they're genuinely trying to do something.

But instead of quitting, I kept working at it.

In the beginning, I wanted to prove I could rap. I wanted people to hear the improvement for themselves. So I kept writing, recording, listening to my mistakes, and trying to get better.

Somewhere along the way, my reasons for making music changed.

It wasn't just about proving people wrong anymore. I realized I could take whatever I was feeling, put it into a song, and possibly make somebody else feel something too.

That's what I wanted my music to do.

I've always wanted to put positive energy into the world through my music. I don't care where somebody is from, what they've been through, or what their situation looks like. If they're listening to King Stax, I want them to enjoy themselves, feel good, and hopefully walk away with something that inspires them.

My brother and I started NORFSTARZ around 2010. Coming from Carmelitos, I knew how quickly people could judge you based on where you lived. We wanted a name that represented where we came from, something we could be proud of.

Over the years, I've released music, performed, made mistakes, and learned a lot. I've had to put music on hold at different points because life doesn't stop just because you're chasing something.

I haven't accomplished everything I set out to do, and I'm not going to pretend I have.

But I can look back at the person who was scared of being laughed at and see how far I've come.

I'm still making music. Still learning. Still finding ways to get better.

And if something I create can put somebody in a better mood, help them through a rough day, or encourage them to keep going, then I know I'm doing something right.

I'm not done with music. Not even close.

I still have songs I want to release, videos I want to shoot, and ideas I've been sitting on for years. There's a lot I haven't gotten around to doing yet, but I'm working on changing that.

At the same time, I've realized music isn't the only thing I want to create.

I've always had stories in my head. Some come from things I've experienced, some from things I've witnessed, and others are just ideas I think would make a good movie or TV show. That's where Tales From Tha Norfside comes in.

I want to take those stories and turn them into books, films, and eventually television. I know that's not something that happens overnight, especially when you're doing most of the work yourself. But I'm willing to learn what I need to learn and put the work in.

I also want to get NORFSTARZ clothing back out there. It's something I've done before, and I want to give people a chance to wear the name again.

I'm not gonna sit here and tell you I have everything figured out. I don't. I'm still building, still learning, and still trying to make some of these ideas a reality.

But I know what I want to do.

I want to keep making music, tell the stories I've been carrying around, and see how far I can take something that started with me and my brother making songs.

That's what's next for me.