Born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California, I Self Devine exists as a testament of survival. Raised in the brutal streets during the gang and government funded crack epidemic, he strived for understanding and deeper meaning to life's movement. His father, once a member of the Solidad Brothers, taught and exposed him to the underbelly of society. In 1980, when I Self was only eight years old, his dad left him and his mother on Christmas day. During I Self's childhood, he frequently moved around the Los Angeles area living in Compton, Watts and South Central. Growing up in Los .