Born and raised in Kansas City, Kutt Calhoun shuttled between his mother and his sister’s house during his formative years. While at a Kansas City YMCA during the summer before ninth grade, Kutt realized that his ability to cleverly put words together could have benefits beyond the classroom. Kutt discovered that he could rap. In St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1996 Kutt got a wake-up call. He was shot in the back. "This was my warning," he says. "I stopped selling dope altogether.