Fareed was born in Philadelphia in November of 1986. At the young age of 11, Reed’s rapping mentor, Nino Brown saw a musical flare in him and pushed Reed to become who he is today. Nino Brown put Reed into the studio using his own money and encouraged the young rapper to participate in many rap battles. Growing up in the Bartram Village projects in Southwest Philadelphia with his grandmother, Reed learned early on how to fend for himself. The glitz and glamour of street life was not far behind.