Sylvan LaCue began his music career in 2009 under his then name, QuESt, after taking inspiration from Canadian rapper Drake and his sudden success following the So Far Gone mixtape. He chose the stage name "Quest" but stylized it as "QuESt" after rapper Nas' uppercase "S", saying "Quest is a common name, I wanted to differentiate myself in some way, shape, or form." After a troubled relationship with his mother, Sylvan moved out of his mother's home at the age of 17 and thereafter, repeatedly moved back in and out of her house.