Ayeesha played quietly in the front yard of her Southern California home when she heard gunshots. Her neighbor lay dead on his freshly cut grass. Ayeesha witnessed her innocent neighbor become the victim of a drive-by shooting at her tender age of 13 years old.

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"I realized that bullets don't have names," said Ayeesha. "I saw that the stray bullets can hit anyone. That scared me off of gangs because I knew that that guy had no connections with gangs at all. I witnessed him being shot for no reason...and that hurt look in his family's eyes."

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Ayeesha became a prisoner in her own home because simple freedoms like walking to the store were dangerous challenges. Ayeesha saw church and community activities as a way to escape her violent environment. She studied diligently to make the grades acceptable to her parents in order to participate in extra-curricular activities. She actively participated in theater, rapping, church, and sports. Some of her friends chose to participate in gang activity, but she remained happy to escape to her studies.

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"I never participated in gangs because I was more afraid of my mother than I actually was of gangs," said Ayeesha.

She graduated high school with a GPA of 3.5 and continued on to college in San Bernadino where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Studies.

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Ayeesha never lost sight of her dream. She started Christian Rapping when she was 8 years old. One day her brother, desperate for a replacement in his rap group for a talent show, took Ayeesha in and made her a part of the group. She has never stopped rapping since.

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"I rap to spread the message of hope to those who find themselves in hopeless situations," said Ayeesha. "I chose Christian Rap to let the world know who Jesus is through my music."

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Taken from Grapetreerecords.com

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