As an honor student, a gang-banger, and the hottest rap artist in Rockford (the second-largest city in Illinois), Sir Fish thought he had everything. She was a pretty young model, a born-again Christian. When she saw him performing on the rap stage at the annual citywide music festival in 1989, she had to meet him then and there. His life had been checkered by violent gang fights, jail terms and expulsion from high school his senior year, where he had managed to remain on the honor roll. The next half-decade would bring cocaine addiction, jail time, an attempted murder charge and, finally, salvation. She brought patience and unwavering faith. Her love was unconditional and tough. With unexpected motherhood God finally brought her a righteous unity with the man she couldn't stop loving. That's the short version of the love story between Sir Fish and Pooh, a.k.a. True II Society, Grapetree Records' exciting husband-and-wife Christian rap duo.

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In 1982 when Run DMC was fresh and hot, Sir Fish rapped at home to entertain his mother and eight siblings. As break dancing's popularity subsided, Sir Fish recaptured the local limelight by rapping in public. In high school, by 1986, he became known as "Sir Fish," and he faced continual informal challenges from other rappers in the region, winning all the freestyle "battles" he engaged in.

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Raised on the west side of Rockford, where gang-war activity had become common, Sir Fish managed to remain an honor student, create artwork for the school Pep Club, continue rapping solo, and eventually got mixed up in serious gang activity. His world soon became shoot-outs, riot fighting, a drive-by shooting on his family's home. Finally, the honor student was expelled as a menace to the school, and for losing too much class time to jail. It was then that the principal called Sir Fish's home and said, "You can still get into college (through a special second-chance program)-don't blow it."

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At NIU Sir Fish became known on the campus of 25,000 as a talented rapper. He rapped at fraternity parties and eventually recorded Chicago artists. He continued to sell drugs and began dabbling in cocaine, allying himself with a Chicago supplier. Eventually, he sold drugs to make enough to maintain his own high.

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In 1992, Pooh became pregnant, Sir Fish's now addicted to cocaine, made the near-fatal error of dipping into his supplier's stash, and was beaten senseless by a pair of the supplier's thugs.

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"I had been raised to be respected as a woman and not take any mess," Pooh says. "I was the type of person that if you messed up once, that's it. I put him out on many occasions. I wouldn't let him come over or see his daughter - calling her on the phone was okay, I couldn't keep him away from her, but I could keep him away from me. But the Lord kept putting obstacles up so I couldn't leave him entirely."

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"I was trying to kill myself," he says now. "Alecia (Pooh) and her mom did their best to get me to church. I was in a self-destruct mode." said Sir Fish.

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Finally Sir Fish agreed to go to church. His ears opened to hear things he hadn't understood before.

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"The pastor said 'Jesus has opened the gate and all we have to do is walk through'," said Sir Fish. " That day I gave my life to the Lord. I blacked out, and woke up crying. A great burden had been lifted."

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In 1993, Sir Fish and Pooh married, and he started performing rap at church. After his successful church rapping experience, Sir Fish started immersing himself in the business of spreading the Gospel through rap music. He sharply addresses his brothers as "homie' and she raps about the consequences of unmarried sex they didn't pull it out of any book, movie, or someone else's music. They address the streets candy-coating nothing. Then they offer the solution, "Jesus Christ," in a language that related to those from the streets.

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Taken from Grapetreerecords.com