 Jarbo was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to an American-born mother and African-born father.He has stated in interviews that he wrote his first song in 1993 and began producing in 2000.After college, Jarbo landed a job as an engineer in a Philadelphia studio, and recorded his first demo which caught the ear of Philadelphia emcee Ohene Savant, who had created a label as a home for creative hip-hop music.