Born Michael Huerta to a Mexican father and Puerto Rican mother, Theory grew up listening to everything from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Tito Puente and Grammy winning meringue singer Elvis Crespo—He got into hip hop via his cousin, who listened regularly to L.A.’s Power 106, As well as going to Underground Hip Hop Shows. Just as his exposure to so many types of music adds diversity to Theory’s rhymes, melodies and beats, his rich array of life experiences have given Theory a unique way of looking at his ups and downs as an independent performing and recording artist. “You run into a lot of dead ends, with people promising you and not delivering,” he says. “But the way I see it, those things were just me paying my dues. It was all a learning experience. I don’t look at those as setbacks. I just live life and whatever life throws my way I just find a way to take care of it and keep moving. I know it’s cliché, but hey, the best things in life are the ones you have to work hard for.”