Up and coming artist Antonio “Asaiah” Rodriguez learned early on about the struggles of forced migration. Born in Tuscon, Arizona, Asaiah was raised in a single-parent household with his two siblings after his father’s passing. Asaiah was 4, and as a result moved often. 
 Shortly after birth he was moved to the Bronx, informing Asaiah’s grit and hustler’s spirit. Not being raised in one single location, however, equally affected his tenacious curiosity and creative impulses. A student of rappers Drake and J. Cole — arguably two of this generation’s most impactful wordsmiths — Asaiah used the command of hip-hop to channel his narrative into useful work. The summer after his high school sophomore year, he booked his first-ever professional studio session and immediately learned about his affinity for storytelling. The rest is history. 
 The influence of Drake’s signature loverboy vulnerability is heard in songs like “Same Thing,” where Asaiah laments a falling out with his ex. In songs like “Through the Dark” and “Stalking,” Asaiah echoes J. Cole’s flair for rigorous honesty and transparency, waxing poetics about his determined goal while still falling peril to what the heart wants.