Mario Gonzalez was born in Lima, Peru. He and his family immigrated to the United States, like many other families seeking the “American Dream”; having to learn a new language and adapt to a culture different than theirs. He became interested in the art of Hip-Hop when he was in high school, where he made friends from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, many of who like his family, had immigrated to the United States seeking a better life. His friends exposed him to a lifestyle he wasn’t familiar with, where he lived a wide range of experiences. Mario found comfort in music, which soon became therapeutic. He learned he had a talent soon after immersing himself in Hip-Hop, and this lead to him focusing most of his time working on his craft, spending time in the studio, writing about everything he was going through, and bringing his vision to life through music videos. Mario developed the name HOPE (Helping Other People Evolve) this comes from his passion to inspire, and provide an outlet for others to find healing and knowledge through music; just as he did. He was raised and lives in Pomona, CA