Michael Jaime Santiago, also known as Eme La Firma, was born on January 31st, 1990 in the city of Chicago. At the age of 13, his family moves from the historically Puerto Rican neighborhood of Humboldt Park to Bayamón, Puerto Rico. There, he learns more about his culture and people as the reggaeton culture begins to spread. Embedded within a culture that started while embracing another, Eme had the best of both worlds, having knowledge of music at a young age due to his listening habits, which included 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G, Common, Nas, Don Omar, Hector & Tito, Tempo, and many more.