Ross grew up in the small, rural town of Live Oak in Northern Florida. At a young age, he developed a deep spiritual connection to music. The self-taught musician began singing and playing piano at age five. He spent many of his childhood years singing worship songs at the church where his father was pastor. Ross had a great love for soul music, citing iconic legends like Sam Cooke, James Brown, Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye as major inspirations. In a 2020 interview with AFROPUNK, Ross discussed his influences and how they impacted his approach to making music: “I studied the technique of those who make music to advocate for cultural, social, and political issues, to develop my sound,” he explained. “Even today, I still study their technique in how they reached people, why their music was so effective…”
Ross continued to hone his musical skills as he grew older. He also excelled at sports, and his prowess on the basketball court in high school even drew interest from some colleges. However, his passion for music outweighed his athletic ambitions, and after graduating from high school, he focused all of his energies on building a music career.
The aspiring artist experienced many hardships and setbacks during his climb, but he kept striving to achieve his dream. He finally got his big break in 2018 when his music collaborator Mezo Riccio ran into Grammy-winning producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins at a mall in Florida. Riccio began corresponding with Jerkins and sending him songs. One of them was Ross’s track “Gotta Be Mine.” Jerkins was so impressed by what he heard that he invited the singer to his Orlando home. During the visit, Ross delivered a brilliant performance of his original song “Freedom” and Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem “A Change is Gonna Come.” Jerkins quickly signed the singer to his label Darkchild Records and worked with him to create his debut EP.
The two recorded 88 songs together and began shopping Ross’s music around to different labels. Ross eventually found a home at Island Records in 2019. Darcus Beese, the label’s then-president, personally signed the singer. In early 2020, Ross released his debut single “It’s OK To Be Black,” a powerful social justice anthem. The song resonated with many people during those turbulent days of protest and civil unrest as thousands demanded justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer. The NBA even used the song for its Black Lives Matter PSA. Ross’s second single was the spiritual song “Saved” (2020). In a 2020 interview with REVOLT, he said that the song was designed to give listeners “inspiration" and "hope."
Some of Ross’s other notable songs include “So Into You,” featuring D-Nice (2022), “I’ll Always Love You” (2023), and the country-flavored “Queen” (2024). He also contributed his vocal talents to the song “Count On Me,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the 2022 animated film DC League of Super-Pets. Ross has released one full album so far–It’s Christmas Time, released in December 2023.
One of Ross’s big career highlights was when he opened the 2nd Annual Urban One Honors in 2020, where he mesmerized the crowd with a captivating performance. The young singer received a standing ovation from the audience, which included entertainment luminaries such as Jamie Foxx, Missy Elliott, Chance The Rapper, Brandy and Billy Porter.
Additionally, Ross’s covers of classics have been receiving a lot of love on YouTube. His soul-stirring rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” currently has 2.3 million views on the popular video-sharing platform.
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