Born in East Oakland to an Italian mother who was partially deaf and an African American father with a knack for cooking good food, Jody Banks learned early on about the meaning of life, struggle, hustling and hard love in Valencia Gardens, a notorious project know for drugs and violence. At age 6, in Los Angeles, California, Jody endured many strenuous nights of panhandling with her mother when money and food were scarce. Moving from one neighborhood to another, Jody and her mother stood in the spotlight of dimmed lights at gas stations asking people if they could wash their cars and pump their gas for spare change. After years of financial hardship, mental and physical abuse, and a life in poverty, Jody found music as a therapeutic source to alleviate her misery. Jody banks started rapping at the age of 8. However, her true passion emerged at age 11, when she met producer, Bruce quot;Automaticquot; Vanderveer, through a relative and auditioned for a kids rap group. Jody immediately realized that putting pen to paper and telling true stories in the form of lyrical art was a dream she would pursue. Soon after, Jody dedicated much of her youth to being both a lyricist and a poet. Jody's biggest inspiration, both in life and in the pursuit of her musical career, was her mother, who shares the same name as Jody. Her mother left home when Jody was just 8 years old and lived homeless on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles for several years. Jody Banks' struggled to save her mother from the midnight crack corners that would eventually be her demise. At the age of 18, some 10 years after she left home, Jody Banks, while desperately searching for an emotional reunion with her mother, discovered that she was brutally murdered. Jody spent countless nights pondering what her mission in life was now that her sole purpose, energy and best friend had suddenly been taken away. She realized that she could still make her mother proud by finishing what she had originally set out to do; becoming the next hip hop phenomenon. Taking on her mother's name, quot;Jodyquot; Banks has grown to become a powerful hip hop sensation with a seductive look and a venomous flow. In addition to pursuing her career in music, Jody Banks has dedicated her life to creating The Jody Etzler Foundation (named after her late mother) which will help homeless and battered women and children find a safe haven. The Jody Etzler Foundation will be Jody Banks' way of saying quot;thank you momma for being everything that you are to me.quot;
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