02 Dec The Journey of The Toven; An Inspirational Story of the Aspiring Rapper

Individuals, sometimes, find themselves pinned in a position that feels like a never-ending maze. When they stop caring about things in life, giving absolutely no value to the time, they are stuck in a dark time that is extremely difficult to get rid of. It takes an insane amount of courage and determination to pull oneself out of a toxic environment.

The power of the inner will and spirit of an individual is incalculable. It takes a strong nerve to hold onto the little goodness left inside of them while being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When in a dark place, fears can be the driving force of life. Escaping from that environment is not something many individuals are capable of doing.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Among the few courageous individuals who overcame the darkness in life is the rapper and a music producer, Morrell Coleman, popularly known as “The Toven” Born on August 11 th, 1973, he was raised in Mount Hope, a small neighborhood in Southeast San Diego. Historically known for its high crime rates, Mount Hope has been the breeding ground for many extreme offenses. Burglary, robberies, larceny, and car theft are only a few of the area's commonly known crimes. As a result of being exposed to such an
environment, The Toven became a well-documented member of the Neighborhood Crip street gang. Where such heinous crimes were normal for the youngsters, The Toven had an easy path into drug sales and other gang-related crimes. Growing up on 41st and Market St during the crack cocaine era, he narrowly escaped death after being shot during an early morning drug transaction. After spending years of his life incarcerated in both the juvenile and adult jail systems, The Toven realized that in order to make it out, he would have to willingly distance himself from the rough environment and lifestyle he enjoyed so much.

Just like every other kid, The Toven also had dreams and passions. Since his childhood, music has been something he deeply admired and used it as an escape during the low point in life. With music being his go-to therapy, The Toven started developing an interest in writing raps and making beats. That’s when he decided to turn this passion into a profession.

He drew inspiration from several artists, especially Michael Jackson and the Hip-Hop group Run DMC. With a heart full of dreams, The Toven dreamt of winning The Grammy one day. Before the professional entrance into the music industry, in 1995, The Toven appeared in front of the audience as a stage hype man for a childhood friend, Jayo Felony, who at the point was signed to JMJ Records. The concert’s magical experience put a stamp on The Toven's belief that this profession is something he wants to pursue.

Under the name of Ray Dizidy, he first appeared on “Freestyle” on the Mix-Tape Vinyl Combat, Ill Rated in the same year. With his growing interest in the musical world, The Toven performed on the “Du Lo Gang”, under the same name, a song released through the Eureka Records in 1999.

Just like every artist goes through a low point in his career, The Toven’s had his in the year 2012-2013. His four releases that included “Million Dollar Mixtape”; “Road to Riches”, “Ladies Only”, and “I’m A Star”, did not receive as much response as the talented artist had expected. Nevertheless, as the saying goes: “Winning and losing come in cycles; neither is permanent”, The Toven did not leave behind hope; in fact, he started working even harder, making sure not to disappoint his fans.

The Comeback

The Toven managed to earn both Associate and Bachelor’s degrees at Grossmont and Cuyamaca College and Ashford University. Graduated in 2018, armed with education, The Toven fought off his previous felony convictions having them expunged through the court systems. After working on polishing his music, in 2018, The Toven came back with the release of his EP”Cash In”. The EP was met with the music fanatics with open arms, an excellent fightback the talented artist needed. The extended play was
then followed by two singles, & “Grammy”, and “Birthday”, adding to his music portfolio.

As they say, “success comes to those who wait,” The Toven set a strong footing in the music industry with the independent release of his commercial Mix-Tape “Walk of Fame in 2020. The single “Walk Of Fame” contains a sample of “Heaven Is Only One Step Away” (1978) by The Controllers (R&B). With its hard-hitting lyrics and symphonic musical feelings, the song created a fan following for the talented artist. The same year, he also released his commercial single “Make It Out” another gem to the music world.

In late 2020 With the pandemic roaring, The Toven burst onto the music scene with the independent commercial release of his debut album “Bigger Vibes” on all major platforms, including the single “41st Greatness” Wasting no time, The Toven quickly followed up his Bigger Vibes album release with his second studio album Bigger Vibes Vol. II in late 2020, which spawned the single “Turn Your Pain Into Champagne”. Both albums cut through with infectious Hip-Hop lyrics over punchy Rock N Roll styles
beats, garnering hundreds if not thousands of monthly listeners. At 47, The Toven is not concerned with age when most Rap careers are over by 30. His music work speaks much louder than his age. One extremely interesting and telling fact is that The Toven was born on the same day as Hip-Hop music was in the Bronx, New York, in the Iconic basement of DJ Kool Herc on August 11th, 1973.