Joshua Ardon McCombs, also known by his stage name Emcee Combs, is an independent American hip hop artist. He was born on July 29, 1993 to Ramon McCombs, a nurse, and Janeida McCombs, a stay at home mom turned elementary school teacher, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He lived in Salt Lake City until he was seven years old. He then moved to Pocatello, Idaho where he lived until he was nine years old. He has lived in the Saint George, Utah area ever since. Ever since his childhood, McCombs has always felt a strong affinity to music, and was heavily influenced by punk rock. His first taste of hip hop music came when he was 13 years old while hanging out with a friend. The friend had a Will Smith CD and wanted McCombs to listen to it. He was instantly hooked by the rhythms and rhymes of the music and eagerly asked for more. As time went on, he got his hands on more and more hip hop music, and by the time he was 16 years old, hip hop was the only genre of music on his iPod. McCombs’ early influences included Lil’ Wayne and 50 Cent. As he grew older, McCombs dug further and further into the history of hip hop. His tastes in music evolved with his research. McCombs was fascinated by Golden Age and underground hip hop, which is strongly represented in his music. Current major influences include everyone from Rakim to Eminem, and Brother Ali to Nas. His music is often politically and socially conscious or personal. He is most comparable to artists such as Brother Ali, Lupe Fiasco, Immortal Technique, Eyedea, KRS-One, and Slug of Atmosphere.