Acosta overlooks 232 park in Lindenwood. Photo by: Melanie Cordova
Jesse Acosta, who goes by by his stage name Acosta, was born on Feb. 11, 1995 at St. Johns Hospital. He is an aspiring rapper who represents heavy for his neighborhood, Lindenwood. Acosta majors in Nursing at Laguardia Community College. Acosta takes pride in his passion and love for rap, investing his time, money and giving his all on the path to pursing a rap career.
With six years of experience under his belt, Jesse Acosta triumphed his way through the rap game. Through trial and error, he has learned things the hard way, made work he was not proud of and lost people along the way. Importantly, he has gained fans, tightened his circle, mastered his lyrical skills and molded into a better person through his love for music.
At 16 years old, curiosity was not the only thing that got Acosta to write rhymes. An ex-girlfriend he wanted back in his life inspired him to begin his rap career. “I wanted her back, I wanted to impress so I decided to make a song for her,” said Acosta. Unfortunately, he did not win her back, but what he discovered was his true passion and talent in rapping.
Acosta first began his rap career doing remixes, then released a mixtape in 2011 titled, Before and After. His intention with his first tape was to reflect on the ups and downs of life, in order to establish how diverse he could be. Acosta’s reaction of his early work was comical as he laughed, reminiscing on how amateur he was to the game. He admitted that he took down his first project because it became something he no longer was proud of.
After working on his craft and mastering the pen skill, he debuted his first official mixtape, Two Sides to a Story, in 2013. With 15 tracks, Acosta felt that it was a mixtape that embodied how he wanted to be represented as in the rap game.
His most recent mixtape which dropped in July 2015 entitled, 2/11/95, was an emotional one for Acosta, with 13 tracks paying tribute to close friend Christopher Tannuzzo, who passed away that summer. Dealing with such a loss, Acosta grieved and coped with it the only way he knew how– writing. Looking back on all his projects, there is one thing Acosta appreciates the most and that is the process of growth.
One thing Acosta never takes for granted is the mind frame he developed while spending years in the rap game. “I accomplished a lot more,” said Acosta. Investing in himself, Acosta not only became more confident, but he also added new elements to his tracks like singing. One thing Acosta prides himself on is being educated.
“What inspires me is being educated in a time where everyone doesn’t want to take the time to educate themselves on things. Rappers are afraid to sound smart, education is everything,” said Acosta.
Acosta also sets himself apart from others because he firmly believes he is one of few people who value lyrical ability.
“The greatest rappers can rap, you can have a great beat, great hook or great chorus but nothing can beat that lyrical ability… the generation of rap is bittersweet because there’s many who just say nothing but get on a good beat and get famous,” said Acosta.
Acosta took his beliefs and created a track alongside famous rapper Cassidy titled, “Bars Over Everything,” to express that lyrics are vital.
Diving in head first, Acosta took a chance at a young age to pursue a rap career. Although he has given up out of frustration before, the love he has for music always brought him back. With every step he has taken forward, he carried another lesson along the way. Overcoming every struggle and facing every obstacle with a strong mind and heart, Acosta kills the rap game with his versatility and lyrical ability every time he records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lcuO0YoGPo
Watch Acosta spit something quick off the dome for The Resurrected exclusively