Before he grew to become a Hip-Hop icon, Styles P’s brilliance was first acknowledged by his former trainer and later supervisor, Uncle Ray Copeland — inside a jail classroom.

Before Styles P grew to become a beloved determine in Hip-Hop — the gangster and gentleman — he was a younger man looking for route behind bars. In a candid dialog with AllHipHop, “Uncle” Ray Copeland, who served as each Styles P’s trainer and his supervisor, mirrored on their extraordinary connection that started in a correctional facility classroom.

“Styles P was my student before I was his manager,” Copeland mentioned. “He was an excellent student. He was a bright young man when he came in. I taught him in the prison. So he came to Valhalla (now called Westchester County Department of Corrections) and I taught in the prison high school and GED program for youth 16 to 21.”

Styles grew up in Yonkers, New York and he encountered hassle early. A stint in jail as a youngster nearly derailed his future. Copeland mentioned he felt one thing distinctive with Styles. So, he examined the coed.

“Styles came in and I said, ‘Dude, take the exam’ to place them in the classes,’” Copeland recalled. “He scored through the charts. I said something’s wrong here. I said, ‘I’ma pull your high school records.’”

When Copeland reviewed his data, he realized the younger inmate was academically gifted. “Styles was very close to graduating, had an A average,” he mentioned. “I told him, ‘You gotta finish your high school diploma.’ So that year he got his high school diploma and GED at the same time.”

Copeland mentioned Styles P’s drive didn’t cease there. “Then we’re doing SAT college prep classes and Styles was in there. And he damn near aced the exam,” he mentioned.

After his launch, Styles P co-founded The LOX with childhood associates Jadakiss and Sheek Louch, signing to Bad Boy Records underneath Diddy within the mid-Nineties earlier than becoming a member of Ruff Ryders. The group grew to become identified for hits like “Money, Power & Respect,” “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa,” and uncanny chemistry. Styles has additionally created a prolific solo profession with albums like A Gangster and a Gentleman and Time Is Money, incomes respect for his social consciousness and well being initiatives.

Over time, Uncle Ray advanced from mentor to supervisor for Styles, Eve, DMX and different artists with Ruff Ryders. “He was always destined for greatness,” Copeland mentioned. “He just needed someone to remind him of it.”

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