ILLIJAM WAS BORN AND RAISED IN ALLENTOWN, PA...

& discovered his love for music early on in life. As a member of various concert bands, an indoor drum line, and two marching bands throughout high school & college, Illijam developed a diverse musical taste. A percussionist by craft however, he always had an affinity for the drum-driven genres of Hip-Hop/Rap.

Illijam was raised in a fairly well-off, middle class, suburban family.  But as is often the case with those who grow up so fortunate, Illijam realized that material wealth did not mean contentment in life. Doesn't it seem that those who suffer want believe that having more will satisfy?

 

AND THOSE WHO HAVE IT ALL KNOW THAT IT NEVER DOES.

Seeking to find what life was really about, he perceived that many of the endeavors those around him sought were dead-end streets.  It wasn't the pursuit of happiness that was the issue-- just how it was being pursued.  From his own experience and observation, no pleasure seemed to last.

 

JESUS BEGAN TO OPEN ILLIJAM'S EYES

in the summer of 2008. Having groped around blindly in the dimly-lit realm of passionless religion for years, he finally began to see what life was truly about.

Life is about knowing, enjoying, & prizing Jesus above all else, and reflecting Him to a world in desperate need of Him.

Life has not been easy since Illijam began walking with Jesus. In his junior year of college, the Lord ordained a perplexing, excruciating heartbreak in his life.

"I know what it feels like to watch a dream die.  I know what it feels like to say goodbye to your closest friend."

Even amid incredible emotional anguish, Jesus sustained & carried Illijam the whole way.  He hopes to comfort others with the comfort God gave him, and affirm that God is sovereign, all-wise, and all-loving in every high and low of life.

 

Illijam lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, and is a senior at Liberty University studying Marketing. He has dreams of doing music for a career, encouraging many to "count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord" (Philippians 3:8).