Paul Toweh

Paul was born in Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa at the height of the country's civil war, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. He narrowly escaped a life of poverty when he was adopted by his Liberian uncle and his American wife. He grew up between New York City and various African countries, where his mother was posted as a humanitarian aid worker for the United Nations. At 17, he created an Instagram following of 115,000 followers simply by being himself, sharing his life and his budding interest in making music. After numerous hacks on his account, this following fell. Even so, he now boasts more than 47,000 followers. Paul spent much of his youth focused on sports, and was once seen as potential talent for the American soccer team. But he moved so frequently with his family that these plans were thwarted. In college, Paul turned his attention full-time to acting and becoming a hip hop artist.