Jake Zeldin is one determined kid. He’s found a passion in rap music. But you may want to keep an eye on him for many reasons. This 13 year old kid from Toronto has caught the attention of DRAKE and has already been noticed on TMZ – you know, the show that trails celebrities?
I had a chance to ask him and his mom, Robyn Zeldin, a few questions. Read on …you’ll understand why.
UrbanMoms: Who are your favourite rappers?
JAKE: My favourite rapper is DRAKE, I really look up to him and respect and admire his music. I also like Daniel Santana, I think he is very talented. My inspiration is Stevie Wonder because like me he overcame obstacles and did not let anything stand in his way of getting where he wanted to be.
UrbanMoms: When did you start rapping?
JAKE: I started rapping three years ago at Summer Camp. I entered a Rap Battle and I did not realize until that point how good I was.
UrbanMoms: How did you get IN to meet Drake?
JAKE: I went to a Tyga concert and talked my way back stage. I had already met him twice before and expressed an interest to rap for him. This time he let me. He is super cool and he is very encouraging.
UrbanMoms: What are the lyrics to the rap you did for Drake?
JAKE: I met DRAKE, I free styled and just said anything that came to my head at that point. I asked him for his BBM pin, in which he did give to me!
UrbanMoms: Do you write out the words first or does it just come naturally?
JAKE: I do both, I write songs all the time and write things down when ever they come to mind. I also really enjoy to freestyle. I just think about a topic and the words just star coming out of my mouth.
UrbanMoms: What inspires you?
JAKE: The thing that inspire me is my haters. I feel that it pushes me to do more and show them that I have what it takes to succeed.
UrbanMoms: What do you want to do next?
JAKE: I am really fortunate to have performed at many amazing and interesting places. I just released my new demo and I hope to have a record label deal soon. I really enjoy making music and rapping and I just want to continue and have fun.
Now, there’s something you need to know. Jake is not just any kid with hopes, dreams and determination. He is also a kid that is growing up with the challenges from stuttering. Clearly it’s not stopping him and he’s found his voice. Literally.
“When Jake was two and he started to speak, he started to stutter right away,” says his mom Robyn Zeldin. “He started speech therapy when he was two and a half. It was hard because I did not know what the future would be like and how long it would last and if it would get worse or get better.”
Robin realized that his interest in rap music was making a difference for Jake. It gave him confidence and made him feel good about himself.
And what does Jake’s mom want us to know?
“I think it is so important for everyone to know that people who stutter are still very smart and intelligent people,” says Robyn. “Just because the words may take longer to come out does not mean that they are not there. Jake is a very intelligent kid and has so much going on in his head that it is actually scary.”
The other thing she wants you to know is that not every person stutters because they are nervous. “People automatically think that Jake is nervous to talk or nervous around them and I think that it really has nothing to do with that,” says Robyn. “People who stutter are no different than anyone else. Some people have different colour hair, or they may walk differently, and Jake speaks a bit differently, however he is still a wonderful super talented normal thirteen year old kid.”
JAKE is raising awareness for the upcoming WALK FOR STUTTERING AWARENESS to raise funds for The Speech and Stuttering Institute. Join them on September 23rd at Taylor Creek Park in Toronto. Jake is this year’s Walk Ambassador.
The funds raised will enable The Speech and Stuttering Institute to continue its three fold mandate as a Centre for excellent clinical services provided to anyone regardless of financial ability to pay, to educated and train professionals, and to engage in cutting-edge research to unearth some of the root causes of speech problems.
Visit www.stutter.ca for more information.
Here’s an interview clip from GlobalTV’s “The Morning Show” ….
Go Lil JaXe!