17th Letter” is finally stepping into his purpose as a full-time artist. Using a play on his childhood nickname “Q,” (the 17th Letter of the Alphabet) is continuing the conversation of what it means to be more than an athlete.\nQ started writing when he was young. Growing up, he was an only child and used poetry and storytelling as a means of personal expression, which fostered his love for music. Q says that the 10 years he spent playing professional football was his side hustle to provide for his family all the while trying to keep music alive in the offseason.\n“I was always an artist, but I was just really fast,” he shares. “Football propelled me to get a scholarship and stuff like that, so I really stuck to it, but I really don’t want anything to do with ball. I just wanna be known as an artist and respected as an artist versus oh the football player who’s trying to rap.” 17th \nLetter, who now resides in Chicago, is excited to find this sense of freedom in committing to his first love. Q \nalso compares himself to Mozart because of the classical composer’s notoriety in his versatility. 17th Letter has the same desire to not be boxed in one sound, but connect the timelessness of music with his own creativity.