A teen who was born without a jaw is hoping to inspire other youngsters who have been victims of bullying after fulfilling his dream of becoming a rap artist.
Last year, Isaiah Acosta, 17, of Phoenix, was attending a Children’s Miracle Network function in Washington, D.C.as a part of his role as a Phoenix Children’s Hospital ambassador when he revealed to a few friends that he had ambitions to become a rapper.
Topher Horman, who works as a creative producer for Children’s Miracle Network, caught wind of the news over text from Isaiah, and decided to lend a hand.
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Dreamer: Isaiah Acosta, 17, of Phoenix, Arizona, was born without a lower jaw, but as a teen developed ambitions to become a rap artist
Coming true: He was introduced to Phoenix rapper Trap House, and the pair collaborated on a song entitled Oxygen to Fly
He introduced the teen to Tikey Patterson, a rapper known as Trap House in Phoenix, and the pair got to collaborating.
Isaiah was born with a condition called situs inversus, where the internal organs develop in a mirror image of normal anatomy.The condition saw him born without a lower jaw, and left him unable to speak.
Despite this disability, Isaiah was still able to express his creative side as he grew up, mainly through writing. It was this aspect of his life he had in mind when he wrote the lyrics to Oxygen to Fly, the song he eventually recorded with Trap House.
‘I don’t care what people think of me/Proud and honored that they carry me/Jaw gone but I love myself/Like a lion to my family,’ Isaiah wrote.
‘Could’ve died but I’m still here/Could’ve cried but I’m still here/Bullies try but I’m still here/Mother tries so I’m still here.’
Pen to paper: Despite being born unable to speak, Isaiah found his creative voice through writing, developing a passion for poetry
Star on the rise: The music video for the song, released in March, went viral with over 15 million views online
Finding a passion: When he was 15, Isaiah fell in love with rap music because of its ‘energy’
And it wasn’t just the lyrics that Isaiah had a hand in. He , he refused to let the cruel trolls bring him down, writing to his fans in a text: ‘Keep your head up, just keep fighting through it and never give up.’
Working together: It wasn’t just the lyrics that Isaiah worked on. He also picked the beats and oversaw production
Looking ahead: The high school senior hopes to work in the music business after college
Support: Isaiah’s mother Tarah Acosta (bottom left in purple) says that she feels ’emotional’ every time she hears the song on the radio
In made about his story, Isaiah’s mother and friends describe the teen as someone who is always true to himself and is comfortable with who he is.
His family revealed that the teen has been offered a jaw by doctors, but as it would not help him eat, talk or breath any differently than he already does, he has refused the surgery.
After he was born, Isaiah condition was so serious that he was initially not expected to survive, but he beat the odds.As a teenager, he fell in love with rap music, connecting to its particular kind of ‘energy.’
‘And I’ve always loved writing lyrics and quotes and putting down what bothers me into poems. Music has changed my life and now (with help from Trap House), I feel like I’m helping people with no voice,’ he said.
‘I want to keep writing music and I want to help children who get bullied.I want to help fix the world in any way I can.’
Currently a senior slot gacor malam ini at Apollo High School, Isaiah now has ambitions to work in the music industry as a writer or producer after he goes to college.