DJ AM was always an inspiring figure to me, a role-model if you will. He was one of those nothing to something guys who relentlessly overcame every obstacle in the way to living his dream and persevered to eventually become the very best of his craft. As a DJ, there was no one better to emulate, and I often studied his videos and tried to replicate his scratches and techniques. I admired his determination to obsessively slog away until he perfected and attained everything he was trying to do.

However there was also a much darker side to the man, as he battled through drug addiction for much of his life. Growing up in a household where his father was a frequent drug user, eventually he embraced the lifestyle and soon found himself facing a heavy crack addiction throughout most of his 20s. After hitting rock bottom in a suicide attempt, he used the same resolve and grit that he used to learn DJing in an attempt to go clean and eventually became a symbol of hope to those struggling through the same battle.