Ransom

Jersey City rapper Randy Nichols, better known as Ransom, was originally born in Brooklyn, NY in September 1980. His father's slaying and mother's serious illness forced Nichols to stay in foster care a few years, but he and his mother eventually relocated to Jersey City when he was about eight years old. A lifestyle of selling drugs, which landed him in and out of jail as a teen, ensued; however, the young rapper wanted out. In 2000, he and his friends put up money to buy a recording studio, which initiated Nichols' rap career under the moniker Ransom. Not long afterwards, he teamed up with fellow rapper Hitchcock to form the A-Team.