The Message: 16 Life Lessons for the Hip-hop Generation (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780970610287)

Labeled as a miscreant at a young age, expelled from one school system after another and barely graduating from an alternative school housed on top of a homeless shelter in downtown Atlanta in 1987, J I H A D rose to kingpin drug dealer status over the next few years. After getting shot, shot at, stabbed, and left paralyzed from a devastating car accident at the age of 21, he went off to prison in1992 at 22. While imprisoned he was mentored and inspired by Black men who most will never see the light of day. These supermen behind bars guided him in finding knowledge and love of self through reading Africentered texts, which led to him writing his award winning and national bestselling life story. Since his release in 1999 he has gone on to pen 13 award winning and national best selling novels about redemption, self-determination, and resilience, 9 of which he published after re-activating Envisions Publishing in 2005. While raising his young son, writing books, and running multiple businesses Jihad became a full-time student at Atlanta Metropolitan College and Georgia State University in 2010 and in May of 2014 he graduated Summa Cum Laude with the highest GPA from Georgia State University. Thanks to a full scholarship from Georgia State University's African American Studies Department Jihad was able to continue pursuing his passion and in May of 2016 he graduated Summa Cum Laude, earning a M.A. in African-American Studies. Jihad is currently a single father raising his 14 year old son while working on bringing his stories to film. He teaches African-American Studies, and Sociology at an Atlanta College. He is also a church elder and Sunday school teacher.