Miami rapper Cheflodeezy is all smiles these days. Broke, homeless and living in despair on the tough streets of Tallahassee, Florida only a few years ago, he had no clue that he could have turned his life around so soon.

Now, he is on the verge of a musical breakthrough as his hot joint, Ecstasy, featuring Teejay, has been added to multiple playlists all across the world.

The Ecstasy single racked up over 320,000 streams on Spotify since its release, and it is the rapper’s most streamed song to date.

“It’s a great look, the video is streaming well, and I am getting a huge buzz in Jamaica, people are loving the synergy with me and Teejay and he is straight fire on his verse,” Cheflodeezy said.

He is far removed from being homeless and down on his luck in Florida only a few short years ago, showing how purpose and positivity can transform lives.

“I was homeless in Tallahassee, Florida. I started doing too many wrong things and ended up going to jail six times in one year. I fell off wicked because of that. I spent more time fighting cases than hustling and ended up homeless for a few months,” the Jamaican-born Cheflodeezy said.

Deezy moved to Opa Locka, Miami at the age of 9 where he lived with his mom and younger brother.

“I remember the food and the people the most.. cooking outside by the river. Mango bush. Climbing trees, only two meals per day,” he said.

Deezy found his love for music as a teenager at Miami Central High, when his best friend at the time introduced him to the beat making platform Fruity Loops. After high school, Deezy fell into the grimy street life, racking up an impressive record by age 21, with multiple arrests, and he lost more than a few close friends to gun violence. At one point, he found himself homeless and broke. His life was spiralling out of control.

Then he had a revelation, a Road to Damascus moment after the birth of his first child llamiyah.

“I had to make some changes,” he said.

He went to culinary school in Miami and pursued a career as a professional chef. This is where he got the nickname “Cheflodeezy”.

He rapped and free-styled and had other students listen to his music on a daily basis. After graduating culinary school, Deezy started to make a name for himself in the Miami culinary world where he was featured in Miami’s SoHo House world magazine as a rising star on Deco drive.

“I was a sous chef, and an executive chef at a few restaurants. Also was featured in various magazines and the Deco Drive TV programme featuring a few of my dishes,” he said.

He privately cooked for various celebrities on visits. He however never let his love for music die. Cheflodeezy went to recording studios on his days off and wrote music before and after work on most days.

He inked a recording deal with Miami-based indie label Artekal Music, and after a string of impressive bangers, producers from all over the world began sending beats his way. Now he is ready to establish himself as one of the genre’s top talents.

“I am going to take this all the way to the top, repping both Miami and Jamaica, creating a unique fusion between dancehall and rap,” Cheflodeezy said.