Author's story one of rise ... fall ... and rise
Posted On: Monday, Apr. 27 2009 05:35 AM
By Iuliana Petre
Killeen Daily HeraldAuthor, youth life coach and former "American Idol" contestant 26-year-old Kaliph Jamal, now of Harker Heights, has come a long way from the troublesome days of his youth and early 20s. During his early life he fell into drug abuse, alcoholism and homosexual behavior in an effort to reach superstardom. This self-abusive behavior came from low-self esteem rising from frequent abuse at the hands of family members.
In his book "Hollywood to Holywood," which was released last month, Jamal recounts his explicit life story – from his birth in a Texas jail to an inept mother, to his drug-addicted and homosexually fueled lifestyle in Los Angeles, Calif., to his return to grace as a reformed Christian. The book is an effort to deliver inspiration and empowerment to anyone between 13 and 30 who is seeking fame and fortune in the murky waters of the entertainment industry.
"I read something once where Larry Rudolph, Britney Spear's former manager, said 'when you get into the entertainment industry you better know you're going to the abyss,' in other words, the devil's playground," Jamal said. "That just really gave me an outlet to speak out about it, to show people what's in Hollywood. When I was young and going into it, I didn't believe that."
A born musician and music-lover, Jamal found his niche in singing and developed a unique talent, which he hoped would deliver him out of his difficult circumstances growing up in Lenoir, N.C.
Dropping out of high school during his freshman year, at the age of 15, citing that he was always treated as an outcast by his peers, Jamal headed to New York City, where he quickly fell into a world where homosexuality paid his way from one attempt at a record deal to another.
In 2002, he went to Los Angeles, Calif., to audition for the second season of "American Idol." Jamal survived two auditions but forgot the lyrics to his music during the third audition and was asked by music producer, Randy Jackson, to audition again the following year. Jamal by then was already knee-deep in a drug- and alcohol-fueled world.
"In the beginning, my journey was about becoming a musician, but I got caught up in homosexuality. I was going after the pleasurable things and it became less about music. I put what I wanted to do on a back burner and next thing I knew the drugs, alcohol and partying became everything to me. I forgot about music," Jamal said. He was, at the time, addicted to crystal meth, GHB – a modern party drug used to get high, it is also used as a date rape drug – and alcohol.
The turning point for Jamal came some time later ? after another record deal fell through ? he returned to North Carolina where he attended a revival at a church.
"That was when I really understood who I was," Jamal said. "I had been through a lot trying to get back into the industry. I realized that if I kept doing what I was doing I was going to die one day. I was partying every day and every night. When I was at that revival the pastor prayed over me. The Lord removed a lot of burdens out of my life."
Today Jamal is on a quest to save young people from the "demons" of the entertainment industry.
"If you go into it understanding who you are then no one else can define you," he said, adding that when he first entered the music industry he didn't know who he was and hence became a target to anyone who wanted to use him, manipulate him and get what they wanted from him.
Jamal's 100-page book "Hollywood to Holywood," is available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, amazon.com or at his Web site hollywoodtoholywoodbook.com for $16.99.
Contact Iuliana Petre at
ipetre@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7469.