Growing up listening to music ranging from Soul, Gospel, and R&B, it wasn't until hearing Eightball & MJG's "Coming Out Hard" that Stanza would fall in love with hip-hop. While this influence led him to initially try his hand at production, he quickly discovered his talent for writing. Some of his first recordings were as a member of a group, but it wasn't until after going solo and then a chance meeting years later with his future partners that Stanza's music would be fully realized.