Torch (American rapper)

Torch was born Kevin Christopher Belnavis to his parents Lorna and Christopher Belnavis on July 12, 1982, in the Castle Hill area of the Bronx, New York City.^[2] Kevin spent most of his childhood on the streets of this rough neighborhood and earned the nickname "Torch" for his volatile and unpredictable misbehavior.^[2] Fearful of the dangerous path her son was on, his mother Lorna sent Torch to Miami, Florida to live with his older sister.^{[citation needed]} While living in Miami, Torch met Rick Ross, Gunplay, and Young Breed, future members of his Triple C's group.^[2][3]

Though skilled with words and wit, Torch struggled academically. Having attended PS 136 and Junior High School 125 in New York, he was expelled from three high schools before finding an advocate in the principal at the fourth. At Lehman High School, the school principal helped Torch catch up in his classes and makeup months of neglected work to graduate on time with his class. While in high school, Torch met Kenta "Geter K" Geter, future VP of Maybach Music Group, with whom he later signed.^[4]

In 2005, Torch served a brief sentence in a New York state prison on drug charges.^[5] Shortly after his release, Rick Ross shot to fame with his platinum single "Hustlin'." Torch has said that he began to believe that his own life might amount to something larger than the struggle on the streets.^[2]