Friday Da 13th was born John W. Leathem III in the Tonomy Hill Projects of Newport Rhode Island. As is the case with many impoverished youth he gravitated towards the Hip Hop culture at an early age first honing his skills as a graffiti artist, then making the transition to emcee and eventually producer. Always inspired by the struggle, his focus is to help uplift those who have endured similar tribulations, proving to them that it is possible to overcome the perils of poverty while maintaining a positive outlook on life. From Newport’s “largest and most troubled public housing project,”to performing in Manhattan, interning at Bad Boy Records, producing for Hanz On and Method Man as well as The Investigation Discovery Channel, and doing live sound for The President, Friday Da 13th has shown that no matter how humble your beginnings, if you set your goals high enough and believe in yourself nothing is unattainable.
People often ask “why the name Friday Da 13th?” The answer is a complex amalgam of evolving reasons starting first with the fact that his birthday happens to fall on the day of the same name. Delving deeper, the meanings and reasons turn to numerology, religion, conspiracy and his seeking of the truth. The number 13 is often seen as bad luck in many cultures however it also exemplifies the unknown or unnoticed truth. It is a prime number, one that cannot be divided, a Fibonacci number, a Happy number, a centered square number and only one of three known Wilson primes. According to the Bible there were twelve disciples of Jesus, if you include Jesus it brings the total number of people to 13. According to Islam 13 is also the total of 1 Prophet and 12 Imams in the Shia school of thought. According to the Torah God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. According to the Kabbalah there are 13 circles that make up Metatron’s Cube or the Fruit of Life. Many proponents of truth are also linked to Friday the 13th. It is said that the order to extinguish the Knights Templar was given on Friday the 13th in order to keep the truth a secret. Tupac Shakur, a Hip Hop pioneer of truth who many say was assassinated for his outspoken ideology, past away on Friday the 13th. All of this and much more are a part of the namesake that Friday Da 13th has chosen to uphold.