Rap is an evolving style of music characterized by beat-driven rhymes that express everyday life and feelings. This genre came into being in the African-American community in the late 1980's. This is about the time that David Cook sprang onto the scene. He hails from the Queensborough section of Shreveport, Louisiana, but his family later moved to Mansfield, Louisiana. Even as a very young boy, Cook knew he had a heart for music and cut his teeth on the likes of NWA, Scarface, Geto Boys, and 2Pac, to name a few. Cook discovered his true ability to rap and worked to perfect his ability to free-style. With his transition to high school, David began to write original rhymes. During this phase of his development, he secretly stock-piled all of his lyrics while continuing to craft his own unique style of rap. Though still unheard, Cook was soon discovered by a long-time friend who was doing his own thing in producing rap music and rap artists. Amazed at Cook's ability at word play, his friend insisted on introducing his talent by putting him on the then upcoming album entitled, “Still Flowin” by the Mansfield group, H2O. This propelled Cook into the world of rap music as a rap artist when he officially became a member of H20 in 2001. The group later disbanded, but he has continued with his solo career. The music world welcomes D.Cook as he debuts his first mixed tape, "Key to the City". Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.