Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Durham, NC, Brockington was exposed to music early on in life and began singing at the age of two. He was brought up in a Seventh-day Adventist Church and sang his first solo at six years old. Shortly after that, he started to sing in community school-based functions and talent shows. Darien Brockington began his journey into R&B while attending North Carolina Central University. There, he met fellow musician, Phonte, one half of the hip hop duo, Little Brother in 2000. In 2003, Brockington was inducted as the first R&B singer, songwriter in the North Carolina based crew The Justus League. The following year, he collaborated with the then little known hip hop group The Foreign Exchange where he was featured on their first studio album Connected. Also in 2004, Brockington made appearances on Little Brotherâs second album, The Minstrel Show, and Rapper Big Poohâs solo album, Sleepers.