Lil Gnar Shares Crazy Story of How He Ended Up in a Wheelchair in High School

Doing things in your own way can have its benefits. For 22-year-old Oakland, Calif.-bred, Atlanta-raised rapper Lil Gnar, all he knows is marching to the beat of his own drum. He spent his childhood skating when most kids around him weren't into that. His passion for front blunting a hubba inspired him to create a skating apparel company. The clothes went hand in hand with the music, which kicked off his rapping, creating music with heavy rock influence.

His need to be true to himself has paid off, as his debut mixtape, Gnar Lif3, has performed well, along with his Lil Skies-assisted song "Grave" racking up millions of streams. While he's known for his tendency to be wild, Gnar went deeper to share more about himself in the latest episode of XXL's Who Am I?

Gnar moved to ATL when he was 11, which lead to his interest in skating. "I started skating like nine years ago," he reveals. "My stepbrother stole a board from a kid a few blocks away. He took that shit. We just fucked around on that shit for one day and I just loved it from then, come clean." You never know what'll kick off a new favorite pastime. Unfortunately, that pastime also landed Gnar in a wheelchair in high school after he tore three ligaments in his ankle.

Speaking of school, he also reveals that he wasn't exactly a fan of going to class when he was a kid. "I never liked school, I was never there," Gnar admits. "I've done homework maybe 10 times in my life. That's not to say I'm dumb!"

And when it comes to music, Gnar found his way there through making clothes for his apparel line, Gnarcotic. "I was already freestyling or whatever," he shares. "I've always loved music but through making clothes, all my homies became artists."

Gnar followed suit and never looked back. Watch him tell the story of his first tattoo, his weird, hidden talent and more in the video below. Check out his interview for XXL's The Break, too.

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