A young rap star is on the rise, but he cannot and does not want to forget his past.

Chris “Young Bruus” Hughes, 25 of DeKalb, has been looking to make a name for himself in the rap industry and got his breakthrough onto the scene just this past month. Hughes won the Underground Music Awards best music video of the year for his video “I’m Raw.”

But his recent success cannot take away what he has gone through the past ten years.

After moving in and out of homes at 16, Hughes was on his own and homeless at 19 in Chicago.

“I wish that on nobody,” Hughes said on being homeless. “Think of it as being the exact opposite of where you want to be.”

Hughes said he had to sleep on park benches, trains and sometimes closets.

“I did some dirty things to survive,” Hughes said. “I would pick locks and sleep where I could just to stay out of the Chicago winter.”

Before Hughes found himself looking to make it big in rap, all he used to do was write “street poems.”

“I never expected to get into rap,” Hughes said. “My guy, Lil Tank, convinced me to get in the booth and just rap what I wrote. I instantly fell in love with the idea of hearing myself over the music.”

Last year, Hughes’ girlfriend earned a promotion and was given the opportunity to move out to DeKalb. She asked him to move in with her and Hughes credits his choice as a smart decision to make.

“I did it to get back on my feet,” Hughes said. “I was stubborn about it saying ‘No, I don’t want to go out there,’ but I had to think of what was best.”

Hughes has worked his way up in a short period of time after winning his award earlier this month.

The Underground Music Awards were held at the B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square where he was able to network with other up-and-coming artists and meet a couple big names in the game.

“I got a chance to meet Ice-T and Naughty by Nature,” Hughes said. “It was crazy.”

Hughes is not sure what is next for him but he knows he does not want to settle.

“I’m not happy with where I’m at,” Hughes said. “I feel like I’ve been paying my dues for five years.”

Hughes wants to be recognized as a mainstream artist and use his music as an avenue to help others on the streets.

“I know what the big picture is in all this,” he said.