Although he was born in East Point, his family moved to Decatur before he reached the age of two. It was on the "Eastside" that Mugen (Eldridge Laidler) was raised. His parents divorced when he was four years of age, he says that, "this single event has shaped my outlook on life more than any other… for better and for worse." However, he did not allow the event deter him from applying himself to everything that he put his hands to. Even at a young age, his desire to be involved in the creative process of music was prevalent. At the age of 11 he began playing the saxophone in the elementary school band though many of his relatives will say that he loved the piano long before he had taken this "axe" up. In his preteens, Eldridge began to become fascinated at how hip hop and rap instrumentals were constructed but his ignorance on the process caused him to fear that it was totally "unrealistic" to re-create beats that he heard in his head. “Actually attempting to make a beat knowing nothing about the process is how I overcame that…” he said, “I just had to tackle the obstacle head on with no regards or fear of the outcome. At the end of the day it’s just music, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s not a matter that ones life depends on.” When asked about how his first beat came about, he responded , “ I was twelve years old and I was using a Yamaha keyboard that had a song sequencer on it. I didn‘t know any thing but which button to press to record and how to change the pattern. I succeeded in re-creating the beat I heard in my head but a couple of years later I found out that my beat had a lot in common with an old Master P song “Bout it ”.” His passion for production, although it “wasn’t consistent“, continued to grow. His inconsistency was partially due to his newly acquired gift of writing. “I found out that I could write rhymes when I was the age of thirteen. Don’t ask me what my first song was about because I don’t remember, and honestly I’d like to keep it that way.” He further added . “I started writing to Madlib beats or over old Bone Thugz in Harmony songs, they were pretty influential at the genesis of my writing career. Also at the time Nas was a big factor in the template I used to order my flow, though my lyrics weren’t quite on the same plane. ” Near the end of his middle school career, production, his “old love”, returned to the forefront of his priorities. “Fruity Loops is what took my production to the next level. I know it catches a lot of flack because it’s a “ beginners program,” , which is partially true since it is a great program for those who are just starting music production, but it definitely has hands down been my go to DAW and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.” With his new found talents “KuLI” ventured into the art of recording. He was set on superstardom but late in his time at Southwest DeKalb High School, his resolve would be tested through fire. “I had an epiphany. I was lost and didn’t even know it. I had spent my entire life in church thinking that I was saved yet the fruit of my life was sin and death, I started drinking at 14, smoking at 15, involved in sexual immorality as far back as I can remember, and now I‘m 16 and I can’t even answer my cousin’s question, “if you died would you go to heaven?” ” “That was the turning point” he added “from that moment on I regained consciousness, so to speak, and began to examine the things in my life that kept me from having a relationship with Jesus.” He had a new outlook on life but his refinement was far from over. “My senior year was the roughest time in my life, I knew the right way to go yet I chose to became associated with people who at the time would do anything for a dollar and it ended up with them getting caught up in murder. It’s kind of hard for me to talk about this because honestly I could have prevented the entire situation, yet I remained silent and I didn’t take any steps to do so. That’s part of the reason I’m so adamant on sharing Jesus with others because if it’s within my ability to help prevent them from going to hell, I’m guilty if I do not warn them about the danger that they’re in.” In 2010 Eldridge decided that “enough was enough” by truly denying himself and taking up his cross to follow Jesus. “Everything of the world was just so empty and vain, I wanted nothing to do with it anymore. I went to training for sound ministry and while waiting for it to begin, I opened the Bible to Numbers 6 “the vow of the Nazirite”. From that day on I‘ve dedicated my life to God”

Mugen Mentalities trials and triumphs are instrumental in the creation of his laid back yet aggressive style of music. He prefers to be referred to as a producer above the other “hats” God has graced him with, the ability to write, record, mix, and master all of his work making him a true one man band; but his humble view of all of the gifts he has been blessed with is summed up in the words of Fredrick Douglass “One and God make a majority”.