Joseph "Doeman" Gonzales was born and raised in Southeast Houston, Texas. Doeman's music is largely about his experiences as a young Mexican-American man growing up in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of Houston. The self-proclaimed "Barrio God" grew up listening to classic Motown & soul music like The Temptations, Sonny Ozuna, and Sam Cooke with his parents. At the same time developing a love for '90s rap greats like 2Pac, DMX, and Big Pun, all of whom still have a major influence on his music today. It is through these experiences that Doeman has developed his own sub-genre of hip hop that he calls "Brown Soul".