From the moment Vernell Brown, Jr. first touched a drum set at age two, his life was set to music. He spent his youth surrounded by music, studying drums, percussion, violin, and taking vocal lessons. It was during this time that he discovered his true passion for the piano. He served as Concertmaster for three years in his middle school orchestra at USC's Thirty-Second Street School of the Performing Arts and was also the drummer for the Jazz Band. Later, a brother-sister instrumental vocal duo was formed called "Brown Ink," with Vernell on vocals and percussion and Maisha on vocals and keyboards. Together, they performed in regional competitions and at countless venues. He was also the drummer for "Conflict," a teenage rock band. Guided by his father, Vernell Brown, Sr., a composer and guitarist, and his mother, Carlita Banks Brown, a lyricist and vocalist, who became his manager.