Ruth Brinkley, also known as Infinite Wisdom, was born in Lakewood, New Jersey to an Afro-Cuban mother and African-American father. Her parents separated when she was about 2. Growing up Infinite’s father, Earl Brinkley an R&B singer, toured with groups such as Sugarhill & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire; therefore, music was a powerful influence in her upbringing. By age 7 her father got out of the music business and moved the family from California to South Florida. Her first tim...
Ruth Brinkley, also known as Infinite Wisdom, was born in Lakewood, New Jersey to an Afro-Cuban mother and African-American father. Her parents separated when she was about 2. Growing up Infinite’s father, Earl Brinkley an R&B singer, toured with groups such as Sugarhill & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire; therefore, music was a powerful influence in her upbringing. By age 7 her father got out of the music business and moved the family from California to South Florida. Her first time performing in front of an audience was in 5th grade. Like many, her childhood wasn’t a perfect one, and by age 15 she was on her own. She lived in a group home, at shelters and with friends. At 16, she joined Job Corps, a federal trade program for 16- to 24-year-olds in Albany, GA. During those years she started becoming aware of her talent. Brinkley turned to music to see her through that tough phase of her life. She grabbed the microphone every chance she got, at talent shows, freestyle ciphers, and local studios. Influenced by rappers such as Tupac Shakur, Public Enemy, Lauryn Hill, and Rakim; Infinite Wisdom found her own style and meshed the styles of many of her favorite MC’s. It wasn't until one of her brothers fatally overdosed at the age of 20 that she and her father reconciled. A year later, she lost a second brother to a brain aneurysm. Her mother found him in bed. After her brothers died, she rededicated herself to her music. Prior to their deaths she hadn’t tried to get into the industry; however, the tragic events sharpened her focus and inspired her to pursue her music career fulltime. Under the name Shortyreal she started doing local showcases and opened up for artists such as Mr. Cheeks and Rah Digga in Miami. South Florida’s local newspaper The Sun-Sentinel included Infinite Wisdom in a full spread article about the underground hip-hop scene in South Florida. In the article it went into the difficulty for upcoming artists with a positive message to get on in the area. Infinite Wisdom left Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in fall of 2008 and relocated to NYC to begin working on her first album, after realizing the demographic was not the right one for her type of music. Prior to relocating she recorded and began pushing two mixtapes under the name Shortyreal: “The Real Deal”, and “Truth Will Set You Free Vol.1: MakHERveli Mixtape”. She stopped working a regular job and started selling her own music hand to hand. So far she has moved over 5000 units herself between Florida and NYC. In 2009 Brinkley decided to change her stage name from Shortyreal to Infinite Wisdom after building with The Nation of Gods and Earths otherwise known as the 5% Nation for over two years. She felt it more describes the image she wants to portray to the people. Infinite Wisdom performed at the nation’s annual “Show n Prove 2009” with Brand Nubians and Force MD’s. As a woman in the hip-hop industry her goal is to be a positive role model for young women in society and add balance to a misogynistic industry where there are few images of what a real woman is. The name Infinite Wisdom means: eternally building with wise words, ways, and actions, and symbolizes the Asiatic black woman. Her mission is to utilize her talent to be a powerful influence in society at all levels. Her message is political, conscious, and inspirational. Infinite intends to stay as independent as possible so her message will not be compromised to fit into the box of the present music industry.
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