Ian Samuels was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He graduated from high school there and became a writer. In 1988, he migrated to the United States. He studied plastics at Adam Spence cooperation and worked as a plastic compounding and extrusion tech in 1999. He went to suburban technical school in long island for nursing in 2001. He worked a few more jobs and then relocated to New Jersey in 2005. He is currently a care manager at an assisted living facility, a songwriter, and author.