Several Augusta Public Transit passengers have likely heard samplings of up-and-coming R&B artist Los Mann while riding on Washington Road in the past three years.

Since he began driving APT buses in 2005, Carlos "Los Mann" Hicks has found a way to make his day job serve as a bridge to his after-hours passion.

"I sell CDs to some of my passengers," said Mr. Hicks, 32. "Driving a bus is like working in a barbershop. Anything going on in the streets, you're going to hear about it."

The bus driving business has been Mr. Hicks' bread and butter for close to 10 years, but singing has been a part of his life since he was 8 years old. He now has plans to perform his music, and a new CD is in the works.

As a child, Mr. Hicks would sing in bands that performed Go-go music, a form of funk music popularized in the Washington, D.C., area, around his inner city neighborhood in Annapolis, Md. He started to lead his own groups by age 15, he said.

His personal troubles often interfered with his dreams of stardom. His parents' divorce when he was 16 hit him hard, Mr. Hicks said.

"Once my dad left, I was hanging out on the corner. Police had to bring me home a lot of nights," he said. "I tried to put that negative energy in my music."

The troubled teen eventually ended up at an alternative school but didn't graduate. His focus soon became his new family. His first son, Carlos Jr., with wife Shadonna, was born in 1994. Daughters Chyna and Chela were born in the next four years.

He admits he was not ready to be a father, but the new responsibility gave him the push to improve his life. He received a diploma through an adult education program in 2002, and bought a home.

By 2005, Mr. Hicks and his wife decided to move to the Augusta area so their children could get a better education where the cost of living was cheaper. It would help his music career, he said.

A passenger who enjoyed his music passed his CD along to local rapper J. Peso, which led to his collaborations with Rico Wingate, a Miami-based rapper who now lives in Augusta.

Mr. Wingate said he saw the passion Mr. Hicks had for music immediately.

"He's a smooth brother. I liked his sound," he said. "There was honesty in his music. I knew when we got together we were going to be like Fort Knox, hard to break down."

Both artists are now putting the finishing touches on Los Mann's new CD, From the Crab House to the Waffle House . The title refers to his transition from Annapolis, known for its crab cakes.

Mr. Hicks said he wants to perform clean music that people can relate to.

"I'm living proof that you don't have to stay in the 'hood; you don't have to be the stereotype," he said.

Mr. Hicks plans to release his CD by late June and go on a college tour.

Reach Stephanie Toone at (706) 823-3215 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.