Sonny Sandoval

With their third studio album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, they achieved their initial mainstream success; the album was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2000.\n', ' Sandoval was born in San Diego, California.[citation needed] He grew up in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of South San Diego.[citation needed] He drank and used marijuana frequently during his teenage years.[citation needed] In 1992, when he was eighteen, Sandoval\'s mother died of leukemia at the age of 47.[citation needed] During her illness, Sandoval was greatly influenced by his mother\'s faith as a devout Christian. He pursued a career as an MC and later joined the band Enoch, a group started by Wuv Bernardo, Gabe Portillo and Marcos Curiel, which, with the addition of Sandoval, later became P.O.D. (initialism for "Payable On Death"). Sandoval states his musical roots as reggae, rock, and rap, all of which are apparent in P.O.D.[citation needed]\n', ' Sandoval is best known as co-founder and the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band P.O.D.\n', '