Gomes was born Paulo Sergio Gomes on February 29, 1964 to a mother of Brazilian descent and a father of Afro-Brazilian descent. He got his first start in the music industry as the frontman of the new wave band The Clue, which was active from 1984 until 1990. After that he fronted Live Urban Sexx Tribe from 1991 to 1994. He later met guitarist Wes Geer amidst the Orange County hardcore punk scene, and the two formed a band, recruited guitarist Chizad, bassist Mawk, drummer B.C. Vaught and DJ Product 1969. They named the group "Hed", which stands for "higher education". The band built a following based on energetic performances at local venues such as Club 369, and released the self-financed extended play, "Church of Realities". Legal issues forced Hed to change their name, adding "PE" (Planet Earth). The album, the band found themselves unable to repay the cash advances given to them by Jive. Gomes is quoted as saying "We had these romantic visions of the music industry, and we thought it would be cool to be a punk band on a rap label. So we fulfilled that dream, but it was also probably the worst thing that could have happened. [...] We've had offers from Sony and others that we can't take because we owe Jive so much money."