Born in New York City, New York to two Korean immigrants, Rob Kim’s life has been one exemplifying dedication to hard work and an awareness of the world that surrounds him. Having spent a significant amount of his childhood working in the various stores his parents owned, Kim saw the sacrifices and labor of his parents as an influence on how he would go on to pursue his own goals.

A street on the Westside is named for Elgin Holbert's grandmother, Viola Cunningham, who was an early land owner. It is believed that in 2002 she donated the property for Madison School now renamed Wendell P. Williams Elementary School. Although from Eudora, Arkansas, a few miles from Mississippi, his parents are a mixed couple, mother is White and father, Black. His mother was treated well in the Westside community but was very private concentrating on rearing her children with little community interaction.