Check Out Cody Silva’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Silva.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been in love with video games for as long as I can remember. Back when I was just a kid, nothing lit up my world like firing up the NES, grinding away on Sega Genesis, or diving into the early days of PlayStation. Those plastic cartridges and discs weren’t just entertainment—they were whole worlds I could escape into. Gaming was my first obsession, right there alongside music. The ‘90s were a blur of cassettes, scratched-up CDs, and stacks of game cases. Both sound and pixels became the backbone of my life—two different lanes that somehow always felt like they were meant to crash into each other.

Fast-forward to adulthood: music became my profession. I wasn’t just a kid with headphones anymore—I was out there grinding, producing, touring, creating my own sound. I dropped my It Ain’t Eazy EP, which blew up bigger than I expected, and for the first time I was locked in to perform at Coachella. That was supposed to be the moment—a milestone not just for me, but for everything I’d been building toward. On top of that, Pandora had me lined up for a special performance, and a new tour was ready to kick off. Everything felt unstoppable… until COVID hit.

Just like that, the brakes slammed. Everything I’d worked for—gone, postponed, or straight-up canceled. I was left sitting in high waters, staring at the idea of maybe needing a full-time job just to keep my head above everything. That was a heavy feeling.

But then, my fans—bless them—kept pushing an idea I’d been sleeping on: Twitch. At first, it was just a way to keep performing, to keep that live energy alive. I’d freestyle, build beats, mess around with production, and let people watch me cook in real time. It felt raw, like being on stage but inside my own room. And man, it worked. Slowly, it started catching fire.

That’s when the other side of me came back—the gamer kid who grew up on controllers and memory cards. I started firing up retro games live on stream, mixing in music sessions, and building this weird, beautiful hybrid space. One night I’m tearing through Sonic the Hedgehog or Mega Man 2, the next I’m creating a beat from scratch with chat throwing in ideas. It became more than just streaming—it became a full-fledged career shift. A new lane where my two lifelong passions collided in real time.

Now, I’m not just a musician or a gamer—I’m both, fully. A professional producer and artist who happens to run a growing retro gaming store, freestyle live on Twitch, and share the magic of the past with people in the present. The environment is different from touring, sure, but the rush? The energy? It’s the same. It’s like I took the chaos of losing it all to COVID and rebuilt it into something bigger, louder, and more me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Along the way, the journey hasn’t been without its heavy blows. I lost my mother, the person who gave me the confidence to keep pushing toward my goals when the weight of the world felt too much. Her belief in me was the fuel behind so many of my steps, and losing her cut deeper than words can capture. Not long after, I lost my best friend, Herkz, someone who understood me not just as an artist but as a person, and his absence still echoes in everything I do. My dog Rocky, who had been with me through late nights, long sessions, and quiet moments of reflection, also passed, taking away a piece of the comfort I leaned on daily. On top of that, relationships and friendships crumbled, some fading during the chaotic isolation of COVID, others breaking under the pressure of the hype slowing down. It was a storm of loss—personal, emotional, and professional—all hitting at once.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love what I do—it’s not just work, it’s my passion and something I’ve fought to keep alive my entire life. I’m a professional musician, producer, and streamer, specializing in blending two worlds that shaped me from day one: music and gaming. I’m known for high-energy performances, live freestyles, and creating original music on the spot, as well as bringing retro gaming back to life through my streams and my growing retro game store.

What I’m most proud of is that I never gave up, even when life threw some of its hardest challenges my way. From losing my mother—the one who always pushed me to believe in myself—to saying goodbye to my best friend Herkz and my dog Rocky, to watching friendships and relationships fall apart during the isolation of COVID, I’ve had every reason to stop. But I didn’t. I kept moving, creating, and building.

Some of my biggest highlights have been working with Sega of America, Nintendo, and PlayStation, and being able to tour the country—often with little to no support from peers, friends, or family. Those struggles taught me to rely on resilience, and I think that’s what sets me apart: my resilience, dedication, heart, and relentless hard work. No matter how hard it got, I kept going, and that determination bleeds into everything I create.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Follow my journey!

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealfreshc/
• Twitter: https://x.com/retrofreshc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BackNTheGameRetro
• Other: https://www.twitch.tv/backnthegameretro