PHENOM, born Teh’Ray Hale in 1977, learned to rhyme at the becoming age of 13 in the back streets of Chicago, Illinois. In the 2000 Source Magazine Unsigned Hype Emcee Battle PHENOM earned 2nd place to Detroit Hip-Hop legend and D-12 member “PROOF” out of 1000 nationwide contestants. Before being signed to Focus Music Group’s Visionary Recordings, PHENOM took his contagious fire to the poetry scene and founded the exciting poetic theater collective POETREE Chicago, “People’s Organized Entertainment Teaching Righteous Education Everywhere”. PHENOM has dedicated his life to empowering the People through his music. In 1995, First Lady Michelle Obama chose him for the Public Allies program where he had the opportunity to work with and teach youth about violence prevention strategies. PHENOM was influenced to start L.Y.R.I.C, (Let Your Rhymes Inspire Creativity) with co-founder and national poet K-Love in 2009. Today, the L.Y.R.I.C program serves Chicago-based high school students and offers them opportunity to write and perform poetry as a non-violent means to stopping the violence in their neighborhoods. His goal is to inspire change in the urban neighborhoods of Chi-town and abroad.
Follow PHENOM: PHENOM on YouTube | "Closed Mouf Don't Get Fed" | @PHENOM18 | PHENOM on Facebook
Rhymes: 2Pac "Keep Ya Head Up," The Roots "Silent Treatment," and Common "I Used to Love H.E.R."