*Pure Hip-Hop Escaping All Reality*
Rather than / imitate/, they demonstrate a post-modern, yet authentic
Hip Hop sound. Emerging from Detroit’s “underground”, P.H.E.A.R. are
conductors navigating through the mulky waters of musical mediocrity
often plaguing the scene. They are a hip hop duo that represents with a
refreshingly different and unique sound that shouts with creativity and
innovation. With a combination of raw lyrics, exciting cutting edge
production and a highly energized stage performance, they produce a
soulful sound that embodies the true essence of Hip-Hop!
Enter Mic Phenom (Micah Richardson) to the scene. Beginning his Hip Hop
trek during his 10^th grade year of high school, he didn’t take being an
artist seriously until two years later. “I would be the guy in the
lunch room taking brushes, pens and stuff and making beats on the
tables. That’s back when I used to skip class to go to the lunch room
and rap. It was like I had three lunch periods straight! That’s how
much I was into it.” Crediting his musical father (once the drummer for
James Brown) and cousin Denaun Porter (best known as Kon Artis of Hip
Hop’s “D12”, but also prominent producer for many major-label artists
under the moniker “Mr. Porter) as inspiration for his beat-making. Mic
Phenom states, “I used to watch my dad play drums. I wasn’t as skilled
as him, but I made beats with whatever I could get my hands on. It was
the essence of the lunch table! I guess you could say I am a veteran
beat-maker from the lunch table.” Enrolling in activities like Jazz
Band, Drama and Choir classes helped to shape and develop Mic Phenom’s
musical and performance skills.
P.H.E.A.R. began to take shape in 2000 when Mic Phenom and long time
friend Entense (Kevin Adams) joined forces. “Mike and I have been
friends since middle school,” Entense states. “I’ve always been a
writer. I began writing and then I got into art. That wasn’t
fulfilling. That was around the time I started listening to music. I
took someone else’s rap and changed the words and made a parody of it,
like Weird Al Yankovic. I took all the writing and art skill I had to
work and put it out as music.” Entense also credits Denaun Porter and
D12 “group mate” Kuniva as being two of the strongest influences in his
career. “The only people we really hung around was D12 and grimy cats.
We learned a lot from watching them, especially Denaun and Kuniva. They
were really the one’s who taught us how to be dope. We were ‘back pack’
but we were battle rappers at the same time. We decided in 2002 that we
weren’t taking any punches!” Mic Phenom further adds, “Then real life
happened!”
As the acronym denotes, Pure Hip-Hop Escaping All Reality (P.H.E.A.R.)
represents a very organic, conscious movement taking place in Hip Hop
music. “When we first started, the definition of the name was cool,”
states Entense. “It kinda turned our perspective of our music around.”
Describing their sound as “Neo-Street”, P.H.E.A.R. pride themselves on
taking risks in their music that goes against the norm of using
cookie-cutter “formulas” often used by many of today’s artists and
producers. As Mic Phenom adds, “The music out there didn’t really
represent us. I feel like a lot of the music today is tainted because
you don’t have that feeling that you used to have when you listened to
music back in the day. People are scared to do that because they don’t
want to touch on things and take chances on doing music that others are
afraid to do. That’s one element that makes P.H.E.A.R. stand out among
the rest.”
On the Detroit sound, P.H.E.A.R. brings their own to the forefront.
“Our sound is a mixture of ‘Neo-Soul’ and underground Hip-Hop,”
describes Entense. “We represent life in general. I think music is
life. We exemplify every aspect of life that we can when we do our
music.” He further adds, “We don’t represent any specific group. We
bring a common sense, straight in your face, with no holds barred
reality check. We’re not trying to take people where they haven’t been.
Everyone thinks the same thing we are thinking. If you are a person,
you will be able to identify with the subject matter we are talking
about. You can’t be a grown man and not understand where we are coming
from. You can’t be a woman and not understand where we are coming
from. You can front all you want.”
According to Mic Phenom, “A lot of our subject matter deals with
relationships. This is what influences me most. Everyone deals with
relationship issues most. That’s something we’re good at talking
about. We have a gift for doing it. We do music that fits us. Music
that’s representative of the lifestyle we live. Music is life. We stay
true to ourselves.”
Demonstrating strong lyrical skills and dropping some of their tightest
verses on stand-out tracks like “Amount To Something”, “What Happened?”
and the internationally released (2005) Runyon Ave Records/ABB single “I
Love Her Again”, considered a Hip Hop classic, proves that P.H.E.A.R.
are a force to be reckoned with! “We have received a lot of great
reviews and press on ‘Love Her Again’,” states Mic Phenom. “The response
we’ve received has been phenomenal, especially for a first effort from a
group that didn’t have a strong fan base and was virtually unknown
except for on Detroit’s underground scene! The internet has played a
great part in this. We still get a lot of hits and internet radio
support!”
P.H.E.A.R. will captivate the listener with songs consisting of a wide
variety of artistic elements. In essence, their conscience inspired
lyrics will give true hip hop listeners exactly what they’ve been
longing for! The sheer intensity of every track puts the listener on
alert. Both MC’s bring divergent styles to the mix. Chock full of
intelligence so lacking in the majority of Hip Hop music today, the
group intend to help fill the void that exists within today’s music.
This plight inevitably leads to the ultimate task of assisting in the
“re-inventing” of Hip Hop. P.H.E.A.R. provides the rescue for those
seeking to escape the mundane.
[LOVEMYFLASH]
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