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Artist of the Week - William "Nephibis" Young

Artist of the Week - William

William “Nephibis” Young has always been different.  During his youth he was often teased for being different and for being brave enough to stand up against the crowd.  He often felt invisible and started writing poetry as a form of escape from the cruelty he endured from his peers.  His difference and his treatment was the beginning elements that made up this councious, motivational and inspirational artist Nephibis.

Nephibis was born October 9, 1998 in Baltimore Maryland.  His travels took him to the West Coast as he grew up and his cousins introduced him to Hip Hop.  He got his first chance to try the craft of rhyming on New Years of 2005.  He was invited to participate in a “lyrical sphyer” called “New Years Spit”.  This is when he realized that not only was he good at the craft, that for the first time, he felt like people were actually listening to the “invisible man”, he felt himself to be.  He has been hooked ever since (www.reverbnation.com, 2017).  When he was younger, his peers often told him that he was like "Tupac".  After hearing this, he did some research on Tupac and he became one of his inspirations.  Creating and listening to music became his outlet.  His song “Bumping My Music” gives this message clearly.  It talks about how creating and listening to music is a great escape from bad realities.  We all can relate. 

Nephibis is one of the true testaments to the power of Hip Hop and how that platform influences the youth.  As a youth growing up he was exposed to all types of Hip Hop music.  Tupac was his first favorite artist, however as he learned more about Hip Hop History, he gained other favorites.  His names reflect his knowledge and growth as an artist and a human.  He started off as Grim Rippa after finding his ‘voice’ and had the opportunity to be exposed to live performing by Shy Lady heroine who would take him to her performances so he could become use to the music scene.  He recorded his first song with a Crip named “Pain”, that took him under her wing because she could see that he was going down the wrong path (www.reverbnation.com, 2017).  The song “No Explanation” was popular.

In just three months, Nephibis wrote and recorded his first album titled “Darkness in My Life”.  He recorded this album under the name Grim Rippa.  After this, Nephibis began to listen to other artist that were conscious about their message.  Rakim, KRS One, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Canibus, Dead Prez & many more, influenced Nephibis so much that he changed his name to Noble Grippa and became more determined to put forth a positive message that could change the world, just like “Pain” had suggested (www.reverbnation.com, 2017). 

Nephibis continued to grow as an artist and a person.  The more he learned about Hip Hop and what it meant to be a part of it, the more he felt a personal responsibility to those who would hear his songs. In 2013 he performed for the youth of New Beginnings at CHMCC Community Center.  The event that he performed at was called “Speak Life”.  This event is something catered to the youth.  They promote encouraging and inspiring children by suggesting they stay in school and avoid a life of crime.  This was the last exposure Nephibis needed to totally become focused on putting out positive messages to promote change in the world.

A snippet from his bio, it says:

“Nephibis’ desire is to make a positive impact in the world. Because of his past pain he desires to help others, so that they won’t be in pain. He wants to help people who are picked on, because they are different, to be strong and continue to be themselves. He wants to unite artists who make art due to their love for it and encourage them to continue to make music that represents them as artists rather than fall into the trap of believing they have to do things that aren’t a part of who they are in order to be successful”. (Bio of William Young, 2017).  His song “Fortune and Fame” talks about this directly.

 

He is a fine example of the heart that it should truly take to create Hip Hop and become a part of the lifestyle.  Be sure to check out more on the artist Nephibis, this weeks “Artist of the Week” to include an exclusive Hip Hop Humanism interview.  Check out the links below for more about Nephibis.

 

https://www.reverbnation.com/artist/894034

http://www.mcnoble.com/photos

https://soundcloud.com/rgrippa

https://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandid=875724

 

 

 

References

 

ReverbNation, 2017.  Artist Bio. From: https://www.reverbnation.com/artist/894034

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Written by:
Jay Rene @thejayrene

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Comments

  • Awesome Artist. Very gifted and talented young man! Enjoying seeing his rise. He has my respect and support!
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