Kashaun Rameek Rutling (born May 16, 1989), known professionally as Phresher (stylized as PHresher), is an American rapper from

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Phresher first gained recognition in 2016 for his single "Wait a Minute" featuring

Remy Ma Reminisce Mackie ( Smith; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. In 2006, she released her debut stu ...

, and found continued success with his single "Right Now" featuring

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...

in 2017. In late 2017, he was featured on

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

's song "

Chloraseptic Chloraseptic is an American brand of oral analgesic that is produced by Tarrytown, New York-based Prestige Consumer Healthcare, used for the relief of sore throat and mouth pain. Its active ingredient is phenol (just in Sore Throat Spray, not in ...

" from his ninth studio album '' Revival'', which debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200. In 2018, he was featured on an official remix of "Chloraseptic" alongside Eminem and

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

Early life

Rutling was born in

, New York, and is of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

ian descent. Growing up in the Bamaz Projects, a heavily crime-ridden area in

East New York, Brooklyn East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough lin ...

, he was an only child raised by both his parents. He was an athlete in high school as a teenager, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School, graduating in 2004. He was a member of the football team and played safety and wide receiver in Division II. His first son was born when he was sixteen years old, forcing him to quit sports to focus on raising his son. It was not until his father sent him a hip hop beat that he began to explore his rapping skills. He decided to pursue a life in music when he was 21. At the beginning of his career, he wrote over 100 songs which were never released, but drastically helped him improve his writing and delivery.

Career

Early career

Rutling was a

paraprofessional Paraprofessional is a title given to individuals in various occupational fields, such as education, librarianship, healthcare, engineering, and law. Historically, paraprofessionals assisted the master professional of their field. In more recent tim ...

in New York City public schools for 10 years before he decided to pursue a musical career. During his time as a paraeducator, Rutling worked with

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

students and often worked in

youth detention center In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...

s. At the time, he made music on the side as a novice; however, it wasn't until he realized his potential talent that he decided to focus on music full-time. In addition to making music, Rutling also owns a clothing line named "SO BarKlay Apparel."

Musical career

Phresher released his debut song, "Polo Song", in 2010. Around 2012, Phresher started to release singles, EPs, and music videos onto the internet, which saw minor success. He released his debut mixtape, ''Take It Personal'', in 2015. In 2016, his single "Wait a Minute" was pitched to the YouTube global music team by The Young 'N Grateful Group, becoming an instant success. Following "Wait a Minute" receiving several million views, the video caught the attention of rapper

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, who later appeared on a remix of the song along with rapper

. The song appeared as a bonus cut on the

DJ Whoo Kid Yves Mondesir (born October 12, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Whoo Kid, is an American hip hop DJ. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records and its subsidiary label, Shadyville Entertainment. He is the host of ''The Whoolywood Shu ...

mixtape ''Lost Flash Drive'' and released on G-Unit Records. Rapper

Royce da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and ...

also put forth a freestyle remix over "Wait a Minute." Following Royce promoting the remix via social media, Eminem made a notable mention of the freestyle.

's heavy revere as to Royce's word play ultimately led the Detroit rapper to become interested in Phresher. In 2017, Phresher's management duo Jay Andino and Michael Caseau had become sought after by Shady Records staff; initially, to aid in production for the upcoming '' Revival'' album. After several hundred instrumentals were sent by the Young 'N Grateful collective to no avail, Caseau suggested to Shady Records A&R's, stating: :''"Phresher collaborating with Em' could give that same platform and vibe Royce gave on the remix. Instead of using a similar beat, we just need any beat with him on it to recreate the energy, not the sound design.” Thereafter, Caseau worked closely with

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful i ...

' A&Rs. In 2017, Eminem's long-time manager Paul Rosenberg contacted Andino, stating Eminem had interest in collaborating with Phresher. Eminem's mix engineer flew to New York to meet with Phresher to record "Chloraseptic," listed as track No. 3 on ''Revival''. Phresher spoke about the collaboration, stating: :''"When I first heard that he wanted me on the project, I was astonished. I didn't believe anything until they actually flew in and recorded the record. That's when I was like, 'Oh! This is real.' It was about two months ago, three the most. That was just amazing, man. We met in the studio. That was just crazy."'' On April 5, 2018, Phresher released the song "Teamwork" as the lead single from his debut studio album, ''PH'' (2018). The song's music video was released four days later on April 9. The second single from the album, "You Do", was released on May 11, 2018. The music video for "You Do" was released on May 23, 2018. On June 3, 2018, Phresher was brought out to perform " Chloraseptic (Remix)" alongside Eminem on the third day of the

Governors Ball Music Festival The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by original founders Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an arra ...

Randall's Island Randalls Island (sometimes called Randall's Island) and Wards Island are conjoined islands, collectively called Randalls and Wards Islands, in New York County, New York City,

, New York City. After multiple delays, ''PH'' was released on June 15, 2018. The album contains sixteen tracks and features guest appearances by

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

Joey Badass Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...

, and

, among others. From December 2019 to March 2020, Phresher starred as a cast member on VH1's reality series '' Love & Hip Hop: New York''. On July 10, 2020, Phresher released his second extended play, ''Brick by Brick''. It features guest appearances by

Stunna 4 Vegas Khalick Antonio Caldwell (born January 1, 1996), better known as Stunna 4 Vegas (formerly stylized as $tunna 4 Vegas), is an American rapper. He is currently signed to DaBaby's label Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment. His most popular singles are ...

, A Boogie wit da Hoodie,

Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...

, and

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

, among others.

Artistry

Influences

In an interview, Phresher stated that his influences include

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, and

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

Musical style

Phresher is known for his versatile sound; when asked by '' XXL'' about his music style, he noted that "it's all over the place. People say I sound like I'm from the South, some say I sound like I'm from California."

Personal life

Phresher has two children, a son and a daughter with Jennifer Coreano. In his spare time, he coaches basketball and football.

2020 assault and robbery

On November 20, 2020, Phresher was the target of a robbery and attempted kidnapping. According to a post he made on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, he was robbed at gunpoint, pistol-whipped, and nearly kidnapped by a group of individuals. Among the items stolen from him were his car, his cash, and his jewelry. On November 26, he shared a post on Instagram to express his gratitude after surviving the attack and confirmed that he was recovering well.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

* "My Circle" (2016) * "On the Low" (feat.

Desiigner Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single "Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released fr ...

) (2016) * "Danny Devito" (feat. Desiigner &

Rowdy Rebel Chad Marshall (born November 24, 1991), known professionally as Rowdy Rebel, is an American rapper from Brooklyn who is signed to GS9 and Epic Records. He is a member of the Brooklyn-based GS9 crew alongside rapper Bobby Shmurda. Rowdy Rebel app ...

) (2016) * "Wait a Minute" (2016) * "Fakin' Moves" (with ScoHoolie) (2016) * "Wait a Minute (Remix)" (feat.

) (2016) * "Lyft (Fuck a Uber)" (2017) * "Feel a Way" (feat.

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

Don Q Don Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q, "Puerto Rico's best-known rum", is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where ov ...

Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...

) (2017) * "Whole Thang" (2017) * "Radio" (2017) * "Cookin'" (2017) * "Right Now" (feat.

) (2017) * "Teamwork" (feat.

Philthy Rich Phillip Anthony Beasley (born January 30, 1983), known professionally as Philthy Rich is an American rapper. He first began his career in 2007 when he recruited fellow rappers Mistah F.A.B., J. Stalin, Shady Nate, Beeda Weeda, Ray Ryda, Eddi P ...

& Derez Deshon) (2018) * "Like Dis" (2018) * "You Do" (2018) * "Keep It Up (Remix)" (feat.

Famous Dex Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born September 6, 1993), better known by his stage name Famous Dex, is an American rapper and singer. His 2018 debut album ''Dex Meets Dexter'' peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200, while its singles " Pick It Up ...

) (2018) * "Papi Chulo" (2018) * "All the Smoke" (2019) * "Birthday Drip" (with DJ Prymetyme and Klassic) (2019) * "Duck Sauce (Remix)" (with Saint Vinci and

DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut albu ...

) (2019) * "Bout Time" (2020) * "Gawd Damn" (2020) * "Nasty Work" (2020) * "Mamba Sauce" (2020) * "Point Em Out" (feat. A Boogie wit da Hoodie) (2020) * "Big Dawg" (with

) (2020) * "Mood" (2020) * "Set the Tone" (feat. Kocky Ka and

Benny the Butcher Jeremie Damon Pennick (born November 27, 1984), known professionally as Benny the Butcher or simply Benny, is an American rapper. He is part of the hip hop collective Griselda with frequent collaborators and first-cousins Westside Gunn and Conw ...

) (2020) * "Still Got Da Juice" (2021) * "Whistle Flow" (2021)

Guest appearances

* "Add It Up" – Mone Yukka (feat.

OG Maco Benedict Chiajulam Ihesiba Jr. (born April 23, 1992), better known by his stage name OG Maco, is an American rapper from College Park, Georgia. He is perhaps best known for his 2014 debut single "U Guessed It" which peaked at number 90 on the US ...

, Phresher &

Ash Riser Ash Winston Riser (August 29, 1989 – June 12, 2021), also known by his former stage name Ashtrobot, was an American recording artist and music producer. Born and raised in California, he embarked on his music career when he was 15 years ol ...

) (2016) * "Doing Well" – Ghetto God (feat. Phresher,

& Lola Brooke) (2017) * "All I Know" – Hoodrich V (feat. Phresher) (2017) * "Play Dumb" – Big Bz (feat. Phresher) (2017) * "

" –

(feat. Phresher) (2017) * "Upset" – Fatboy SSE (feat. Phresher & Lar$$en) (2017) * "Vibes" – Shae Brock (feat. Phresher) (2018) * "Chloraseptic (Remix)" – Eminem (feat.

& Phresher) (2018) * "Groomed By the Block" –

Stevie Stone Stephen Lewis Williams (born July 28, 1981), better known by his stage name Stevie Stone, is an American rapper from Columbia, Missouri. He was signed to Tech N9ne's Strange Music record label from 2011 to 2021 and has since founded his own reco ...

& JL (feat. Phresher) (2018) * "Bae a Nigga" – Rush Reid (feat. Phresher) (2018) * "Ambition" – Homeyhill (feat. Phresher) (2019) * "Who Want It!?" – Jaquae (feat. Phresher & Manolo Rose) (2019) * "What You Need" – Scoob da Dawg (feat. Phresher & Jerome Milly) (2019) * "Err Body (Remix)" – Scotty Malone (feat. Phresher) (2020) * "Can't Tell" – ReLoaded Rose and Raj Beats (feat. Phresher) (2020) * "Back Against the Wall" – Majesty (feat. Phresher) (2020) * "Jumping Jack" – Knew Felony (feat. Phresher) (2020) * "Sports Car" – Wolf and Coby Persin (feat. Phresher & EibiOne) (2021)

Filmography

References

{{Authority control Living people African-American male rappers Rappers from Brooklyn East Coast hip hop musicians Gangsta rappers 1989 births 21st-century American rappers Trap musicians American rappers of Trinidad and Tobago descent