Kashaun Rameek Rutling, known professionally as Phresher, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. Phresher first gained recognition in 2016 for his single "Wait a Minute" featuring Remy Ma, and found continued success with his single "Right Now" featuring Cardi B in 2017. In late 2017, he was featured on Eminem's song "Chloraseptic" 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.
Early life
Rutling was born in Brooklyn, New York, and is of Trinidadian descent. Growing up in the Bamaz Projects, a heavily crime-ridden area in East New York, Brooklyn, 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 in order 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 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 students and often worked in youth detention centers. 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 YouTubeglobal 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, who later appeared on a remix of the song along with rapper Remy Ma. The song appeared as a bonus cut on the DJ Whoo Kid mixtape Lost Flash Drive and released on G-Unit Records. Rapper Royce da 5'9" 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. Eminem'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 Redords 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: Thereafter, Caseau worked closely with Shady Records' 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: On April 5, 2018, Phresher released the song "Teamwork" as the lead single from his debut studio album, PH. 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 " alongside Eminem on the third day of the Governors Ball Music Festival in Randall's Island, 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, Joey Badass, and Cardi B, among others. Since December 2019, Phresher has starred as a cast member on VH1's reality series .
Artistry
Influences
In an interview, Phresher stated that his influences include Eminem, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Drake, and The Notorious B.I.G.
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 Jenn the Groupie Slayer. In his spare time, he coaches basketball and football.
