Pennjamin Bannekar

To some people rap music often feels like a reverse SAT test. Most people in urban America consider the SAT as an intellectual exercise inherently—if not intentionally—biased in a way that does not favor the skill sets of kids from oppressed minorities and dilapidated zip codes. It seems almost natural for a newcomer to edit out the squeaky clean parts of their resume to fit into this mindset of us against the world. But Pennjamin does not seem particularly pressed to play down the upper middle class upbringing and frequently mentions his mother’s central role in his life. " We all have different paths to walk in life, just because mine has a picket fence along it doesn't mean I don't experience heart break, or struggle to achieve my goals and it doesn't mean i don't know how it feels to be broke. I struggle to take care of my daughter and worry about her having the best in life. A lot of people have these problems and me rapping is the way to tell my story" After first gaining notoriety with the group Project: Fr3sh he burst onto the scene as the pretty boy of the group. At 24 Pennjamin Bannekar is still growing into his looks, with deep-set eyes that make his face somehow boyish. With features almost too large for his slim shoulders, it heightens his youthful qualities.  When asked about leaving the group Project: Fr3sh to start his solo career he replied “I respect what Project: Fr3sh accomplished together and they put me in this position,” he says. “But as a solo artist, I have to do my own thing. I’m not sure if that’s gonna be a struggle in the next couple months, to set myself apart. I don’t want it to feel like I'm being disrespectful either, but I know it’s a bridge that I’m going to have to cross as far as becoming my own person. ”Pennjamin is very articulate, driven and has a great vision for his career.  "It’s not that I am conceited or arrogant about my success, but i feel that, that i have to build a vision that’s strong enough for the world to see and the only way I can do that is by completing Heart Beat." When you listen to Pennjamin’s music, it is like opening his diary. He crafts each and every song to speak to someone's reality or a moment in his life. "Well I have always sorta been alone in my world. I have great relationships with my parents and stuff, but I’ve never really been connected to anything besides music, and it caused me to think a lot about how to craft stories through music. You can see the thought behind "Over Drive" as he crafts a vivid story of what life is like for him, ” His lead single "Set It Off” that tells the story of a misogynistic reality of some women. “Why Wouldn’t we” which is a pure R&B burner that is really a precursor of where sound is now and where he wants to go musically while "Fast Cars" is the kind of song that lends real credibility to his fans’ claims that Penn is the best lyricist on the hip hop scene in 2010.