You may have heard many emcee's, but rarely does one come across someone as versatile and gifted as Raphi Henly, AKA "Shame." Dropping "Cali Quake," his debut for Uprok, this Los Angeles, CA emcee reminds listeners and artists that truthful lyricism is a calling and not just a talent. Whether he is perfecting the art of word play, tongue twisting, or playful "battle" lyrics,
Raphi inspires the need to visit the rewind button, and listen to his skills again and again.
In 1993 Raphi joined the incredibly popular Hip Hop family known as the Tunnel Rats. As a young energetic emcee he gained the reputation of being the aggressive kid on the team. Although still very young, Raphi has become a mature young man as well as a genius strategist when it comes to music making, being featured on every Tunnel Rat release to date. (See discography below.)
Coming from a family of artists, it is no surprise that Raphi is among the musical elite whether in a recording booth, behind the camera, or on stage performing. His mother Maria Henly is known for her roles in such films and Broadway performances of "Westside Story," "Bed Knobs and Broomsticks," and "Swing Shift." Presently Ms. Henly is actively involved in the Directors Guild of America. Raphi's late father Don Henly, among many other things, was the personal manager for multi-platinum recording artist Debbie Boone. Brother Yuri Henly is becoming an established producer with the Hip Hop documentary "Freestyle,"
which has a small feature on Raphi " (along with such well known artists as Common, Mos Def, Wordsworth, Pharohe Monch, and Supernatural) and has been showcased in the LA Independent Film Festival and the Slam Dance film festival. (Yuri has also produced videos for the likes of Stone Temple Pilots, Smash Mouth, and Blink 182.)
Opening up for and performing with such groups as Living Legends, The Visionaries, Freestyle Fellowship, Boogie Monsters, Supernatural, Ahmad & 4th Avenue Jones, LA Symphony and more, Raphi is no stranger to live shows. Not to mention his touring experience in the early 90's with the Tunnel Rats, as well as being highly respected in the LA underground scene of the once
famous "The Good Life" and the now famous "Project Blowed." Raphi has gained a national and international following from the USA to Canada all the way to the land down under, Australia, being the main topic of chat rooms on many Hip-Hop related sites.
After years of learning and patience, Raphi has now arrived on the scene stronger than ever with his first full length CD titled "CaliQuake." Be prepared for this release to hit California followed by reports of strong aftershocks in every city state and country thereafter.