Michael Penn II, otherwise known as CRASHprez, is a Washington, D.C.-born, P.G. County, Maryland-bred 18-year old MC, spoken word artist, producer, and audio engineer. He began recording music in the basement of his home at the age of 14 years old using a USB microphone and the family computer. Now six projects deep, CRASH has evolved into a diverse and seasoned writer who is unafraid of expressing his emotions or opinions through witty wordplay, sharpened sarcasm, and a darkened style of humor.

His subject matter is polished enough to walk the tightrope between stand-up comedy and cynical social commentary, yet rebellious enough to break hip-hop’s boundaries while pondering their existence in the first place. He is one of the founding members of the Kool Klux Klan hip-hop collective based in the DMV area and a member of the newly-founded Grammy Family hip-hop collective.

CRASH is no stranger to the spoken word scene as well. He has frequented local open mic scenes since the age of 14. He began slamming as a member of the Creative Writing Alliance which led to him becoming a member of the 2010 Maryland All-Stars Youth Slam Team at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam in Los Angeles, CA. More recently, he was a member of UW-Madison’s 2012 Slam Team at the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational in La Verne, CA.

CRASH has also excelled in his personal pursuit of knowledge; he is currently on scholarship for his accomplishments in artistry and academia under the First Wave Urban Arts scholarship program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while pursuing a degree in journalism. Now a sophomore in college, CRASH is currently spending time perfecting his blend of hip-hop between study sessions and the daily grind of student life. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.