October 22nd, 1985. Orange County, California. A star was born. Soon after, Zach Richards (aka Phene) accompanied his mother on a transition to the East Coast, while his father decided to remain on the West Coast. The trip led to York, PA, better known as York City or "YC".

Fast forward to 1999, the time when rapping became a hobby. As years passed, it rapidly grew into a passion, presenting a quiet individual the chance to express feelings in which otherwise, may have remained hidden. Investing in a small home studio setup, he began experimenting with recording songs & releasing small projects locally & online. By the time high school was complete, Phene had created an original consccious, yet commercial style, appealing to a wide variety of hip-hop followers.

Why the name Phene? To keep it simple, music brewed an addiction. An undeniable urge to play a part within the hip-hop community, & spread wisdom through real life messages.

Already under his belt are numerous mixtapes, the latest being Stop Spittin (Hosted by Ecko) (April 06). Along with the handful of mixtapes, Rehabilitation (Jan. 2005) was released, a more serious project containing collaborations with 8 different producers across the country. Constantly grinding to expand his work, Phene has generated a strong following locally, as well as online. Live shows have contributed to the success, performing beside artists like Grump (Sowa Records) and opening for Cassidy (Full Surface/J Records). Guest appearances on over 50 mixtapes, newspaper coverage, & interviews with area TV shows & websites conclude things are headed in the right direction.