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Beyond Emancipation

2013 Champion: YM

ym_photostrip ym Oakland Leaf (a program “providing students and their parents the resources they need to become agents of positive change in their community”), gave YM the opportunity to extend his branches and spread positivity. YM began rhyming at the age of 14. With his involvement with Oakland leaf, the young MC gained confidence and began performing around the area. He has performed at Oakland Tech High School, at the YMCA and other talent shows around the Bay.

Michael Lankford was born and raised in Oakland, CA. It was in his teenage years where he really began to study and develop his rhymes. Appreciative of and influenced by Kendrick Lamar, a West Coast rapper from Compton, YM aspires to reach his pinnacle. Returning to Beyond Idol for the second time, YM is on his way. With every verse coming from the heart and every metaphor provoking thought, YM is becoming a household name in the Bay Area.