“Life, Liberation, and Hip Hop culture: this is why I make music. It’s more than music to me; it’s a movement. I make art to shine light and fulfill my purpose on this planet.”
Born in West Africa, Tem Blessed came to the US as a young child and soon showed a gift for rhyming. Ultimately Tem fell in love with hip-hop. In a genre that is sometimes associated with negative stereotypes, Tem saw the potential to carry messages of positive values and his work increasingly focused on the importance of social justice, environmental and climate issues. Tem performs at schools and for organizations such as Better Selves Fellowship Program, the Earth Day Parade, the People’s Climate March, and the Black Scholars Rising Celebration.