In addition to an artist, J.C. Hall, LCSW aka Fienyx (pronounced “phoenix”) is a social worker at Mott Haven Community High School, which is a “second chance” transfer school in the South Bronx serving overage and under-credited students. In 2013, under the guidance of his late mentor Dr. Edgar Tyson, J.C. developed a Hip Hop Therapy Studio program in the school, the origins of which are illustrated in the award-winning short documentary Mott Haven.
Hip Hop has always been therapeutic for J.C., as it has been for the communities that birthed it and those continuing to tap into its healing potential worldwide. Much of his music serves as a therapy session to a beat, such as his song for his younger brother, “Just Us.” Through his music and efforts as a mental health practitioner and advocate, J.C. strives to address the failings of our current system on an individual, communal and societal level. For more information, see hiphoptherapy.com.
Fienyx performing in the closing cypher at the third annual MHCHS Studio Showcase, "The Rose That Grew From Concrete."