Memphis rapper Young Phenomenon joins Master P at free event for children : GoMemphis.com

Thirteen-year old rapper Young Phenomenon (real name: Corry Coats Jr.) is aiming for stardom, even as his feet are planted firmly on the ground.

A songwriter since the age of 6, Coats — a ninth-grader at Southwind High School — has spent the majority of the summer holed up in his dad’s Houston, Tex., recording studio, churning out tracks five at a time, including his latest single, “This Is Our Time.”

“I’m really bummed out that the summer is almost over — I want to relax,” says Coats. The second oldest in a family of five brothers, he’s the only one who raps.

Since hooking up with producer Drumma Boy, however, Coats is more determined than ever to succeed.

Friday morning, he’ll perform in front of his biggest crowd yet -- an anticipated crowd of 5,000 at the first annual Let the Kids Grow Day at the Mud Island Amphitheater.

The free event marks the second collaboration between the Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis and the P. Miller Foundation, which is headed by 39-year old New Orleans-born entertainment mogul Percy “Master P” Miller.

“This is actually an appendix to the celebrity basketball game we did together in June,” said LaDell Beamon, the 34-year old founder of Heal the Hood. “We got the kids’ attention with the basketball game; now we need to keep the momentum going.”

Beamon says Coats will share the stage with venerable character actor Morgan Freeman, Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, Memphis City Schools superintendent Kriner Cash, local dance troupe Watoto de Afrika, and Master P, his son Romeo, and P. Miller mascot Gee Gee the Giraffe.

They’ll be on hand to support Heal the Hood’s latest mission, which is to give free school supplies to area youth.

“I had what I needed,” Beamon, a 1992 graduate of Overton High School, says of his own education. “But there were kids in my neighborhood who were less fortunate. They’d come to school and ask me for paper and pens. That experience showed me that there’s a great need for free school supplies.”

With the current state of the economy, Beamon says, children of all ages need more help than ever when it comes to being prepared for class.

“You’ve also got the mentality of some of our parents,” he says, “who put Air Jordans on their kids’ feet but can’t pay the utility bill.”

Heal the Hood and the P. Miller Foundation, he says, want to educate urban Memphians. Along with the celebrity roster, they’ll have health experts, financial advisers, and Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division representatives available to give tips to the crowd.

Coats can’t wait.

“I’m a really big fan of Master P and his son,” he says. “As a young rapper, Romeo has given me a lot of hope.”

Coats also has his own advice ready for the audience: “To have big dreams, you have to practice, practice,” he says. “Keep your head up, because you really have to sacrifice to be something great.”

“This isn’t just about school supplies,” Beamon says. “We’re trying to give people another way to think.”

Citing recent crimes like the Lester Street killings, Beamon adds, “This is just the beginning of our strategic plan to let the entire city of Memphis know that we care about what’s happening with kids, families, and violence. We’re not going to talk about the solution –- we’re going to be the solution.”

First Annual Let the Kids Grow Day

Friday, 9 a.m.-noon

Mud Island Amphitheater

Free