In recognition of Black History Month, we will periodically feature African Americans from across the Valley and stories of their leadership, achievements and lives. This profile is on Lucky Penny, local hip-hop artist, radio personality and club owner.
Luck didn’t get him where he is today, at least in the traditional sense.
Lucky Penny has grown up to be an accomplished musician, familiar personality on 101.9 JAMZ, winner of an Ohio Hip-Hop Award and now a downtown club owner.
Growing up in Youngstown, Penny said he saw all kinds of trouble. People he knew were getting arrested, becoming drug addicts and in some cases, being murdered. Penny wasn’t going to accept that lifestyle, and neither were his parents, he said.
“Two parents and catholic schools,” Penny said. “My parents were strict, I mean, we lived in the hood and I wasn’t allowed off the porch… All I’d do is sit in my room and write songs all day and listen to the radio.”
Penny attended St. Patrick School on Oak Hill and Cardinal Mooney High SChool before graduating from Campbell Memorial High School in the late ‘90s. Penny, 30, of Youngstown, then joined the Navy and was stationed in Virginia Beach. Penny said he served in the Navy for three years before moving to Atlanta.
In Atlanta, Penny said he became a music promoter and associated with the likes of Jermaine Dupri and Nelly. If he could do those things in Atlanta, why not Youngstown, he said.
Penny’s first CD, “On My Own” sold 3,000 copies. While he was promoting his music in his hometown, he met Frankie “Mr. Lucky” Halfacre, who owned the radio station Penny would later work at. Halfacre died in 2006, but not before he taught Penny a thing or two about the music business.
“It’s kinda crazy because my name ‘Lucky’ came because my son was born on St. Patrick’s Day and when I was in the hospital, they kept calling me lucky,” Penny said. “I had heard of Mr. Lucky growing up, but there was no connection.”
After Halfacre died and the station was sold, the new owner contacted Penny about hosting a show. Penny began the Lucky Penny Show in 2007, and has been gracing Youngstown’s airwaves ever since.
As a now-permanent fixture in Youngstown, Penny decided it was time to carry on Halfacre’s legacy, and do a little good in his neighborhood. His first step was to encourage young people to be successful in life.
Penny’s home life was a significant factor in shaping the artist he was to become. His uncle was a disc jockey, his father plays the saxophone, another uncle plays drums and his mother was in the church choir.
The music Penny writes deals with everyday life. He said he tries to write about situations and circumstances that anyone can relate to.
“I write about life,” Penny said. “I write about the situations that face black Americans, white Americans, Americans, the world, the nation. I write music to the point that it can be felt. It’s universal.”
A few years ago, Penny and others started Fed Up—Fighting Every Day Until Peace—to try to steer young people away from violence. While trying to be a positive influence in young people, Penny has spoken at numerous schools and has been involved in Youngstown’s 2010 plan.
Penny had been nominated for four Ohio Hip-Hop Awards, but won his first in September. He has also organized Lucky Penny’s Family Reunion the past two years.
The reunion attracts thousands to downtown Youngstown, he said, and includes gospel music, a national act and children’s activities. Last year, Day 26 performed for the event, Penny said.
“It’s a celebration of family,” Penny said. “It’s the biggest downtown urban event of the year.”
On a more personal level, Penny said he also coaches his son Cameron’s flag football team. He took pride in that because he also helped get a lot of inter-city children involved with the Youngstown Youth Flag Football Association that otherwise wouldn’t have played.
“I just realized this year that I’m a pioneer, too,” Penny said. “Everyone keeps telling me to stop being so humble, but I think that’s my motivation—to make kids realize that they can be something.”
On New Year’s Eve, Penny hosted a grand opening party at his new club, The Love Lounge, on West Federal Street. He said he bought the former Skeeter’s Jazz Bar & Grille because he wanted to see downtown grow.
“I’ve been part of downtown for the past seven years when it was just a plaza,” Penny said. “There was no Covelli Centre; there was no [Mayor] Jay Williams; there was no business incubator.”
Penny said that while he’s done a lot with his short life, his story’s not over.
He recently started a TV show on Time Warner, Yotown TV, which deals with politics, entertainment and the arts in Youngstown. An episode featuring the Basketball Game of Hope will air in a few weeks, he said.
Penny’s record label, Yotown Music, is also about to take off with their first official release slated for the coming weeks. The group, Dirty Prime Time, is made up of two Youngstown State University freshmen. Yotown Music will release a CD, video and handle the promotions, Penny said.
His next goal, he said, is to bring a shopping area to downtown Youngstown. The plan’s underway, he said, and while there will be hurdles, it’s all about priorities.
“I don’t toot my own horn, but the city of Youngstown always highlights the other side of the game,” Penny said. "My story’s not over with, my story’s still being written. There’s just so many things I do, but I don’t look at it as doing something; I just do it."
