By Michael Ashcraft —
When Seth Jacob Fenton searched for a stage name, he had only to think what afflicted him in grade school and what led to innumerable suspensions.
“Hyper” was the name he chose, which he uses with his last name.
Hyper Fenton’s unique mixture of hip hop and electronic music erupted on CHH in 2016. The Dallas native may be “Chilling in Dallas” (the name of what is perhaps his most popular song), but he hasn’t chilled about much. He’s been hyperactive since childhood.
Naturally, one gig is not enough for a man of boundless energy. He is the minister of preschool and children at his father’s church, Meadows Baptist Church, in Plano, Texas, immediately north of Dallas.
He’s also an actor. In fact, he studied acting in college, acted in plays throughout school, and “acted up” in the classroom. “Whether on stage or in the principal’s office, Seth was full of passion, hyperactive, explosive, many times impulsive,” his website says. “Seth had a yearning, a longing to dream, perform and to express himself.”
It was also in college that he fell in love with hip hop. When Moflo Music Production’s owner heard a song randomly from Hyper Fenton, he approached him about working together. The results: numerous singles and three albums — Kindergarten Dreams, Terabithia and Remembering Me.
The 27-year-old grew up in his dad’s church and accepted Jesus into his heart at age six. He loved Jesus but was drawn intensely to performing arts.
“It seemed that with Seth there were two things at war within him, a desire to Love and serve Jesus Christ, the God who saved him, and a desire to express himself through art and creativity,” his website says.
After high school, Hyper Fenton went to Southern Methodist University. Following college, he wanted to hit Los Angeles and make it big in entertainment, but God had other plans. That summer, he interned in children’s ministry and was offered his current position.
“Seth Jacob Fenton is, in almost every sense of the word, a kid,” his website says. “From his youthful exuberance and emotional connectivity to his wildly vivid imagination, Seth embodies a new and refreshing aspect of what it means to be a child of God.”
Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.
