Malakhi "The Gift", born T. Rashad Rankin on June 15, 1981 on the North side of Jacksonville, FL. When he blesses the microphone, Malakhi, as he is affectionately known in the state of Florida, brings a complete package to the game. He produces all of his music and writes his own lyrics and arranges the vocals as well. He listened religiously to popular rappers like Public Enemy, X-Clan, and KRS-1, Tupac, N.W.A., Twista, 8 Ball & MJG Dr. Dre, etc. But Malakhi did more than just listen to his favorite rappers, he was constantly penning his own rhymes, dreaming that someday he would make it.

His day came sooner than expected when a friend introduced him to "To The Top Entertainment" CEO and founder Patricia Anderson. Malakhi made his first appearance as a solo artist in 1997 in the local circuit of Jacksonville, FL. Later that year he became a member of a short lived group called "I.C.U." and recorded 2 singles with the group before they went their separate ways. In 2000, Malakhi joined the U.S. Marine Corps. After serving over in Iraq, Malakhi returned back to the U.S. and was relocated to MacDill AFB in Tampa FL. Since then, he has returned to his hometown of Jacksonville, FL to perform at many venues. He has been featured on two of the hottest Mix tapes;"Whilin 12" hosted by Flyi DCG and "Wam Out Radio Vol 1." hosted By Preme "J-ville's Hypeman", in Jacksonville, FL. Malakhi's hit single (Playerz Ballerz) has been played in Clubs in the Central Florida Region and was featured for the 1st time on radio airwaves courtesy of (Jax, Fl) Hot 105.7's own Chanel "The Voice Of Duval" and her new show 9-0-4Kus Radio. Malakhi is currently working on his debut album.