James Claypoole

[El Scorcho*]

Name: James Claypoole
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Grade: 12th
School: Bayview Secondary School
Hobbies and Interests: Hip Hop, Basketball, Acting, Video Games

Appearance: James is of African-American descent. His height and weight are about average at 5'9" and 157 pounds. His black hair has the tendency to expand into a rather bushy afro when grown long and for this reason he keeps it cropped short in a buzz cut. He has brown eyes that are positioned on a rather plain though not unattractive face. His clothing style is fairly casual. He usually wears baggy jeans and white Nike sneakers. He tends to wear t-shirts with humorous messages on them or ones that feature his favourite hip hop artists. James owns a plain grey hoodie which he wears quite often; he also commonly wears a bandana.

Biography: James was born into a black middle class family in a quiet suburb and enjoyed a normal and uneventful childhood. His family had worked their way out of poverty in the years proceeding James' birth. His father had started his career as a low-paid construction worker but after many years of hard work he ended up designing and overseeing building projects as a successful architect. James' mother got a job as teaching assistant for special needs students in a local elementary school, a position she has held ever since. James' parents were strict but fair and instilled in him a strong work ethic. James has a younger sister, Emily, who he is engaged in almost constant warfare with. Their sibling rivalry leads to endless bickering and increasingly extreme attempts to annoy each other.

At the age of 14 James broke his leg in a game of soccer. The cast on his leg made it difficult for him to venture outside and socialise and he ended up seeking out alternative methods of entertainment. He spent the next 6 weeks exploring his parent's vast record collection and found himself engrossed in the soul, funk and early hip hop albums he found within. It was at this point in his life that James decided he wanted to be a musician. He quickly began practicing and before long he was a fairly proficient rapper. After considerable time saving money he eventually purchased the equipment he needed to start recording music. He sampled the music in his parent's record collection to create new beats to be used as a foundation for his rapping talents. He recently finished his first album ‘Rhythm Prophet' and has had small number of copies made. He has been giving these to friends as well as sending some copies to record labels in the hope of getting signed. It is clear the album has been made very cheaply as it has a rough feel to it, though it is apparent from listening that James is quite talented. James has been gaining attention through his MySpace page and he now has over 10000 profile views.

James is a pretty friendly kid who gets along well with most people. His wit and cheerful persona have earned him a lively social life. He is driven by a desire for praise and acknowledgment from his peers and due to this he has a tendency to make himself the centre of attention when with groups of people. Though the personality he exhibits to others is relentlessly optimistic and positive, deep down he is actually quite insecure. This can lead him to badly over-react if he feels that someone is criticising or mocking him. James has also gained a reputation as something of a ladies' man. He has little self-control when it comes to women and due to this he finds it difficult to sustain a long-term relationship, despite this being what he desires most.

James puts in a decent amount of effort at school and gets slightly above average grades. He excels in music but also has a keen interest in drama. The attention he receives when performing in school plays feeds his ego. He is a good actor but tends to over-dramatize his parts, performing in an over-the-top way that makes even mundane actions look ridiculous. James enjoys participating in sports and is an active member of the school basketball team. This is yet another area he feels the need to draw attention to himself in. He dominates the game by sprinting across the court following the ball non-stop and ends up thoroughly tired out after the first few minutes of play. James is also an avid gamer and he regularly battles his friends on Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 over Xbox Live.

Advantages: James is popular and well-liked amongst most people at Bayview. His attention seeking behaviour is a weakness in normal life but it also provides him with some leadership abilities. He should have no problem drawing a group to himself and using them to further his agenda.
Disadvantages: James' ego could be a major problem as it could cause him to do something heroic yet dangerous. It could also cause him to act rashly if someone manages to offend him.