Devine Carama is a nationally renowned, 2022 Emmy Award-winning hip-hop artist, author, educator, community activist, & motivational speaker from Lexington, KY. He was most recently featured on Good Morning America and the Jennifer Hudson Show after a video of him teaching emotional intelligence to young boys went viral. He is the new director of the Mayor of Lexington's youth gun violence reduction program, ONE Lexington, which has launched several new initiatives in its first 2 years under his direction. 2023 saw a considerable drop in homicides and shootings in Lexington and that progress continues in 2024. Devine is also the founder and director of a youth-focused nonprofit organization called Believing In Forever Inc.
In December 2018, Devine performed outside in the cold for 48 hours straight to raise awareness for his annual youth coat drive, "A Coat to Keep The Cold Away". Over the last 10 years, Believing in Forever has facilitated the collection and delivery of over 22,000 coats to children in Central and Eastern Kentucky. In 2017, Believing In Forever led a citywide effort to collect thousands of gallons of water to combat the Flint water crisis. In 2020, Devine walked across the entire state of Kentucky (Pikeville to Paducah) to raise voter awareness.
Recent awards and recognitions include being a 6-time Hip Hop Artist of the Year Award, receiving the 2017 Lauren K. Weinberg Humanitarian Award, the 2017 Coretta Scott “Spirit of Ivy” Award for community service, the 2018 Black Achievers “Special Achiever of the Year Award, and George W.H. Bush’s “Point Of Light” Volunteer Award, 2020 LEXI Music "Community Service" Award, as well as the 2022 Lexington Forum’s “One To Watch” Award, 2022 cities United “Community Game Changer” Award, 2024 Arts Connect Benefactor Award, and more. Devine Carama also won an Emmy for best “News Promotion” from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is the first and only hip-hop artist from Kentucky to ever win the prestigious award. In February of 2024, Devine was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to both music and activism by the Lexington Music Awards committee.