Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Clarke majored in trumpet at a Julliard School of Music MAP program and graduated in 2002. Clarke graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Chicago in the summer of 2011. Clarke has been freelancing about sports and politics for the past three years and has contributed to the Chicago Maroon, Blacklight Magazine, Parle Magazine, and WoodyPaige.com. He was also a recurring co-host of All Sports on WHPK 88.5 Chicago. Clarke currently lives in Harlem, NY.