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Hip-Hop communities around the country have received the professional help they've been looking for — thanks to MusiCares' newest initiative.
When MusiCares launched Humans of Hip-Hop last year, the non-profit organization focused its nationwide program on eight cities where they could provide mental health and wellness resources to thriving artists as they navigate through their respective journeys in the music industry. Within its first year, Humans of Hip-Hop held several impactful events in cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Each event brought mental health professionals together with local Hip-Hop legends.
The first event, dubbed "Healing a Culture," went down in Atlanta and was focused on "breaking the mental health stigma" in the Hip-Hop community. Panelists Killer Mike, Young Dro, David Banner, Shanti Das and Phylicia Fant shared personal stories about their mental health struggles. Dro, in particular, previously revealed how MusiCares played a role in combatting his drug addiction.
"My brother T.I. — he got on me a lot," Dro explained. "Once I heard it from him, my manager now, Ciara, she was like 'This is what you want your legacy to be? You're messing it up.' I'm like 'That's it. I need some help.' At the time, I felt like nobody cared and then I found out MusiCares. They were so welcoming and they were more excited to get me help than I was."
Humans of Hip-Hop held similar events that brought artists like Common, Lupe Fiasco, Freeway, Rico Love and others together for meaningful conversations about mental health. MC Lyte, Saweetie, Big Lez, Sierra Lever and Laiya St. Clair joined forces for a "Salute to Women in Hip-Hop" in Los Angeles over the summer. They discussed the impact women have had on the genre, opened up about mental health struggles, and shared their tips for self-care.
"What's the point of having a platform if you're not inspiring others?" Saweetie said during the event.
After putting on events in seven cities, MusiCares' Humans of Hip-Hop is planning another event for New York to kick off its second year. They also plan to bring in-person, one-stop preventive care clinics to the eight key cities, beginning with a collaboration with Kingmakers of Oakland on December 7. For more information on Humans of Hip-Hop's next moves, visit their website now.