Rappers promote messages of peace

Alex Bloom

Most rap records push a lifestyle that promotes money, fame and women. But this summer, four rappers from the heart of Boston will be pushing a message of peace.

The group of rappers, calling themselves 4Peace, have unified in response to the rising gun violence in the city. The foursome of Twice Thou, Mo’ Gee, Edo G and D Quest hope that their message of peace and nonviolence will catch on and help the city turn a corner. Their song, “Start Peace,” pushes the refrain of “We can start peace again, we can even make amends.”

“I’ve been a part of the harder music,” said Twice Thou, whose real name is Antonio Ennis. “I didn’t always rap about peace. But I’m a man now. I’ve been through the storm and I’m on the other side of that now trying to show the other kids that you don’t have to go through the storm that I went through.”

The group started when Ennis, who heads the Antonio Ansaldi clothing line, took a shirt advertising the motto “Stop Snitchin’” off his racks in early January, replacing it with a “Start Peace” shirt that is still available. Proceeds from the sales of the shirt go to the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute.

The rappers met at a community meeting at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan honoring Ennis for his efforts and, at the suggestion of Rodney Dailey of Gang Peace, decided to work together on a song.

Attendees at the meeting were given a list of suggestions to improve their community, including talking to youth at basketball courts.

“Everything on the list didn’t add up to what I wanted to do,” said Wyatt Jackson, known as Mo’ Gee. Jackson took it upon himself to help the group organize and work together on an album.

The group formed in response to the increasing violence in Boston. Shootings have increased 42 percent on the year to date over 2005. All of the members agree that something has to be done to show the city’s youth that violence is unacceptable and the rappers hope to do their part.

One jarring line in “Start Peace” highlights the increased violence: “Everyday there’s a funeral, they just remix the eulogy.”

“There’s nothing cool about that,” said Ennis. “There’s nothing bravado or anything. It’s senseless.”

“Is this rap group going to end that? Nah. But I think that we can change the minds of some of the so-called thugs out there. We have to make peace cool.”

Jackson pointed out that other races and ethnicities over the course of history have reached a point where their communities have come together to end violence. He hopes the group can get the ball rolling for the African American and Latino community.

“All of them had a moment where they said, ‘We’ve got to stop killing each other and we’ve got to come together as a culture and organize and do this thing right,’” said Jackson. “Once we do, it will be a whole other situation. But it’s going to take, I believe, the hippest thing out right now, which is youth culture, to get that message out.”

The rappers recently used the Suffolk County House of Corrections in the video for the new song “Start Peace.” Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral allowed the group to use the facility in the hopes that they can spark a change in the city.

“The situation in the city with crime and violence demands that anyone willing to work at a solution within their sphere of influence should be welcomed,” said Cabral.

Cabral noted that the hip-hop culture has been used to promote violence in the past and holds a strong influence over the current generation.

“If [hip-hop music and fashion] can be used to glamorize and sell thug life, it certainly can be used to dispel the fantasy that the thug life is glamorous or desirable and I really applaud them for making this effort,” said Cabral.

Ennis agreed with Cabral, saying that radio stations and television push the most profitable message, which today is violence.

“They bang it into you until you like it,” said Ennis. “We need them to bang these peace songs — these songs that say ‘start peace’ — to promote that.”

The group has even had discussions with Cabral about talking to some of the inmates about turning their lives around, an idea the sheriff is open to trying.

“It’s one thing for me to be here and the folks who work here to be here and try to steer people to right path,” said Cabral. “We don’t get to everyone. Not everyone feels like we’re communicating to them and understanding them. Here’s a group of guys who do [understand them].”

In addition to the Suffolk County facility, the group has used memorial sites in Roxbury and Dorchester for their video, as well as a scene in Washington Square Park with Mayor Thomas Menino and Kai Leigh Harriott, the paralyzed Dorchester 6-year-old who forgave her shooter in a courtroom in April.

“She’s a big reason behind this because she forgave somebody,” said Ennis. “That’s one of the principles behind peace: forgiveness. She forgave somebody for crippling her for life.”

The rappers have just signed on with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and are in discussions with HBO about a reality show as well as the group Stop Handgun Violence. Ennis maintains, however, that the group has to get the radio stations and television stations involved if 4Peace is going to reach youth.

“It’s all about making it cool,” said Ennis. “You’ve got to make these kids in here think it’s cool to sing ‘Start Peace.’”

Jackson and Ennis hope that the single and the video are only the beginning for 4Peace. Both rappers have had success in the rap world already and hope that their message of peace will catch on and bring others to their cause.

“This isn’t [just about] the summer [of] 2006,” said Jackson. “This ain’t about doing a music video and having a song on the radio. This is something that can go on for the next 10, 15, 20 years.”