Special Appearance By Rapper, Activist, and Educator, “Roddy Legend,” at Tonight’s Candlelight Vigil Honoring The Late Christian Cousins…

For Immediate Release
Boston, MA • July 20, 2024
Contact: Leland Hardy – Strivers Row Media, Inc.
MediaAlerts@StriversRowMedia.com
NY: (917) 912-0603
LA: (323) 816-3790

Who: Juvenile Justice Advocate/Lecturer/Hip-Hop Star, Roddy Legend
What: Candlelight Vigil Honoring A Young Crime Victim and Focusing on Crime Reduction and Anti-recidivism
When: Saturday July 20, 2024 • 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: The CAPP Playground (Performance Circle) at Halloran Park • 91 Pierce Street, Stoughton,
MA 02072
Why: To Address The Critical Need to Reduce Gun Violence, And To Improve Outcomes For New
England’s and the Nation’s Youth

July 20, 2024 – Boston, MA/Strivers Row Media/: Mr. Jarrod Thompson, the Connecticut based activist, lecturer, and rapper better known to his fans by his sobriquet, ‘Roddy Legend,’ has been hired by the Connecticut State Department of Correction and the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center to lead a six week course of study focused on helping incarcerated and other at-risk youth to avoid the perils of the streets that have landed many of his students stints of incarceration for their misdeeds. The course runs from July 1 through August 11, 2024. Legend, no relation to John Legend, though the two men are cut from the same cloth as it relates to social activism and using their respective platforms as music celebrities to improve society, teaches such subjects as Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Avoidance, and Dispute De-escalation. “We searched high and low for the right person who could connect with the juveniles under our auspices, who could speak to them in their own language, and whose messages we were confident would resonate with this particular audience. After spending time with him we knew that Roddy Legend was that man,” stated Dr. Lilian Ijomah, Program Director for Domus Kids at the Hartford, CT Juvenile Detention Center.

“Every one of these kids knows who Lebron James, Ja Morant, ‘Ant Man,’ and Mikey Williams are,” stated Legend, referring to a selection of the NBA’s biggest All-Stars and, in the case of Mikey Williams, the high school sensation and newly minted collegiate player who is considered by many pundits to be the most talented and most exciting player to come along since NBA Hall of Famers, Alan Iverson and Michael Jordan. “When I learned of the tragic passing of Christian Cousins, especially to senseless violence at the barrel of a gun, I was heartbroken,” stated Legend. I had heard so many great things about the young man and his entrepreneurship and community activism – how much he loved basketball and his AAU teammates. I felt it incumbent upon me to come north to Boston to participate in the candlelight vigil honoring him so as to shed some light, literally and figuratively, on the epidemic of gun violence that we can dramatically reduce through mentorship, through changing young people’s mindsets, and through the inclusion if meaningful, though provoking messaging in the entertainment content they consume,” Legend effused.

Legend released a new album project, “The Hunger Campaign, Vol. II,” on Friday July 19, 2024 on the eve of the candlelight vigil and it is available now on Apple Music. (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-hunger-campaign-vol-ii/1744873341).

Legend recently recorded “Why Can’t I?,” the only “ring walk song” ever recorded for a professional tennis player with which to walk on a court like a fighter making their way to the boxing ring. That player is 2024 Wimbledon Champion, Taylor Townsend, who won the Ladies’ Doubles Championship at Wimbledon this past Saturday July 13, 2024.

“When I was developing the Juvenile Detention Center’s curriculum I wanted to incorporate content and subject matter which would leave my entire student body with unequivocally indelible impressions of both what NOT to do and how to address head on one’s transgressions so as to triumphantly emerge as net contributors to society after paying their debts to society however small or large those debts may be,” Legend continued didactically. “Chief among those teachings is the Mikey Williams story of being at the apogee of the high school and AAU basketball worlds, suffering a setback and doing all of the things that one must do to right their personal ships and to get their lives and careers on track as Mr. Williams has successfully done. Since Rap and Hip-Hop are the universal languages of the culture, we even have a new soon-to-be-released Hip-Hop record, ‘Rise or Fall (Redemption Song)’, created in homage to Mr. Williams and his overcoming of adversity,” added Legend. Legend went on to state that before the conclusion of the Juvenile Detention Center program ends in mid August Mr. Williams may make a live in-person visit to fellowship with kids in Boston and/or in Connecticut.

About Roddy Legend
Roddy Legend is a popular recording artist, activist, and educator in Hartford, CT who has been described in media as “the next big Hip-Hop star poised to emerge from the East Coast” and “a spellbindingly entertaining live performer.” Legend focuses his music on inspirational, thought provoking, and socially motivational lyrics on topics such as anti-youth violence, responsible parenting, alcoholism, and inspiration through sports (https://bit.ly/RoddyLegendSpotifyCollections). Legend’s primary production partner, Chophouze Jay, has produced for Hip-Hop and Rap legends, Nicki Minaj, Future, DaBaby, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Jadakiss, Bankroll Fresh, Young Dolph, Young Scooter, and others. Following the upcoming July 19, 2024 release of his “Hunger Campaign Vol II” release, on August 21, 2024 Legend and Chophouze Jay will release their “Laissez Faire” project. Thereafter, Legend has September and October 2024 scheduled project releases with Jet Life producer, Cash Fargo. Legend is an Adjunct Lecturer of the 501 (c)(3) Racial Bias Dot Org, Inc. (www.RacialBias.org) social justice, racial equity and inclusion nonprofit thinktank and is a musical collaborator with the Jazz For Social Justice (www.JazzForSocialJustice.org) initiative.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roddylegend/, Twitter/X: https://x.com/RoddyLegendCT,
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@roddylegend,
Facebook/Meta: https://www.facebook.com/LegendSource/

About Christian Cousins
Christian Cousins, the son of prominent physician, Dr. Shalair Armstrong, was a Boston, MA area based precocious 17 year old whose life was tragically cut short just after July 4, 2024 Independence Day celebrations due to senseless gun violence. Already a serial entrepreneur at the tender age of 17 and barely old enough to earn a drivers license, Cousins and his older brother operated a budding rental car business that boasted five automobiles and counting. He was poised to launch an automobile graphics wrap business as a follow on to his rental car business. Cousins was poised to convert part of his family’s home into an online real estate rental facility catering to Boston’s robust tourist economy. Cousin’s memorial service was planned for seventy-five people but the better part of five hundred mourners and celebrants of his promise-filled life overflowed the tribute venue. As profiled by NBC News and other outlets, the young man loved basketball and played on local AAU basketball teams.

About Mikey Williams
Mike Williams is a high school and AAU basketball phenom and sensation who has garnered a worldwide social media following numbering in the better part of ten million followers, including 3.4 million Instagram followers and counting. Considered a once-in-a-generation talent, Williams, one of the world’s most celebrated amateur basketball players, has earned victories at the high school and AAU levels over multiple NBA Playoffs finalists and World Champions. In Fall 2024 Williams will begin his collegiate basketball career at the University of Central Florida under the tutelage of Head Coach and former NBA player, Johnny Dawkins. Williams was developed in part by noted AAU basketball coach, Chandler Scott, Head Coach of the Vertical Academy Basketball Team. Three of Coach Scott’s players, i.e. Stephon Castle, Rob Dillingham, and Isiah Collier, were drafted with the 4th, 8th, and 29th picks in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikey/, Twitter/X: https://x.com/THAREAL1_
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikey