Рэпер Boosie Badazz открыл свой особняк для менторской программы «Спасем наших сыновей»

Boosie Badazz has never been shy about discussing the streets, the mistakes he’s made or the consequences that came with them. This time, the Baton Rouge rapper used those experiences to deliver a different message to the next generation. On Aug. 15, Boosie, born Torrence Hatch Jr., opened the gates of his private Boosie Estates compound in Palmetto, Georgia, welcoming hundreds of boys, young men and their families for the “Save Our Sons” Back-to-School mentoring event. Reports surrounding the event placed attendance at more than 300, although an independent head count has not been released. The event was held in partnership with Next Level Boys Academy, the youth-development organization founded by Dr. Gary L. Davis Sr. in 2009. The organization works primarily with boys and young men through mentorship, leadership development, academic support, violence prevention and intervention programs. For an afternoon, Boosie’s sprawling estate became something much different than the backdrop fans normally see on social media. Young attendees participated in mentoring and breakout sessions centered around conflict resolution, accountability, education and preparing for the upcoming school year. But one of the strongest messages was simple: there are legitimate alternatives to the streets. Boosie delivered that message himself. “A lot of these kids kind of headed the wrong way,” Boosie told CBS Atlanta during the event. “Hopefully I can get these kids some motivation by bringing them to my estate and make them think different…and make them chase their dreams instead of the streets.” That message carries a little more weight coming from someone who isn’t speaking about street life from a textbook. Boosie’s career has included tremendous musical success, but his journey has also included years behind bars and repeated encounters with the criminal justice system. Rather than attempting to erase those chapters, he used his own experiences to speak to the young men about discipline, focus, consequences and creating a long-term plan for success. There’s also something significant about physically bringing the kids to Boosie Estates. The property allowed them to see what years of legitimate success in music and business could produce. Instead of simply telling young Black boys to dream bigger, Boosie was able to walk them through something tangible and say, essentially, this is another possibility. That is also where the partnership with Next Level Boys Academy becomes important. The organization’s work doesn’t begin and end with a celebrity appearance. Its programming focuses on continued mentorship and character development, including working with young people who may already be vulnerable to entering the criminal justice system. Boosie has never presented himself as a perfect messenger, and his music and public comments have generated plenty of controversy throughout his career. But mentorship doesn’t always have to come from someone who made every decision correctly. Sometimes the person who went down the wrong road is uniquely qualified to tell a young man exactly what’s waiting at the end of it. For hundreds of boys at Boosie Estates, Save Our Sons wasn’t simply about visiting a rapper’s mansion or taking pictures with a celebrity. It was an opportunity to hear firsthand that surviving the streets isn’t nearly as important as learning how to avoid becoming trapped by them. And coming from Boosie, that’s a conversation worth having.