source: hiphop wired

Please watch all the videos, cousin Jeff has always been a deep brother, i am so proud of them for coming through and helping uplift young brothers, we most definitely need to do better as a community, the sad part is this will not make CNN or BET but if they were doing some Bullishh, it would be front page news smh….please share this post with others, the word needs to get out.

Lyfe Jennings is using his music for good and making positive steps to enrich the lives of young Black men.

The “Statistics” hit maker opened his home to 100 African American boys that participate in the national OK Program, an organization that aims to reduce the high rates of incarceration and homicide of young Black males by guiding them away from prison and towards college, military service, vocational training.

The boys selected from Arkansas and Indianapolis to join in Thursday’s activities all earned a GPA of 2.5 or higher and have been paired with male mentors to continue to usher them in the right direction.

In addition to Lyfe, the boys were greeted by Shawty Lo and BET’s Jeffrey “Cousin Jeff “ Johnson who shared their life experiences and encouraged them to stay on the straight narrow.

Jeff gave an especially motivating speech and told the boys that he planned on reaching out to radio host Tom Joyner to gain even more support for the OK Program.

He also made sure to add that its’ up to the young men to fulfill the organization’s expectations for them so they can pay it forward and not end up like so many of their fellow “leaders” that end up in jail.

“The most messed up thing about the Black community is about half the brothers that are supposed to be leading are locked up. And they’re locked up not because they weren’t leaders, they’re locked up because they were leading the wrong set…”

Jeff encouraged the young men to do more than what’s expected and said the only thing “good enough” for the program would be for them to take action and work as “intellectual gangsters.”

“The only thing that’s enough is if you all are the intellectual gangsters that our community needs to have the ability to use their brains and their hands are willing to build what nobody else wants to build…”

The founder of the OK program Donald Norcross was also on tap beaming as his participants enjoyed the day’s activities.

Norcross told HipHopWired that he founded the program in 1990 after working as a sheriff’s deputy and seeing so many Black male youth incarcerated and put into the system.

He says he met Lyfe a few months ago during a concert and the R&B star was so impressed with OK that he invited the participants to his house for a day of fun and fulfillment.

“It wonderful, I met Lyfe two months ago….and he was looking for some kids to come talk to….He found out we were coming to Atlanta in a few months and he said, “Why don’t you bring the boys over and let me barbecue for them and just hang out and have a good time….”



Bankhead representative Shawty Lo also came through to speak to the youth and shared his experience with the prison system. Unbeknownst to many, Lo’s been arrested 28 times and has four convictions to his name.

Despite the odds being stacked against him, L-O’ says God’s allowed him to progress.

“I could be anywhere but I feel like God got me here for a reason.  I been doing positive things…for the last five things I’ve been doing great and God has blessed me with a talent to do music…Y’all can be anything y’all wanna be in life…”

Check out pictures of Lyfe, So So Def artist Dondria and Shawty Lo as they celebrate the achievements of the youth of the OK Program.

Related Posts with Thumbnails