Jeremiah Wrong
Rapper, author, filmmaker and activist Jeremiah Wrong has successfully turned his political cause into a multidimensional artistic career. To Jeremiah Wrong, “It’s been a journey. While we are perfecting our craft and creating a voice, we are also trying to find ways to make money through music. It’s 2015, and everything has changed. We’re merging music with books and plays and curriculums. We want to impact the community while making a profit.”
On the music side of his career, Jeremiah Wrong has released three EP’s. Each one reflects his life. I really love the single off da chain from his first L.I.F.E. EP. I can’t sit still when I hear it. Jeremiah Wrong recorded the single with Young Black: “Young Black and I formed the group called L.I.F.E. We took the song and collaborated with a Chicago rapper Eisha. We felt like we were off da chain, and we felt like our city (Louisville, KY) was off da chain. It’s a good opening for that album.”
The upbeat single off da chain is so different from my other favorite single I Confess from the Redemption EP. I Confess is raw and moving. I had to know what changed in Jeremiah Wrong’s life: “I had a spiritual transition in my life. I Confess is a confession of my sins. I decided to be transparent and real with my music.” Art reflects life reflects art.
Jeremiah Wrong wrote the book They Say I’m Still Not A Man in response to Barak Obama’s claim that African American fathers are missing from families. In response, Jeremiah also filmed an ad, developed several websites and founded a mentorship program. Jeremiah Wrong added political activism and filmmaking credits to his creative resume.
Working hard to make a difference, Jeremiah Wrong wrote the book to increase understanding: “I wanted to respond to President Barak Obama and say, ‘This is what we are experiencing as black fathers.’ The more I researched, that led to writing about struggles with discrimination and the difficulty finding jobs. Then, that developed into hope for the country.”
That hope led Jeremiah Wrong to design The Fatherhood Movement in 2011, which now partners with MAN-UP Movement: “We designed an online curriculum that corresponds with my book and music. We are currently working with schools and communities to get this off the ground. We’re pretty excited about it.”
Jeremiah continued: “We’re using music and literature as therapy. People come to me and say, ‘Hey, that song was deep. I didn’t know that I could do that. I can’t wait to see what’s next.’ It keeps me motivated to realize that I’m touching others.”
In addition, Jeremiah Wrong made a short film that documents his movement: “It’s a visual to go with the book. The film features Master P, Dr. Rev. Kevin Cosby, Taleeb Starkes and Meshorn T. Daniels. It sheds light on how they feel about the community and fatherhood. We have a Part 2 coming out soon.”
What advice does Jeremiah Wrong have for other artists who are trying to initiate change? “The first thing that comes to mind is a quote from the Notorious movie. In the movie, Puff Daddy tells Notorious B.I.G. that we can’t change the world until we change ourselves. So, if you want to implement change, you have to be the example of change.”
What is up next for Jeremiah Wrong? “As I mentioned, Part 2 to my short film will be released soon. I also have a proposal out to Master P, CEO of No Limit Forever. I was just in a board meeting with the Urban League, the Louisville city government and MAN-UP. We’re working on a series of teen summits here in Louisville. This is about more than music. Here in Louisville, we’ve had more than 20 murders. Recently, four people were murdered in one day. So, we are trying to put our talents together and empower our community. I’m about to send out about a half million emails in a campaign that drops the book price down to 99 cents. It’s about getting the word out.”
I’m so glad that Jeremiah Wrong reached out to me and that I can help spread the word about his amazing work.
Photography by Tyreson Lancaster
The Amused Now Featured Artist Series
Jeremiah Wrong
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