News - Local Cause Artist Has Message in Wake of Recent Shootings
PRESS RELEASE
EMBARGOED FOR: September 3, 2019
Pictured: From the top, Blayza (left), Hulon E. Crayton II aka Lonnie (middle), and Curtis Edlin (far right). On the lower half, is an extra, and Blayza's sister who also played a supporting role.
All three performed in the music video.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local Cause Artist has a message for KC – in the wake of the recent shooting near Power & Light and the Crossroads that left three well respected people dead – urging adults to become mentors for the youth.
KANSAS CITY, MO, September 2, 2019 – Chesley ‘Blayza’ Lunt Jr., came from a troubled past. The foundation that his family and mentors laid before him, often averted him from the temptation of the street life. He credits those that influenced him as being the guiding voice that helped shape his path to helping others. Blayza set himself on a quest to turn his talent of poetry and songwriting to being a voice for and to other millennials.
His quest was realized under the guide of Matthew ‘Maxx Marvel’ Locklear – a young prominent music producer and engineer in Kansas City – who helped him create the sound that would drive Blayza to develop a song that would be the embodiment of that voice. What came of that song led Blayza to storyboard a music video about a young man that got involved in an illegal street fight club, was rescued from the criminal underworld, ultimately turning him away from a life of crime. The lesson, it is mentorship that diverts impressionable children from antisocial behavior and affords them the opportunity to be productive people in society. The film also reports on statistics about child abuse and neglect and its connection to crime; covering studies by ChildrensRights.org and the National Institute of Justice.
In a twist of irony, unbeknownst to him, he picked a boxing club – RNE Boxing of Mission Kansas – that has a reputation for helping young men and women focus on life skills and keeps kids away from crime. But not all crime is preventable. A lesson hard learned for those who witnessed the recent tragedy of two men, who for no known reason, were tragically gunned down at random in the Power & Light District of Kansas City last week. Those young men were the club owner’s son and nephew.
Leovardo Moreno Jr., an aspiring rap artist and Austin Quijas now deceased, with families seeking answers. Both men, killed without a known cause while walking to their car. Also a young woman, Erin Langhofer, was recently gunned down during a busy First Friday’s Crossroads event, another random act of violence that spurred the community to take action to curb the violence. Two tragedies nearby within weeks of each other, adding to a long string of random shootings across the US this year. “It is this kind of senselessness that compels me to pass the message onto the youth that we care. If we (adults) can influence them early, we can have the greatest outcome; let us not forget about the teens as well. Every child deserves mentorship and a community that proactively cares with action. A positive voice can affect change, but if everyone of us gets involved, we can change the future of KC,” said Blayza.
The Director for the music video, Hulon E. Crayton II (Lonnie) has strong words of advice as well: “We can no longer sit back and pretend someone else's issue is not our own. His cause music is encouraging, and we at 825 Studios hope that this serves as a wake-up call for those who are not involved in uplifting their communities. Let us not forget that, in this life, we are all ‘family’ from the same origin, but it is only our upbringing/circumstances that divide us all."
The artist dedicated his music video to those lost and the affected families. In spirit of goodwill, Blayza is donating part of the proceeds for the sale of his song to helping others. 825 Studios, Premier Musique Group (it’s record label) and Lonnie, believing in Blayza’s cause, will match that donation amount dollar for dollar. "It will benefit local charities that co-align with my mission to uplift the community. When you purchase my song from my website, I will write a check at the years end, which will go a long way in helping the youth in KC," Blayza stated. For more info, go to http://everiljams.com, or to support directly, go to http://kchealthykids.org and http://twelfthstreetheritage.org. A GoFundMe account has also been setup to help the family with funeral expenses at https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-expenses-for-leo-moreno-jr.
The music video, “I Can,” premieres on YouTube at http://bit.ly/ICanByBlayza and will be available on Blayza’s page at https://youtu.be/h8DMnNO1c-E on September 5th.
To submit tips about this ongoing investigation, please call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS or call KC’s homicide division at 816-234-5043. Tips can also be submitted at http://KCCrimeStoppers.com and via the app, available at http://P3Tips.com.
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