| Last week, VP Records artist Christopher Martin visited two schools, Madeba Prep and High School for Civil Rights in Brooklyn, for the #NoDisrespect Campaign where he performed and promoted messages of hope and a future to students. With the upcoming launch of his second album, Chris was determined to give back and help raise the goals and expectations of youthful fans at home and abroad. In doing so, he teamed with the The Kulture Movement on the #NoDisrespect Campaign, which aims to educate the youth on behaviors that garner respect without resorting to violence. Shani Kulture of Hot 97.1 spearheaded the campaign with his partner Roxie Digital of Hot 103.9 FM and tapped Martin for the “School Tour,” in which workshops and activities with the kids are done to spread the message of positivity and self-worth. Christopher Martin dreamt up the lyrics to the hit song “I’m A Big Deal” and as a result is delivering positive vibes and a hopeful message to kids at a crucial time in their lives. The Platinum Kids opened the events with a short DJ set running through popular dancehall and hip hop favorites to get the young crowd engaged. In Shani Kulture’s absence last week, Roxie Digital hosted alone. Roxie explained the origins and purpose of the No Disrespect campaign, stressing “Our main message whenever we come into these schools is that in order to get respect, you got to to give respect.” Roxie then invited five students to the stage to take part in a game promoting self respect through the identification of their own positive characteristics. Following the game, Roxie and the Platinum Kids invited Christopher martin to join the stage which the students met with great excitement. In Christopher Martin’s address to the students, he shared with them his own unique journey and how important self respect has been for his success. Before performing, he reassured the students of their self worth and imparted the encouraging advice, “I just want you to understand that if you work hard and believe in yourself you can be anything you want to be.” Martin began his performance with an acapella rendition of “Better than the Stars,” which he followed up with “Life” the new single off his upcoming album, “And Then” out May 3rd. He continued with energetic performances of a couple hit songs including “Cheaters Prayer” and “Big Deal”, closing out with the important phrase of the campaign, “In order to get respect, you got to give respect.” “I want to tell the youth to keep reaching for your dreams and never stop dreaming of what can come next,” said Christopher about supporting the campaign. “Kids need more than positive messages, they need the elders to take time to encourage them.” In addition to the campaign, Martin was in New York last week to expand his philanthropic mission by supporting the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI)’s mission of raising funds and providing scholarships for needy students at UWI’s 4 campuses in 17 countries, by performing at their annual Legacy Awards gala on February 27th at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. “And Then” is the follow up to Martin’s debut full length-album, “Big Deal”, which reached the top 5 on the Reggae Billboard Charts in 2017. Hoping to build upon his momentum as one of the budding vocalists in reggae, Martin’s sophomore album will be released on May 3rd. Singles “Bun Fi Bun,” “Come Back,” and “Can’t Dweet Again” have been released so far. His focus track “Life” will be out March 15th. |
