On February 2nd, my group and I had a phone interview/ conversation with Rodney Lucas aka F.Stokes. I have known Rodney for a handful of years. During that time, I got to know about his rap career and how he broke the cycle of poverty. He grew up in the South Side of Chicago in a neighborhood full of gangs, pimps, prostitutes, and drug dealers. “I first knew I was poor when I was two or three,” was the first thing that Rodney said to us. His mother and siblings moved into a shelter at a certain point so that they were more available for public housing. “The food was horrible,” when asked what the shelter was like. “It wasn’t a home. The tiles were the same as there would be in a cafeteria.” I asked him about if he was still in touch with friends from back home and where his siblings were. He said that he occasionally gets a call from someone asking for help or advice and that his brothers and sisters are all still in that area. Did anyone he knew also “break the cycle”? He didn’t know anyone who did except some actor though his sister was the first one in his family to go to college and has a job. Rodney’s mother is very important to him and he constantly talks about her. “Even though we were poor, she made us feel rich with her optimism.” I look forward to meeting her as well as Rodney’s siblings.
