BALTIMORE — Baltimore rapper Mond Already writes music with a purpose. He says he uses his platform to give a voice to the voiceless.
"I definitely want to send a message in anything I create,” Mond Already said.
The local rapper’s latest song “Lil Squeegee Boy” is an attempt to change the narrative about a group he believes is largely misunderstood.
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"You got some knuckleheads, but not all of them are like that,” he said.
Mond Already speaking to incidents, involving the “Squeegee Kids” that made the news for all the wrong reasons. Among them: a man claiming in October 2018 that a group of Squeegee boys shattered his windshield.
The next year--a struggle between a group of them and a woman ended with her gun going off. She claimed they became aggressive and started damaging her car.
"People preying on them before they even meet them. And then they looking at every squeegee boy and they're looking at them like that,” he said. "You saying this kid is a monster, but really he is just hurting. You know he is just looking for a way out and this seems to be the only way right now."
Mond Already added, "A lot of them come from broken homes. A lot of them really need to support themselves.”
He's hoping his new song opens people's eyes. He wants people to learn that it’s a job they take pride in--one that keeps them from going down the wrong path.
"Don't dehumanize them,” he said. “They are humans like everyone else."
We spoke to a couple “Squeegee Kids” in downtown Baltimore, some of which who heard the song for the first time.
“We just trying to do something honest with our community,” said Keith Morris, who says he does it to provide for himself and his daughter.
Another “Squeegee Kid” who didn’t want to be named says his wish is for people to listen to the song.
"If you really listen to what he saying, it will give you a different picture on us out here…because it's the truth."
Morris says he believes the song can help change the perception of them. He wants people to know that one bad a apple should not rotten the entire bunch.
