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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 26, 2018)
December 26, 2018 Page 15 Transcended by ‘Honesty’ C ontinueD from p age 4 that he was in, recreated to chill- ing effect in the video, Moore ex- plained. “I was never the same after the night my friend was killed in front of me,” he said. “Before then I was innocent and I looked at life as just a wonderful adventure but that night showed me the dark side of life and I’ve suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder be- cause of what happened that night ever since.” Though Moore started rapping at age 12 and was even signed to a label by age 14, it was around that time that other family mem- bers, including his brother, started to fall into addiction. Moore asso- ciated with gangs and experiment- ed with alcohol and drugs. By the time he was 19, he was physically dependent on prescription pills, he said. Even so, Moore’s rap career continued to flourish. He per- formed in a rap group for assem- blies and pep rallies at his school and in 1999 joined another local rap group, Proz and Conz, who went on to sell over 20,000 units between two albums. The group travelled across the United States and Mexico, opening for hip hop greats like Wu Tang Clan, Mac Dre, and Blackalicious in the ear- ly 2000s. He even met renowned producer Swizz Beatz and rap leg- end Jay-Z. But as Moore’s momentum grew, so did his dependence on drugs, impacting his focus and performances. “My opioid addiction took away a lot of my motivation. If I was sick and didn’t have any pills, I wouldn’t show up for studio time or performances dates,” Moore admits. “At times I was too load- ed or intoxicated and performed poorly or sloppy. I went from tak- ing them for a euphoric high to needing the[m] to not be sick.” Moore’s first attempt at rehab was in 2006, which didn’t last long. But on April 6th, 2012, his brother died from an overdose on prescription pills and addiction and depression again took a stran- glehold on Moore’s life. Shortly after wrapping up pro- duction for the “Honesty” music video in 2017, he went back to re- hab and has been clean and sober ever since. The video is currently in the fes- tival circuit, having been screened in New York, L.A., and London, and has already garnered numer- ous awards, including the Gold award at the Indie Film Awards in New York City and the Diamond award at the MindField Film Fest in L.A. At one screening for a hip-hop film festival in Harlem, New York City, Moore recalled people in the audience approaching him after- ward and sharing their struggles with addiction or talking about having a family member who overdosed. “It just touched some peo- ple,” Arnold, who was also at the screening, said. “The video has really become almost a catalyst for the topic of opioid addiction and making it accessible, to some degree...It’s not taboo, it’s actu- ally just a crisis that needs to be addressed.” Moore also screened the video at the Community Peace Collabo- rative meeting, at the north Port- land police precinct on Martin Lu- ther King Jr. Boulevard. It again had an emotional impact on the audience. “Some people cried. Ex-gang members came to me and they thought it was powerful… It touched a lot of people, the ad- diction aspect and contemplating suicide. Those thoughts and the vulnerability of it really hit home for some people,” Moore said. That screening landed Moore a job with the city of Portland’s Of- fice of Youth Violence Prevention and he now coaches at-risk youth and current gang members to pur- sue a peaceful lifestyle. He’s also worked with I AM Academy, en- tering the youth juvenile system to speak with kids about recidivism C alendar Christmas Boxing Day National Egg Nog Day Apollo 8 reached the moon (1968) National Pumpkin Pie Day Kwanzaa Begins 31 New Year’s Eve Artist Henri Matisse born, 1869 National Whiners Day and the transition process of re- turning back to society. “I’m an ex-gang member, an ex-drug addict, and I’m able to give back to community that I took so much from. And that’s a big part of what drives me right now,” Moore said. An EP with “Honesty” and oth- er tracks is currently available on 3rd Twin’s website, 3rdTwin.com, where the music video can also be found. In addition, a full-length 3rd Twin album, called “History in the Making,” is on its way, slated for end of next spring, which will further explore Moore’s journey to the dark side of addiction and back. A coinciding documentary, produced by Gaddis and featur- ing footage spanning back to the rapper’s early career, provided by Hall, is also in the making. 2018 December MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 24 25 26 27 Christmas Eve photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD observer Comic book artists and filmmakers, the Pander Brothers, Arnold (left) and Jacob were enlisted to direct rapper 3rd Twin’s dream- like music video, “Honesty.” Visit the Zoo Day World Bank created (1945) FRIDAY SATURDAY 28 29 Card Playing Day Iowa became the 29th state (1846) National Chocolate Day Texas became the 28th state (1845) SUNDAY 30 Tiger Woods born, 1975 Author Rudyard Kipling born, 1865
