Episode 54 – The Art and Advocacy of Kevin ‘Earleybird’ Earley
His love for hip-hop goes back decades, as he wrote and performed his first raps in elementary school at the age of seven years old. His rap name was given to him by a childhood friend, a pun based on his last name.
His challenges with mental health are documented in his father, Pete Earley‘s 2007 best selling book, “Crazy – A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness”, which chronicles his 2002 incident where Kevin broke into a stranger’s house and took a bubble bath before being apprehended by the police.
His work deals with mental health, race, privilege and resilience through adversity. He speaks to inspire and resolve stigma through art. He currently works with youth who live with mental health issues and helps mentor them to recover from their respective challenges.
He has been recording and releasing music for over 20 years. He lives in the Northern Virginia area of the D.M.V. (District, Maryland & Virginia) where he was born and raised.
He was invited to The White House in 2022 following the release of the Ken Burns’ produced documentary, “Hiding In Plain Sight – Youth Mental Illness” which can be seen on PBS.
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