Youth educator & rap artist releases a mixtape inspired by experiences of visiting youth lockdown facilities Quincy Davis is an independent music producer / rap artist and educator based in Portland, Oregon. He works as a songwriting teacher at Reynolds High School and is a guest speaker at schools and lockdown facilities in the Portland area. During a visit to a residential treatment program for adolescent boys, Quincy led a group in a “freestyle” session - an art form of hip-hop culture where participants take turns engaging in improvisational rhyming. The aspiring emcees shed light on their dreams and the pain they were going through. Quincy, who was in the throes of a hiatus from writing lyrics after his first album release in 2013, was inspired to return to his studio and start creating again. He related to what the youth shared during his visit, and reflected on his own struggles of growing up at that age without strong role models. “I just started writing,” he said. “I didn’t know I still had this inside me. I realized these young people might connect with my story and relate it to their lives to make smarter choices earlier on than I did.” After three weeks of intensive writing and recording, what came about was Remedy, a 10-track project that delves into Quincy’s past struggles and the choices he made to get out of a negative lifestyle of drugs and addiction. On the featured track, Be Brave, Quincy reflects on his experiences of selling drugs and the action he took to break the cycle and start over. He delivers a message to take responsibility and follow one’s dreams. That message is: “Now that there’s no one to blame, my life aint the same, I just want to switch up this game, I just want to break out these chains, make my own name, gotta be brave, ’cuz this path isn’t paved.” Quincy, who committed to sobriety over six years ago, was profoundly influenced by the teachings of indigenous wisdom-keepers and earth-based ceremonies. He says: “These ways opened the door to healing and connection to the community, to help awaken my sense of purpose. I chose the name Remedy because music has been my soul’s medicine to transform negative energy of the past into manifesting a positive future.”  In 2016, Quincy and two close friends and fellow hip-hop artists/educators, co- founded a youth and community-based non-profit organization called Cypher CURE (http://cyphercure.org/) to carry on the tradition of freestyle cypher and provide youth with opportunities to develop their skills, receive mentorship for personal growth and engage in experiences in nature. Quincy’s work can be found on his website, http://quincydavismusic.com