Clarence “Sorcez Dieniro” Thomas is a West Baltimore native who has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry as an artist, Grammy Award-winning producer, and Emmy Award-winning actor. This summer, he will put on his third Keep It Real/Stop the Violence Tour at local Baltimore City recreation centers through his nonprofit Save Our Youth, in an effort to reach out to young people with a message of what they can become if they refuse to let the difficulty of their present circumstances force them into bad choices.
Thomas has a story that is all too familiar for many inner-city youth. He started selling drugs at 11, and died twice on an operating table after being shot at the age of 16. That near death experience served as a wake-up call, and Thomas would go on to serve his country in Desert Storm, earn two university degrees, be discovered by Robert Diggs – better known as the Rza from the Wu-Tang Clan – and go on to have a successful career in the entertainment industry.
For all his success, Thomas never forgot where he came from, and has sought, through his nonprofit, to reach Baltimore City youth in an effort to provide them with the guidance that he never received as a child and that may have spared him becoming a victim of gun violence.
“I always try to give back,” said Thomas in an interview with the AFRO. “I don’t care if it is knowledge—it ain’t always gotta be about money or donations—but just give them some time. And that’s all these kids need, ‘cause a lot of these kids need guidance.”
To that end, Thomas has teamed up with a number of like-minded artists and entrepreneurs to assist him with his Keep it Real/Stop the Violence Tour, which he described as a “mini seminar,” part concert, part testimonial, part information session.
Robert “DJ Big Leak” Baker, CEO of Baker Boyz Entertainment, will handle the deejaying duties at the show, while Thomas and Tia “Mz Konnoisseur” Hamilton, another Baltimore native and founder of WMSK Online Radio, will serve as hosts for the show.
The musical acts for the show, which include recording artists Bone Capone and P.H.O.P., are intended to draw in young people. In addition to a free concert, however, the kids will hear the testimonies of Baker, Thomas, Hamilton and others who have transcended difficult circumstances and gone on to be successful artists and entrepreneurs.
“My goal is, by the year 2020, to have well over 3,000 kids that went from negative to positive,” said Thomas of his hopes for the Keep it Real/Stop the Violence Tour.
For Baker, the tour helps fill a need left behind by a city that has allowed many of its recreation centers and swimming pools – venues that historically offered children alternatives to hanging out on the streets – to close down.
“He’s trying to give these kids another outlet,” said Baker. “How many outlets do they have? So what do you expect them to do, but go out here and find somebody that’s wearing a red or a blue shirt and call them a big brother and say ‘this is my family and I’m going to attach myself to that because they love me and they showed me some interest.’”
City officials and police officers will be present at the events, according to Thomas, giving the kids an opportunity to interact with them in a non-confrontational and relaxed setting.
The Keep it Real/Stop the Violence Tour kicks off its four-stop circuit on July 9 at the Patterson Park Recreation Center. The tour will also stop at recreation centers on Pennsylvania Avenue, Cedonia Avenue and Edmondson Avenue in July and August. Youth interested in attending one of the tour events, which are free and also feature activities such as face painting for younger children, food, and prize giveaways, must sign up at the recreation center closest to them in order to do so.
