Troi Torain, aka STAR of the Star & Buc Wild Morning show has been doing his thing on 100.3 the Beat in Philadelphia. When Star blessd the air waves in New York City in the early 2000s he started his ‘START SNITCHIN’ campaign to encourage anyone who has information regarding a homicide to contact the local police authorities in hopes to encourage a safer community.
Today, Star is rocking the city of brotherly love and has re-launched his “START SNITCHIN” campaign and told us about his latest efforts on the commitment he has taken on personally!
Why are y’all doing this?
It’s a very, very serious situation growing in Philly. You can’t ignore the fact that since January, that you got 156 homicides, that surpasses their entire number for 2010, which was 146. In 2009, 143. 1 shy of 2008 and the total was 157. There hasn’t been murders like that in New York City since 2000, you know. I really don’t remember the rate showing this fast since January. And we are here doing radio local, so it’s pretty intense. Going out at night, which we do a lot of, being among the listeners to the show, sometimes a little close to the action.
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You know there is this code that exists in hip-hop that has been perpetuated by rappers, by gangsters and by whomever, that you don’t talk. How do you get through that?
You put the nail on the head, with whomever. I have always said, I will make it clear where I stand over the years, so I have no problem with sticking my neck out or standing up for something that I feel is right, whether I am looked upon a certain way.
Even if ridicule is being pointed at me, I have been an individual all my life. I don’t like to lay in a nice, comfortable and peaceful life. And I don’t want animals on two legs violating my rights based upon some silly ass codes. So whether or not they are codes or something they feel that have to oblige by, it doesn’t have any say on the barring of my existence, as a rational man. It’s very asinine the amounts, not just homicides but the shootings, that are taking place down here. This is literally the O.K. Corral. So codes don’t apply here. There is a much deeper need for peace amongst this particular community.
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Do you think you will lose street credibility putting your neck out there?
I don’t give a fuck About street credibility. I stand on my own two legs and I always have. I lived in the suburbs, went to private school all my life; I didn’t get my ass kicked. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t know how to take an ass whipping.
So street credibility, I didn’t know what that even meant. Maybe that means something to establish, someone who tries to perpetuate some type of gangster or image where he has to pretend to be a quote-un-quote thug. Than again you have a lot of thugs who are not capable of shooting the fair one, as they used to say. So, I am not concerned with street credibility. I have always been the person who stands up for what they believe in and what needs to be right. Standing alone is something that I am used too.
