Ypsilanti native Anthony Strickland II is a mentor and musician who wants his lyrics to inspire others with similar backgrounds as himself. Strickland II released “F Clout” EP.
Photo credit: Quatiece/LXVE Media
It’s all up from here.
That’s the attitude Detroit hip-hop artist Big Strick, Anthony Strickland II, 30, keeps as a young musician etching out a path for himself while bridging the gap for those coming behind him listening to his songs and watching his story unfold. And what a story he has.
Right on the heels of releasing a new album, “F Clout” EP (available on all streaming platforms), Strickland wants his effortless rhymes and storytelling “reminiscent of hip-hop greats like Nas and Jay Z” to be an experience for those who want to hear more than songs, but a message.
The EP featuring the single “Movin Thru The City” spans exactly three minutes and thirteen seconds, a homage to Detroit’s “313” area code, and offers a modern-day take on an old-school vibe that paints a scene for listeners of what the regular hustle and grind experience is like in Detroit, according to a press release.
Big Strick is gearing up for his “F Clout” tour with dates scheduled to be released in August.
The EP is described as the full package of delivery in his music and philanthropic community work outside of the studio through his nonprofit, the Determine Exceptional Fearless Youth (DEFY) Program. The former member of hip-hop duo ASDR (All Songs Done Right), Big Strick is on the cusp of the antithesis of stardom – the opposite of clout.
The EP, “F*** Clout,” is a project that is as real and raw as he is when he sings about his path in the music industry, Detroit’s constant grind in doing hard work and authenticity.
Also, the “F*** Clout Freestyle” reveals how deep Big Strick’s influence goes; the freestyle is a cover of Big Sean’s “Deep Reverence” ft. Nipsey Hussle.
The 30-year-old Ypsilanti native told the Michigan Chronicle that he didn’t grow up easy — he and his sister lost their mother and they had to leave their family home among other challenges — but that didn’t stop him from staying motivated and true to himself while benefiting others.
“The ending result of me going through all these things and seeing things and being aware of what’s going on and surviving at the same time … [allows me to] give back through a mentorship program,” the Eastern Michigan University alum said, adding that he wants others to experience the outside of their community as he has through basketball. “I wanted them to get hip to what’s going on in the world.”
Strickland said that his passion for giving back was birthed through his nonprofit, DEFY, with his godbrother, Stanford Wilkinson, in 2020.
“Me and my godbrother came up with this idea to start a mentoring program and go specifically to our neighborhoods,” he said of the Detroit and Ypsilanti/Inkster area.
Wilkinson, the executive director of DEFY, told the Michigan Chronicle that mentorship is important and the program, which caters to metro Detroit students sixth through 12th grades across southeast Michigan, has “done pretty well.”
“We got some traction,” he said of the efforts to extend the reach of the program, which offers financial literacy programs, resources, development, mentorship and more.
Wilkinson added that Strickland helped build the program from the ground up.
“He is a big mentor for a lot of students in that area and hands-on, especially with boys through sports development,” he said. “It’s very critical for young kids now, especially boys.”
Strickland, also a teacher at a juvenile detention facility in Detroit, agrees and said that his life experiences continue to be a game changer to his mission in life: get kids free in the mind who might be trapped in negative thinking and patterns.
“I work with kids in these systems who are locked up and in facilities,” he said, and added that everyone is influenced by music and messages and what they think is cool.
He added that some of the negative things that come from these culture subsets can lead people down dark paths – that is why he is anti-clout chasing.
Strickland said it’s time to not be afraid to stand up even if you’re alone, which is what his EP promotes.
“Also, it is just about standing up for something and figuring out what you want to do being an individual,” he said, adding that each song is a little piece of the journey it takes to get to the point he’s at now. “It’s okay to follow trends and do what you want to do.”
Find Big Strick and more information on his EP on Instagram, bigstrickhwv, and Facebook, Big Strick.
More information on the DEFY mentorship program is available at http://defyprogram.org/.
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