Manolo Rose

Brooklyn rapper, Manolo Rose is known for his “Run Ricky Run” hit sits down with VladTV to talk about growing up in Marcy projects, becoming involved with the street life at 15, and losing his best friend and dad early on in his life. Manolo explains the dichotomy that comes with growing up in an urban environment with a mother that has a Masters Degree and a father who eventually succumbed to drug addiction and ended up dying of AIDS. “I look at old pictures of pops and stuff like that, and I see it, and it was like, ‘Dang! He was the man at that time.’ But then you get caught up,” reveals the rapper. He then goes on to vocalize how his father’s drug problem could be an aftereffect of his time spent fighting during the Vietnam war. Manolo also discusses how he regrets being a part of the streets so early, and how that lifestyle led to the death of his friend. He then disputes with Vlad about why he feels McDonald’s workers should be granted a living wage, to avoid the desperation of having to run the streets to survive.