Hi! I am Warren Dickson, a hip-hop musician from Watts. I’m leading #IfIwasWild because I believe in the powerful connections between people and wildlife.

Have you ever really taken the time to notice how much wildlife and human life have in common? Our struggles, our wants, our needs, the way we express ourselves, the way we show love and our will to survive, these are some of the many things that connect us. Did you know that the road systems that we built for our benefit are actually responsible for over 1 million large animal deaths per year? That means that a system that we've set up for our convenience, has inconvenienced another group and it’s becoming a danger to their existence. In the Los Angeles area, an entire mountain lion population may vanish because too many are getting killed by cars.

Now if you're thinking “This sounds familiar”, it’s probably because this is the same as systematic oppression, in our lives, where there is a system set up to give an advantage to one group over another. I started to use my music to help people show these connections, and I want you to as well. I have joined with the National Wildlife Federation and their #SaveLACougars campaign to create #IfIwasWild with Big Picture Anthems. This campaign starts off with the #IFIwaswildchallenge open to all artists around the U.S., (rappers, singers, poets, etc.) and will build up to the release of a national music video during the annual P-22 Day Festival in October in Los Angeles.

Join me in showing through your music, how we are all united on this planet.

Peace,
Warren