Stockton music artists invite children to record 'peace anthem' after mass shooting leaves 4 dead
As people across the city of Stockton come to grips with the Nov. 29 mass shooting at a child's birthday party that left four dead, including three children, two local music artists are using their platforms to "give every child their voice back" while also calling for peace."I don't even know why we have to explain why children's lives are valuable, but that's what I want to do," said DeOzene Stone.Stone is a Stockton native and recording artist who goes by the name "DeOzene" in her music.KCRA 3 met Stone inside Traffic Records, owned by Brian Williams, who goes by the name "Fast Traffic" as a recording artist and producer.The two artists decided to work together on a project to create a "peace anthem," where they'd invite children from across the city to record a song DeOzene wrote while driving back home the night of the shooting.She was 12 hours away in Arizona when she first heard the news that multiple people were shot, including children.She, along with the rest of the Stockton community, would later learn the names and faces of the kids that were killed, with the youngest victims being 8-year-old girls."Kids are innocent, they deserve better ... we're in a tough city already that's been known for being a tough city," said Brian Williams. "I was at home with my lady, and our phone just started blowing up because her cousin was there, and I know artists that were there that were hit."Williams said his girlfriend's cousin is one of the 13 people hit by gunfire at the party and is currently in the hospital. He also says that the same cousin's boyfriend is one of the four victims who died.KCRA has identified 21-year-old Susano Archuleta as one of the victims. Williams says he didn't know Archuleta well but had met the young man everyone called "Chooch."Investigators with the San Joaquin District Attorney's office have confirmed the shooting was targeted and gang-related. But those familiar with the city's music scene say it goes a step further."This is gang-related, but it's rappers that are in gangs. It's tough because I can't say too much, but it's, it's real gangs from different sides of town that have real bloodshed on both sides," said Williams. "Then you have the social media beefing, you know, they're on Live, trolling each other and arguing with each other. I mean, even the day of the party that was happening." Williams said he's very familiar with the Stockton rap scene, which has gained national attention after several local artists have garnered attention. Most notably, an artist named EBK Jaybo recently made XXL's Freshmen of Class of 2025, which has long been seen as a rite of passage for up-and-coming hip hop artists.While people consume the music created by Stockton artists, Williams says what they don't know is that the lyrics are often tied to real issues in the community, like gang violence and murder."I don't want to quote some of the lyrics, but ... what happened to respecting the dead?" said Williams. "The whole smoking dead people in songs, I'm smoking on so-and-so."Williams is referring to a form of "taunting" in lyrics when a rapper references the name of homicide victims as if they're rolling them up and "smoking" them."It's just a new low, you know, an all-time low," said Williams.After the shooting, the two music artists wanted to create a song that could uplift the community after so much loss."I wrote this song for the kids because it's just like, if this started because of rap beef, then I wanted to give the kids a voice back," said DeOzene Stone.KCRA 3 captured the moments that Traffic Records was full of children enjoying pizza and learning the song before recording it in the studio.There was a room full of children singing at once, "I just want to grow up."Lyrics that both artists believe need to echo through the city after so many children and families were impacted by the mass shooting.Authorities are still searching for those responsible and are asking the public for any tips that can lead to an arrest and conviction. The reward for information as of Monday, Dec. 8, is up to $130,000.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
