Hip-hop paraplegics mentor wheelchair-bound youth

Two musicians bound to wheelchairs due to gun violence are using hip-hop to inspire others. Ricardo Velasquez and Namel Norris call themselves 4 Wheel City. Norris provides the group's vocals while Velasquez

News 12 Staff

Dec 31, 2007, 12:51 AM

Updated 5,960 days ago

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Hip-hop paraplegics mentor wheelchair-bound youth
Two musicians bound to wheelchairs due to gun violence are using hip-hop to inspire others.
Ricardo Velasquez and Namel Norris call themselves 4 Wheel City. Norris provides the group's vocals while Velasquez mixes the beats on 4 Wheel City's tracks.
"People with disabilities need a voice," says Velasquez. "We were the chosen ones. We had to go and do this."
Velasquez says the pair mentors young paraplegics at Mount Sinai Hospital. Velasquez was inspired by a patient who assured him when he was disabled, and the musician says he felt he had to return the favor. They also look to inspire teenagers to make positive choices in life.
"We go there to talk to the kids and ? show them everything is going to be alright," says Velasquez.
The group says what started out as therapy over their shared experiences has saved their lives.


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