Mont Brown, the hip-hop humanitarian, uses fun and music for the serious purpose of peace and prosperity

When Lamont Brown was a young boul, he grew up under the musical influence of Bad Boy Records, Jay-Z and Mase, and the fashion styles of Ralph Lauren and Pharrell Williams. The combination stoked his creative fire to become a rap artist and fashion creative.

But that was the vision of millions of teenagers in the 1990s. The difference: Brown’s would not be a dream deferred.

Now that he has had his share of rap and fashion success, he is reaching out to give back. “I want to show kids there’s another way,” said Brown, who grew up in Southwest Philly.

That’s the backstory of the 13th annual Stop the Violence Kickback Block Party that Brown hosted on Aug. 17. It is also the reason he was recognized by the city with a ceremonial renaming of the 1400 block of South 55th Street between Springfield and Chester Avenues to “Mont Brown Way.”

“Lamont ‘Mont’ Brown is a humanitarian, visionary, A&R for Columbia Records, and fashion designer, who is known as the hip-hop humanitarian of Philadelphia,” City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said, reading from an official city resolution during the unveiling of the street sign celebrating Brown at his childhood neighborhood, where his dreams and nightmares mingled.

Brown, 36, was raised on the 1400 block of South 55th Street by devoutly religious grandparents. His father’s mother was a minister, and his maternal grandmother was a Jehovah’s Witness. He said that it was from those two women that he got his foundational beliefs about giving back to others.

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He also developed a lifelong love of Southwest Philly. “Growing up in Southwest Philly, it was cool. It was vibrant. It was stylish. It was family-oriented,” Brown said, ticking of the attributes of his tight-knit community.

But as he grew older, he saw there was a darker side.

Southwest Philadelphia was a comfortable working-class community that became plagued by drugs and violence in the 1980s. Brown’s family wasn’t spared.

His father, Leroy “Bucky” Davis, was a talented welterweight who by 16 had won a spot on the USA boxing team. But Davis was lured into the streets and ultimately turned to selling drugs with the Junior Black Mafia, who dominated the local crack cocaine trade.

Davis climbed the JBM ranks, and his charisma, generosity, street smarts, and leadership abilities earned him the moniker the “King of Southwest Philadelphia.” Newspaper reports at the time said that Southwest Philadelphia was particularly active territory for the JBM, which was said to have distributed 200 to 300 kilograms of cocaine every month.

But the JBM was a violent enterprise, and his reign was short. Davis was shot and killed on his porch in May 1990, when he was 22 and Brown was only 2.

The carnage of the JBM’s violence brought media and police attention, and those who weren’t gunned down often found themselves in prison. Brown’s own mother was incarcerated for more than 20 years.

“Definitely felt that impact 1,000%. Even if there is a village, that’s a void that cannot be filled,” Brown said of losing his mother to imprisonment. “It also taught me whatever happens, look on the bright side. You can’t think negative or you end up with negativity.”

It was Brown’s infectious optimism and resilience combined with his hustle and grind that generated his hip-hop success. He became well known in the 2010s for a catchy earworm called “Stupid Crazy Dumb Stupid.” Brown was also the lead rapper for an alternative rap/rock band Astronauts Really Fly (ARF), and the song “All I Had” had autobiographical elements from his life. “My mom did a dime. That time nothing to play about. My dad got killed. Some hating ass n—s took him out.”

Brown got his start through his older cousin Al-baseer “Boo-Bonic” Holly, now a noted visual artist, who started rapping in 2001 and eventually made his way out to the West Coast.

“I was young and [L.A.] seemed alive,” said Brown, who started visiting Holly in 2008. “When I got here, it was exactly that. I always told myself when I got older that I would move to L.A.”

Brown followed Holly’s blueprint, and besides his music has a fashion brand called Community Service.

Eventually Brown did move out of his Southwest Philadelphia community. He admitted he could have remained comfortably ensconced in California, but he suffered from survivor’s remorse. “Things don’t happen for my community,” Brown said. Eventually he gave up the microphone to become an independent manager and now he is an artists and repertoire (A&R) representative at Columbia Records.

For years, Brown has had a goal of advocating for the creation of performing arts for young music and fashion creatives. He uses the Kickback Block Party as a showcase for new talent, an opportunity he didn’t have. There is music played throughout the day along with free food, backpacks, and bouncy houses.

Anthony “Ant” Brown (no relation) said Mont Brown first gave him a platform to host at the Kickback Block Party about seven years ago. He hasn’t missed a festival since. “One thing [Mont Brown] talks about is having discipline. We have to put our heart into the work and connect with the community.”

To stop the violence for one day in Southwest Philadelphia has always been the other objective.

As the 13th annual festival waned, Brown warned the youth that beef wasn’t worth killing each other over.

Dorothy Johnson-Speight, founder and executive director of Mothers In Charge, said she met Brown as they shared conversations of losing relatives and friends to gun violence.

“I’ve admired the young man,” she said.

“He is doing amazing work. I know he has lost some loved ones. But if there were more Mont Browns, there would be less trauma.”