A Bay Area rapper is reaching youth in a new way by sharing his struggles with mental health.
Stanley Cox, better known as Mistah F.A.B., has made it his mission to help others reveal their own mental health challenges and find ways to heal through what he calls "Thug Therapy."
"I'm not giving up on you. I'm not giving up on you because I know whatever you're doing is a response. It's secondary."
That's the message Mistah F.A.B. gave youth and community leaders Friday at Oakland's Merrit College.
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"Unfortunately, especially Black and brown men we've never had a safe space where we can feel like I can cry in front of this complete stranger and still be respected as a man," he said. "I can be vulnerable in these spaces. I can tell you about the things that have troubled me."
Mistah F.A.B. first revealed his own mental health struggles publicly when he broke down on camera during a July interview with NBC Bay Area. Since then he has held a half-dozen monthly meet ups encouraging young men to reveal their own pain and get the support they need to heal.
"To be honest I almost shed a tear because what he said was so relatable to me," said Kymarii Humphries, who attended Friday's meeting.
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The teenagers who participated in Friday's session said hearing Mistah F.A.B. share his struggles has made an impact.
"Coming here it's helping bring out some stuff that I haven't revealed to nobody yet," Derek Hohue-Smith said.
While making music still drives him, Mistah F.A.B. said his so-called Thug Therapy is now a part of his personal mission.
