![\"Dove](\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/21-1026-dove-and-andre-696x522.jpg\")
PHOTO CAPTION: Dove and Andre Taylor.<\/em><\/p>\n
Always an outspoken figure, stemming back to his feature in the Hughes Brothers cult documentary film classic, \u201cAmerican Pimp,\u201d Taylor has garnered national mainstream accolades for his work and achievements on the frontline battle for police accountability, most recently concluding his appointment as a \u201cstreet czar\u201d consultant by the mayor of Seattle. \u201cThe Many Shades of Dre,\u201d an unapologetic exploration and dive back to his roots, is a multilayered music and video compilation, marking the evolution of Taylor from the mean streets to his former high-level executive suite.<\/p>\n
Taylor has consistently brewed widespread controversy from both the left and right, with many questioning his ability to adeptly stride the road less traveled. From his street reign as a pimp, his transformation as a civil rights contender victoriously taking on the Seattle police department, to the appointment of his city position as \u201cstreet czar,\u201d while battling and managing family loss and health issues, including a bout with Covid, Taylor continues to rise as an 21st century renaissance man and urban legend.<\/p>\n
Married for 23 years, his wife, Dove, has stood by his side through it all, even sharing a kidney during a health scare when his failed. A true enigma of sorts, Taylor also boasts a son who graduated from Yale and a daughter who graduated from UCLA among his offspring!<\/p>\n
There is a strong message in his perceived madness. His current single and video releases, \u201cLike Me,\u201d \u201cKnockin\u2019 Season\u201d and \u201cA Day in the Life\u201d have amassed over six million views across social media platforms. With plans to drop a video with every track from the project, Taylor is determined to make his musical mark and reignite his street \u2018cred\u2019 and visibility.<\/p>\n
When one is fully acquainted with the back story of Andre Taylor, it becomes clear that it takes more than salty opinions to deter him from his appointed mission to impact, enhance and save lives. With \u201cMany Shades of Dre,\u201d Taylor makes no excuses for his illicit past, boldly recapturing and revisiting his pimp roots. On a musical voyage akin to what supporters are calling, \u201cThe Return of the American Pimp,\u201d Taylor makes peace with the fact that it is his maligned origins that paved the road to his rise as a venerated urban visionary.<\/p>\n
Like Malcolm X, Andre Taylor rose from the gutter to achieve remarkable heights. His father was a pimp and his mother a prostitute. Following in their footsteps was perhaps predestined. A stint in prison saw him retiring from \u2018the game\u2019 before catapulting to pop culture fame in \u201cAmerican Pimp,\u201d the groundbreaking film that laid bare the subculture of pimping and pandering.<\/p>\n
It was the tragic murder of his brother, Che Taylor, by Seattle police in 2016, that redirected his focus to civic activism. Taylor left Los Angeles for Seattle and founded the nonprofit organization, Not This Time. He began working with other families who had also experienced police related tragic losses and by 2018 had spearheaded the triumphant passing of I-940. An unprecedented initiative, I-940 makes it easier to criminally charge police officers believed to have wrongfully used deadly force.<\/p>\n
Taylor has worked relentlessly on a grassroots level to secure recognition and justice for Seattle\u2019s marginalized communities. Not This Time received a city contract for a $100,000 contract to host a speaker series called ‘Conversation with the Streets,’ followed by a $150,000 contract positioning Taylor as the city\u2019s consulting \u2018street czar,\u2019 securing his expertise to de-escalate tensions and liaison the community and Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot many can comprehend the depth of my life mission,\u201d cites Taylor, a man known for his gift of expression. \u201cI can\u2019t stop to concern myself with continual explanation. When I was in the streets as a pimp, I was public enemy number one. Yet my activism and civic service had others perceiving me as a sellout. My life journey has challenged me to be true to myself and my God, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike many successful artists, including Jay Z, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg, my evolution didn\u2019t start pretty,\u201d notes Taylor. \u201cWith \u2018Many Shades of Dre\u2019 there will be no more whispering and speculation about my past deeds. I\u2019m laying my life bare, all of it. The man I was is not the man I am today, but the man I was made me the man I am today. Music has always been one of my strongest passions because of its ability to heal through self-expression and I am blessed to embark on this new journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Check out the music and videos for \u201cMany Shades of Dre\u201d as well as the revelations of Andre Taylor on his YouTube channel at https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/AndreTaylor<\/a> and experience \u201cA Day in the Life\u201d starring comedian Cory Holcomb, his wife Dove and his son, Cashanovas-kp.<\/p>\n Get involved with \u201cNot This Time\u201d at https:\/\/notthistime.global\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n