Growing up in the mid-1980s on the west side of National City, Carlos Nicasio was heavily influenced by the emergence of the hip-hop scene.
At a time when N.W.A spoke out against police harassment, and in an era when Ice Cube rapped about gang-banging, Nicasio was out living the life he heard about on hip hop cassette tapes.
“You had all these West Coast rappers producing these records where the lyrics on the records are really violent, very sexual (and) highlighting and glorifying the whole drug trade on the streets,” he said.
At 13, Nicasio got caught up in the wave of gang and drug violence.
By 16, he was developing his own rap sheet when he was sent to juvenile hall for felony grand theft.
A year later he was back in criminal justice system for criminal burglary.
But one day, Nicasio said, he sat alone in a jail cell when he came to a realization that he had to turn his life around.
“I realized everything wasn’t about what I was living,” he said.
To get his life on the right track, he leaned on several mentors while enrolling himself into the local learning center. He also managed to get his spiritual life in order.
Nicasio eventually went on to earn a bachelors of science degree in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University.
Now with a family of his own and leaving his past behind, Nicasio ,45, is creating positive change through his nonprofit Concrete and Canvas, whose vision is to provide youth with resources to create community transformation through collaborative art and mural projects that inspire change.
“I wanted to do something with my life that really made a difference in other people’s lives just because of the path that I lived,” he said about the program. “I knew how hard it was growing up in National City.”
With Concrete and Canvas, Nicasio said when you mix art and leadership you can paint hope and opportunity.
Nicasio said Concrete and Canvas is getting ready to do an art project with the National Park Service. They have also painted the mural at H&M Goodies in National City.
On Aug. 18, the nonprofit will host its school beautification project where volunteers will paint rails, benches murals and do other art projects at National City Middle School, Granger Junior High School and Sweetwater Union High School.
“Concrete and Canvass provides resources, art education and leadership,” he said.
