"Music is where everything started," Samira Horton says.She has been rapping and performing since she was 6 years old. Through music, DJ Annie Red says, "I can express myself and let out my emotion."
The rising hip-hop star uses music to share a message about bullying. "I was bullied a lot," she says, "even today, especially because of my voice." DJ Annie Red has a deep voice.But DJ Annie Red has found a way to rise above their rude remarks. Instead of thinking of her voice as a weakness, she uses it to spread her anti-bullying message far and wide.
She posts her music online, too. She likes to give students a rhythmic and interactive show while teaching them how to overcome bullying. "It makes them feel like they're not alone."
Annie Red believes that standing up to bullying is more important than ever."You don't have to show your face at all," she says. "Someone could easily be affected by that."
She believes that kids of her generation can make things better by finding their passions, and using those passions to inspire changes, as she has. "Kids' being more confident in themselves and wanting to do something that they really enjoy doing is something that motivates me to keep doing what I do."
A. But she sees a brighter future ahead.
B. People have told her she sounds like a boy.
C. She encourages kids of all ages to stand up to bullying.
D. DJ Annie Red has performed at schools, festivals and Brooklyn Net games.
E. Her 2017 book, The Bully Stop, is based on her song "No You Won't Bully Me".
F. The 13-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, is known to the world as-DJ Annie Red.
G. That's because people can bully others on social media while hiding behind a username.
