Larry T. Pretlow II
| Larry T. Pretlow II | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 19, 1989 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 💼 Occupation | Community activist, politician, rapper |
| 📆 Years active | 2010–present |
Larry Thurman Pretlow II (born June 19, 1989[1][2][3]), known more commonly as LaPret, is an American rapper and political candidate from the District of Columbia.[4][5] He is known for his opposition to obtaining voting rights but not statehood for the District.[4] He sought election to a Ward 8 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner seat in 2010 but was defeated in a high-profile race against his incumbent opponent.[6][7][8][9][10] He released a song called Problem In Harlem, which addressed concerns of the ward under the continuous re-election of former Washington, D.C. Mayor, then Ward 8 councilman Marion Barry.[11] Pretlow is a former employee of the United States Postal Service[12][13] and former President of the National Youth Rights Association, D.C. Chapter, NYRA-DC.
Political activities
On July 24, 2009, Pretlow urged the council to fully fund the Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program for the 2010 fiscal year, including uncapping the number of participants, so that all youth within the 14–21 years old age range residing in the city could be participants in the program the next summer. He testified before the city council that it would be unfair to have a program that would not present all youth of working age the chance to participate. He also felt that capping the number of youth in the program would later lead to debate over eliminating the program.[14][15] On February 10, 2015, Mayor Muriel Bowser expanded the program to serve District youth ages 22 to 24.[16] Bowser reprogrammed an additional $5 million to expand the program.
During Vincent C. Gray's 2014 run for reelection, the Washington City Paper published an article that highlighted Pretlow's political rap song that protested Gray's reelection bid.[17]
Pretlow does not support the District of Columbia becoming the fifty-first state of the United States. Instead, Pretlow's position is that the District of Columbia should advocate for voting rights without statehood for the District, and should at least seek to become a federal state.[4][18][19]
On February 3, 2016, The Washington Informer published an article in both print and online editions entitled State51: Song Advocates D.C. Statehood With a Twist. As detailed in Wright's article, Pretlow released a song called State 51. Sriram Gopal of the DCist published an article entitled Local Rapper Advocates for D.C. Voting Rights Through Rhyme about the song.[12]
Special election
On April 26, 2011, Pretlow, then a registered Republican, appeared on the Special Election ballot for the Ward 8 State Board of Education seat in the District of Columbia.[11][20][21][22] Pretlow stated on his web series Pretlow on the Rise[23] that he would have won the special election had he not been a registered Republican at the time and had not Marion Barry made an endorsement. These events led to the release of the song Problem In Harlem.[11][24] Barry endorsed Trayon White during the Special Election.
Electoral results
2010
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Mary J. Cuthbert | 222 | 69.38 | |
| Nonpartisan | Larry T. Pretlow II | 92 | 28.75 | |
| Nonpartisan | WRITE-IN | 6 | 1.88 | |
2011
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Trayon White | 981 | 32.8 | |
| Nonpartisan | Philip Pannell | 779 | 26.0 | |
| Nonpartisan | Eugene DeWitt Kinlow | 469 | 15.7 | |
| Nonpartisan | Anthony Muhammad | 274 | 9.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra Williams | 221 | 7.4 | |
| Nonpartisan | W. Cardell Shelton | 84 | 2.8 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tijwanna U. Phillips | 66 | 2.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | R. Joyce Scott | 54 | 1.81 | |
| Nonpartisan | Larry T. Pretlow II | 42 | 1.40 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 21 | 0.70 | |
References
- ↑ "Meet Larry". LARRY PRETLOW | Official Site. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "LaPret". www.lapret.net. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "LaPret | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates | MTV". MTV Artists. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "State51: Song Advocates D.C. Statehood With a Twist". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "LaPret - Music on Google Play". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "Sparks and Slurs in Ward 8 ANC Race". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "Now It's Campaign Season: N-Word Flies in ANC Race". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ PretlowVSCuthbert (2010-08-08), ANC Mary Cuthbert Calls Larry T. Pretlow II "Dumb Nigger", retrieved 2016-09-29
- ↑ "DC Board Of Elections And Ethics: Election Results". www.dcboee.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "ANC Commissioner Hurls Racial Epithet at Opponent". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Marion Barry Dissed By Ward 8 Rapper-Politician". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Local Rapper Advocates for D.C. Voting Rights Through Rhyme". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "Employee Profile of Larry T. Pretlow Ii — Postal Carrier (City)". www.federalpay.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "Archives - ASYEP-DC". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ↑ "0724_committeeofthewhole_pretlow_20093.pdf". docs.google.com. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ↑ "Mayor Bowser Expands Summer Youth Employment Program to 22-24 Year Olds | mayormb". mayor.dc.gov. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ↑ "Vince Gray Gets a Diss Song". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
- ↑ "District of Columbia". LARRY PRETLOW | Official Site. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "LaPret - State 51". lapret.net. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "DC Board Of Elections And Ethics: Election Results". www.dcboee.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ PretlowOntheRise (2011-04-14), Larry T. Pretlow II - State Board of Education - Ward 8 - March 2011, retrieved 2016-09-29
- ↑ "Larry T. "LaPret" Pretlow, II | Previous Candidate for Ward 8 Member Of The State Board Of Education, District of Columbia | Vote-DC". vote-dc.org. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "DMV Daily: D.C. Election Field Grows". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ Google, retrieved 2016-09-29
- ↑ "Certified Results, November 02 General Election for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner" (PDF). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. November 29, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Certified Results, April 26 Special Election for At-Large Member of the Council and Ward 4 and 8 Members of the State Board of Education". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 14, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
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