WEEK OF AUGUST 1, 2024
VOLUME 11 | ISSUE 28
Rappin’ a ‘dose of joy’
Freestyle rapper Harry Mack makes a visit to UCHealth Hospital Highlands Ranch
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How local amateur radio enthusiasts in Colorado assist with public safety BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNTIYMEDIA.COM
rapper, Mack aims to promote positivity and connectivity through his unique style. He rose to fame by rapping to strangers on the streets of Venice Beach, eventually working with known artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Soulja Boy and Jennifer Hudson.
Given our dependency on the internet, communicating with amateur radios may seem old school, even quaint. But imagine if bad weather or a solar storm hit and disrupted the internet and cell phones. At that moment, a network of amateur, or ham, radio operators could spring into action, playing a major role in keeping the public safe through communications. “It’s kind of old technology, but it’s old technology that never fails,” said Debrah Schnackenberg, Douglas County’s emergency management director. Whether it’s a natural disaster like Hurricane Beryl, which struck the Caribbean, the Yucatan Peninsula and Gulf Coast this summer,knocking out power for millions of people or the more recent Microsoft and CrowdStrike outage that impacted computer systems throughout the country, an amateur radio can become an important community tool.
SEE JOY, P10
SEE SAFETY, P4
Freestyle rapper Harry Mack speaks with patients and staff at a UCHealth hospital. He would ask them for a few key words PHOTO BY HALEY LENA and within minutes produce personalized songs on the spot. BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNTIYMEDIA.COM
“Disinfect” and “bowel movement” aren’t words commonly strung together in a rap lyric. But churned from the mind of freestyle rapper Harry Mack, the words were part of a song that brought smiles to
patients and staff at UCHealth Hospital Highlands Ranch. “One of my missions as an artist and freestyler is to use that sort of collaborative element of human connection to spread joy to other people,” Mack said during a recent tour of the hospital. Establishing himself as a freestyle
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