Free4Life
by Tamekia Reece, 02.10.04


"I'm a fighter."

You've probably peeped at the ever-changing hair, clothes, and boots, and thought to yourself, "She's got it going on." You're right — Free, the sassy co-host of 106 & Park: BET's Top 10 Live — does have it going on. But don't think she's forgotten where she came from. Check out how Free is giving back to her community.

Free4Life

Created in 2002, the Free4Life Foundation aims to encourage and strengthen the development of teens in Free's hometown of Boston, MA. "The foundation came from me being blessed with the opportunity to be on BET and realizing I can do so many things," Free says.

Marie "Free" Wright says her parents' pushing her into arts programs at an early age helped her stay focused. That's where Free4Life's creative arts program comes in. "It helps to give teens encouragement to do different things and look at things differently," says the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts alumni. "You're exposed to different things and that makes you a leader for your peers."

The foundation also has a financial literacy program where teens learn to manage money and stay out of debt.

Carefree Living?

Just because she's sitting pretty on BET doesn't mean life's been carefree. From disappointments and critics to an abusive relationship, Free has dealt with drama.

"It was difficult," Free says, speaking of the abusive relationship she had when she was younger. It started off well, but by the sixth month, that kind and cool guy she'd known became something else — verbally abusive.

By the one-year mark, it was physical. Free would sometimes get hurt. "I'm a fighter and I just decided I couldn't deal with that," she says. "It was wrong, uncomfortable, and crazy for me, so I just got out of it."

Lessons4Life

Because of her experience, Free added Lessons4Life, a domestic violence intervention program, to Free4Life. Lessons4Life helps teens learn the causes and consequences of domestic violence. Free says the program isn't just about learning you can't control someone, it's also about learning to handle your temper and react to someone else's temper so minor arguments don't escalate into violence.

Lessons From Free

The first step in dealing with an abusive relationship, Free says, is realizing you're in one. "Don't internalize it and feel it's your fault." Secondly, find someone you can trust and talk to. "My mother and father are very strong people," she says. "With their help, I was able to take the steps I needed to take to remove myself from the situation."

Freestyling

It's a good thing Free hasn't let negativity slow her down. Not only is she working on the daily cable program with 1.5 million viewers and running her foundation, she's also creating her own boot line. And she's in the studio preparing to drop her self-titled album on Elektra Records next year. When asked what can be expected, Free gets excited: "You have no idea! I am very happy with my album."

And she should be — it's been a long time coming. If you've heard her flow before, you know she sounds nothing like a newbie. "People don't know I had two deals before BET," Free says. She was once signed to an independent label linked to Priority and had a deal with Wyclef Jean's Refuge All-Stars. When Wyclef's label got dropped, the BET opportunity came along and Free jumped on it. Two weeks later she and her co-host A.J. were on the air.

Now, after chatting it up with superstars like B2K, P. Diddy, and Missy, Free's decided to make her own musical dream a reality. With guest appearances from Faith Evans, Tweet, and Beanie Siegel, among others, the album is sure to be a hit.

With her BET gig, her upcoming projects, and giving back to her community, it seems Free would be ready for a well-deserved break. But she's just started. "I'm having so much fun," she exclaims. "It's a dream!"

To find out more about Free4Life, check out the Warm2Kids Web site.