Mike Caesar

In life, you win some and you lose some. Same can be applied to love. With the help of Mike Mazar on the hook, Dallas emcee ,Mike Caesar, brings his vivid recollections to life in “You Lose,” directed and shot by Renee Thompson (film produced by AENL). “You Lose” serves as the intro to the forthcoming “Miami Layover” film soundtrack. Also check out Mike Caesar’s “Gotta Ball”. - Allhiphop.com

He finally cracked the mystery of his mental illness. See how he's using music so others can, too.

As a child, he felt like something was wrong with him. But he didn't know exactly what.

He got into trouble. A lot. When he was in elementary school, none of the adults around him could figure out why he couldn't just "behave." He was angry. He had tantrums. He felt like he was on an emotional roller coaster. Fortunately, one counselor helped him discover something that made him feel better in spite of all the ups and downs.

The one thing that helped calm him down was writing.





That counselor helped change his life forever — she told him to keep a journal and write down his thoughts and feelings every day. He started to write short stories and poems, and pretty soon he was writing songs and rapping. But without the treatment he needed, he continued to struggle.

It took 10 long years — and a variety of medications — before he finally found the truth: He has bipolar disorder.

After he was diagnosed, he was finally able to get the right treatment to manage his condition. And it helped his relationship with his family, too, because they knew exactly what they were dealing with.

He started to use his musical talent to raise awareness around mental illness — especially in black communities.

Mike admits that he struggled with societal pressure to be a "strong black man" who didn't need any help. That's why he's using his music to reduce the stigma around having a mental illness and getting help for it.

Roughly one-quarter of black Americans seek mental health care, in contrast to 40% of white Americans.


But Mike wants to change that. That's why he's donating all the proceeds from his latest single "Gotta Ball" to domestic violence and bipolar organizations.

Money raised from his $.99 single will go to the nonprofits Joyful Heart Foundation — committed to ending domestic violence and sexual assault — and the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation, which raises awareness for early-onset bipolar disorder.

That's only the beginning. He's also working on making his own foundation.

He and a few friends are creating a nonprofit called the WAIT Foundation. WAIT stands for "We're All in Together." He plans to use the foundation to continue to raise awareness around mental illness and other related issues like homelessness and domestic violence.




He hopes reducing stigma around mental illness will prevent people from being too afraid to ask for help.

In an interview with the Dallas Observer, Mike said, "Even if people don't donate, at least they're asking the question, and with each question, those stigmas that might deter someone from seeking help will begin to dissipate."

That's music to so many ears.

You can listen to his single on SoundCloud. (Warning: explicit language.) - Upworthy

Mike Caesar first knew he had a problem when he was 9 years old. He kept getting into trouble at school, so his mother took him to see a counselor. It took 10 years and a series of medications that didn't help until the answer was finally discovered: In 2006, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

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When Caesar was first seeking treatment in elementary school, his counselor gave him a journal and instructed him to write down his feelings. He began writing short stories and poetry and once he heard Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, he knew writing songs and rapping were for him. Now he's made it his mission to use music to help raise awareness about mental illness, particularly in the African American community where social stigmas remain prevalent for such diagnoses.

Growing up as an African American male in the small town of Waynesboro, Mississippi, Caesar — whose birth name is Michael Taylor — was almost guaranteed a life as an underdog. To make matters worse, Caesar began exhibiting signs of emotional issues at an early age. "Back then they didn't know what bipolar or mental health issues were. So, if you were a kid, you just had tantrums — you had anger issues or behavioral problems. There was no public acknowledgment, just excuses made for my behavior," he explains.

Caesar points out that, as a community, most African Americans are behind from the get go, making success that much more of a struggle. He feels that the expectation is for men to be the stereotypically strong, proud providers. Complaining is not an option, which makes people even less likely to seek treatment. "Within the black community, we already have so many obstacles to overcome that to have to admit that you are physically defective as a human being is hard, period," he says. "These social stigmas imply that there is already so much wrong with us. So you're just crazy or hyper or special and you get treated differently."

Getting to a state of mental well being was a difficult process for Caesar, even if he did seek out treatment at a young age. There was a detour into the land of prescription medications that Caesar says did more harm than good, and he continued to struggle with depression and anxiety. When he was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder it helped both him and his family to understand the emotional roller coaster he had been on.

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By then Caesar was in college, and following his graduation he took a brief musical hiatus. He relocated to Dallas, where he soon resumed his writing and music production. Since then, Caesar has been working on overcoming and managing his social anxiety by networking and redirecting his energy back into his music as well as bringing awareness to mental health issues.

It's a topic that's getting more and more attention. With the rampant racial tensions, violence and hostility that have become more and more visible in this country recently, the debate over mental health issues and our ability to address them has jumped onto the front burner. Mass murderers like Dylann Roof, Jared Lee Loughner and Adam Lanza have all been connected to mental illness. But simply acknowledging that there is a lack of understanding of mental illness isn't enough.

That's why when Caesar released the single "Gotta Ball" — which was available to download for $0.99 — this past April, he arranged for all proceeds go to the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation and the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization set up to empower survivors of domestic violence. According to Caesar, "Gotta Ball" has been downloaded over 2,800 times, which means that, after the distributor's cut, both charities will be receiving over $1,000 each.

Shortly after the release of "Gotta Ball," Caesar teamed up with local promoter Callie Dee, who along with Gitmo Music regularly raises funds for the homeless. Together, the duo began planning a large fundraiser for several charities, including Licht Foundation and Joyful Heart as well as Haircuts for the Homeless — and the response from local artists has been inspiring. The event, which will take place on August 29 at The Crown and Harp and stream live on ThaCelebritea.com, boasts a lineup that includes Buffalo Black, Jay Kelly, the High Rollaz, Alsace Carcione, Bobby Fisha, S. Good, Muenster, Casta Stone and DJ Snoopi. All of the participating artists have waived their performance fees in order to help bring awareness to the causes at hand.

But Caesar doesn't want to stop there. He and several colleagues are in the beginning stages of forming a foundation of their own, called the WAIT Foundation, which will be able to directly help individuals and causes that are close to their hearts. WAIT, which is also the name of Caesar's upcoming new single, is an acronym for "We're All in Together." The foundation is intended as a way to push cultural awareness and independent artistry.

"It brings awareness to our brand and myself as an artist, but it also helps those charities as well," Caesar says of performing for the charities. "To me, that's what success is: being able to bring awareness and help change peoples' minds about mental health, domestic violence and homelessness. Even if people don't donate, at least they're asking the question, and with each question, those stigmas that might deter someone from seeking help will begin to dissipate." - Dallas Observer

Mike Caesar discusses his charity concert at The Crown and Harp on 8/29, new single 'Gotta Ball' on iTunes, Mississippi night life and more with The Vini Vegas Show

The “W.A.I.T. Foundation Concert”, will feature Dallas artists' such as Mike Caesar, who already donates to these foundations and others, and also the Denton, Gitmo Productions group.

Sat, August, 29
Crown & Harp, in lower Greenville; Dallas TX,

We are organizing this event to donate to Joyful Heart Domestic Violence Awareness, Ryan Licht Sang BiPolar Foundation, and Haircuts For The Homeless. - The Vini Vegas Show / Fishbowl Network