Thug Life Army

An overwhelming number of requests have lead to the return of the play "Medal of Honor Rag" starring rap artist/actor Heavy D. The play will return to the Egyptian Arena Theater in Hollywood. Fellow rapper/ actor Will Smith will Executive Produce this compelling stage production which will re-open on Thursday, October 13th and run through November 6th.

Determined to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, the play's star, Heavy D, set a personal goal to raise funds through his performances of "Medal of Honor Rag," and donate 100% of the proceeds to hurricane victims. He's reaching out to friends, colleagues, businesses and the general public for support of his efforts.

Hailed by L.A. Weekly as an "Editor's Pick-Of-The Week," "Medal of Honor Rag," written by Tom Cole, tells the true story of Vietnam veteran Dale "DJ" Jackson and his psychiatrist. Dale "DJ" Jackson returns home from a brutal war, with a nation celebrating his heroic deeds while he secretly suffers from tremendous guilt and clinical depression.

This past June and July, the play entertained a packed house every night with standing room only. Crowds of theater goers were turned away and the who's who of Hollywood, hip-hop and rap came out including Quincy Jones, Will Smith, Jay Z, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Regina King, Laurence Fishburne, Mary J. Blige, Scott Caan, Eve, and Gayle King just to name a few.

Heavy D made his theatrical debut in the one-act off-Broadway performance of "Riff Raff," written and directed by Laurence Fishburne, for which Heavy D was nominated for a prestigious Drama Desk Award. While in production on "Riff Raff" he fell in love with the theater experience. It was during this time that Fishburne presented Heavy D with the idea to perform "Medal of Honor Rag." Heavy D, however, didn''t think he was ready to take on the project. With a passion for DJ's story he states, "I wanted to be fully committed to the process, and portraying a character of this magnitude requires certain training." He adds, "Since then, I''ve worked with notable actors and directors on projects like ''Cider House Rules'' that have provided me with the training to bring ''DJ's'' character to life."

Actress/Director Denise Dowse is set to direct the return of "Medal of Honor Rag." Denise recently co-starred in "Ray" and "Coach Carter" and has directed numerous theatrical performances in the Los Angeles area.

"Medal of Honor Rag" is Executive Produced by Will Smith, Produced by Heavy D, Kenadie Cobbin and Avery O. Williams and Directed by Denise Dowse.

Tickets available at www.heavyd.org