Thug Life Army

Disaboom, the premier online community for people with disabilities, will sponsor hip hop group 4 Wheel City's "Welcome 2 Reality Tour," a seven-city tour beginning on October 22 in Orlando, FL, and wrapping up in New York City on November 12. 4 Wheel City members include hip hop rapper Namel "Tapwaterz" Norris and music producer Rick "Rickfire" Velasquez.

The tour will consist of both musical performances and speaking engagements to build awareness about disability issues. Both hip hop artist Namel "Tapwaterz" Norris and music producer Rick "Rickfire" Velasquez, along with their manager Gary Delamothe, announce the tour from New York's City Hall in conjunction with the Mayor's Office fifth annual Disability Mentoring Day.

"Disaboom is excited and honored to be a Sponsor of the ''Welcome 2 Reality Tour.'' The members of hip hop group 4 Wheel City are inspirations not only to the disability community, but to the larger community as a whole," says Dr. Glen House, founder of Disaboom.

The hip hop notables Norris and Velasquez both lost their ability to walk after sustaining injuries from gun violence. Their tour is an effort to inform, empower and inspire the disability community, while educating youth about the dangers of illegal guns and gun violence. The wheelchair hip hop duo calls their act "rap therapy."

"Namel and Rick's passion for life, music and Disaboom's motto of ''living forward'' continue to inspire audiences nationwide. Their story and their messages of hope through ''rap therapy'' should be heard by all," says House.

"We are deeply grateful that Disaboom believes in us and supports our message," says Namel Norris. "We also give extra special thanks to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and MOPD Commissioner Matthew Sapolin, as well as AAPD and its global Disability Mentoring Day program, because without them this wouldn''t be possible. They all opened the door of opportunity for us to be here."

"4 Wheel City has an important message to share -- even more important is the way it is delivered," says Commissioner Matthew Sapolin. "Namel and Rick have dedicated themselves completely to spreading awareness about disability issues and encouraging kids to make the right decisions."

Throughout the tour, Disaboom will provide fans with an insider's view of the "Welcome 2 Reality Tour" through the eyes of the group, as both Namel and Rick document their on-the-road experiences and observations in their blog on www.Disaboom.com  at http://www.disaboom.com/Blogs/4_Wheel_City/Default.aspx .

Tour Schedule:

10/22 and 10/24 - Orlando, FL - Orlando Rehabilitation

10/25 and 10/27 - Atlanta GA - Jonesboro High School

10/29 and 10/30 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Community High School

10/30 and 11/02 - Washington, DC - Walter Reed / VSA Arts

11/3 and 11/5 - Philadelphia, PA - Temple Univ./Magee Rehabilitation

11/6 and 11/8 - West Orange, NJ -- Kessler Rehabilitation

11/10 and 11/12 - New York City - Mount Sinai

About Disaboom

Disaboom, Inc. was founded as a dynamic, diverse, and interactive online community dedicated to constantly improving the way people with disabilities live their lives. It is a comprehensive online resource not only for people with disabilities, but also for their families and friends, caregivers, recreation and rehabilitation providers, and employers. More than 50 million people live with disabilities in the United States alone. Founded and designed by doctors and other disability experts to meet this community's specific needs, www.disaboom.com brings together content and tools ranging from specialized health information and daily living resources to social networking in a single interactive site.

For more information please visit their Web Site: http://www.disaboom.com/  

About 4 Wheel City

4 Wheel City is an urban entertainment group and disability awareness movement started by Namel "Tapwaterz" Norris, hip hop rapper, and Ricardo "Rickfire" Velasquez, producer, two talented hip hop artists who have used wheelchairs since sustaining injuries from gun violence. Their mission is to use hip hop music and culture to create more awareness and positive opportunities for people with disabilities, to inspire people not to give up in life, and to raise funds for spinal cord injury research. They hope to show the world that people with disabilities have talents, dreams, and the right to be treated equally. In addition, their experiences have moved them to be allies in the war against gun violence. Gun violence has a devastating impact on the community and across the world. By educating the community of its consequences, Norris and Velasquez hope to encourage action and make a difference in the fight against illegal guns and inner city gun violence. For more information on 4 Wheel City, visit http://www.myspace.com/4wheelcity .