Andre Locke releases new single ‘So Thankful’ in memory of son, Amir

Despite the mistaken and fatal ‘no knock’ shooting of his 22-year-old son, Amir, on February 2, 2022 by a Minneapolis police officer, Andre Locke, formerly known in the hip hop rap music industry as ‘Lil Buddy,’ is thankful for a life well lived by Amir and for many other family blessings during this holiday season.

An example of Andre’s feelings is his latest single release, ‘So Thankful,’ produced in time for the holidays in collaboration with Grammy-award singer and actress Jamecia Bennett and the Minneapolis-based The Sounds of Blackness, a three-time Grammy Award winning ensemble.  The music was composed and produced by Marc Ellus from the Phoenix, Arizona area, who began his own music career in Maywood, Illinois, a near-west suburb of Chicago.

Both Andre Locke and Marc Ellus were original members of the Explosonic Rockers Street Jazz Theatrical Troupe, which originated in 1983 in Maywood.  Nine years later, the Explosonic Rockers morphed into the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe, which, by then, was based in Elmhurst, another western suburb of Chicago.

Andre, BKA as ‘Buddy McLain’ in the current Minneapolis-St. Paul area music scene, began rifling off a string of local hits including ‘What’s the Haps’ and ‘Woo Woo’ as well as collaborating with Minneapolis-based artists Prince and Mint Condition in addition to The Sounds of Blackness.

Coming from a troubled past in the ‘K-Town’ neighborhood of Chicago’s West Side, Andre became fueled with both purpose and passion, aspiring to help other young Black males to break generational curses, avoid poor decisions, and lead positive lives as he attempted to inspire them by example from becoming casualties of society.

Andre Locke (aka Buddy McLain) hopes that his new single, ‘So Thankful,’ will help to transform others as he feels music and family have done for him.

For that, he truly is ‘So Thankful.’