Campaign Story

My Reason Why

There’s a moment in every artist’s life when music stops being just something you like… and becomes something you need. For me, that moment happened when I was seven.

My parents had just divorced, my world was falling apart, and I didn’t have the words to describe the anger and sadness. One day, I found a CD my dad never let me listen to. I put it in, turned it up, and for the first time in a long time, something inside me shifted. I felt alive. I felt understood. I felt… okay. Music did that.

Through my teens, I faced challenges no kid should have to endure — juvenile facilities, group homes, bullying, abuse. Every time the world tried to crush me, I picked up a pencil. My poems turned into raps. My raps turned into songs. Those songs became my escape. They became my therapy. They became my lifeline.

Then came addiction — pills, heroin, multiple rehab stints. I tried to give up, but the music never let me go. In 2019, after a detox that nearly killed me, I got on stage at a music-based rehab facility and shared a song I’d written. In three minutes, I watched hopeless faces lift, people cry, and others find courage to share their own music. After feeling that connection, I knew my purpose: to use music to connect, inspire, and help others survive.

I’m Tyler Cricchi, and this is my fundraising campaign.

Up 'Til Now

My songs Current Situation and Runnin’ a Lot hit the iTunes Top 200, I’ve been nominated for a Josie Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Album, and I’ve opened for artists like Merkules, Caskey, Currency, and Stove God. I’ve played incredible venues including the Bluebird Theater in Denver, Reverb in Reading, The Green Room in Minneapolis, The Annex in Madison, and the King of Clubs in Columbus.

Now, I’m ready to take the next step: recording my most important project yet. But recording a full project — the right way — costs a lot. Studio time, producers, mixing, mastering, musicians, artwork, distribution, and marketing — every step has a price. There’s no label fronting the bill. Without your support, there’s no way I’ll be able to afford to record and release this project professionally.

Your donation is what turns songs from my experience into a record that can reach someone else in their darkest moment. Every dollar goes directly into creating this album. But because my campaign is all-or-nothing, if we don’t hit the goal, your money gets refunded to you and I have to start back at square one.

How You Can Help

If my story or my music resonates with you, please click the button on this page to donate. Any support helps, and I’ll be forever grateful. Together, we can take this music further, and maybe give someone else the same lifeline that music gave me.

Thank You!

Thank you for listening. Thank you for believing. And thank you for helping me turn survival into something meaningful.

–Tyler