BY: KRISTINA RAMCHARRAN
It was like any other day at the Strada car meets held in Vaughan, Ontario. Hundreds of car enthusiasts across Vaughan, Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga drive to a space where they can meet other people who share a passion for cars and also show off all of the work done to their vehicles.
The Strada car meets started back in 2014 as an ordinary car meet where it was just about cars and enthusiasts. But Strada decided to push the limit and get the community even more involved. It began with charging a $10 car entry fee, to curb troublemakers from entering the lot and performing disturbances and stunts with their cars.
To make attendees feel even safer, Strada made sure there was police presence at their meets, but little did they know that one York Regional police officer, Constable Amy Oliver would catapult the car meet into viral internet stardom.
Constable Oliver took to the mic during a fun rap freestyling session at the car meet on June 8, 2017. The crowd went wild as she sang her own freestyled lyrics on top of the beat to Still D.R.E by famous rapper Dr. Dre.
Constable Oliver was sure to make her freestyle meaningful as she addressed important topics including safety, diversity, police brutality and inclusivity in her verses. She opened her freestyle with the line “Yeah, I’m a cop, Region of York, people call me pig but what’s wrong with pork.”
She goes on as the crowd grows wilder, as seen in the famous Instagram video, and rhymed, “I 100% agree with love and equality. I want everyone to feel free and be like they can come to me, without saying, ‘Oh, police don’t care.’ I wish it would stop. I would put my life on the line for you, black or not. I would have taken a bullet for both Biggie and Tupac.”
Founder of Strada car meets Joey Perri said he was taken aback by the police officer’s talent, as he was shocked and happy to see the impact the event made.
“I was shocked, taken by storm. That made me feel honored, impressed…but also happy and excited,” said Perri on his initial reaction to the situation.
He also noted that the popularity of the video has created a tighter knit community in York Region. “Since the video, it’s been nothing but positive feedback. Just like me, everyone’s shocked and impressed. It brought the community and the YRP to a different respect level.”
Perri added, “Strada has also had a tight bond but the video has brought Strada and the community more aware of who and what Strada represents,” in regards to the car community in Vaughan.
The official DJ of Strada car meets, DJ Lawless, said he was also surprised when the officer requested to take to the mic. “I was really blown away by her talent hidden behind her cop uniform. I felt really connected with the attendees I’m always advertising that the cops are here for everyone’s safety and are not here to arrest us. I feel like the attendees felt really connected with the officer because of the nature of the act which was rapping freestyle,” he noted.
Currently, the video featuring the full freestyle has over 87,000 views on the Strada Instagram page and also has been featured on Worldstarhiphop.com.
Joey Perri of Strada assured that there’s lots more to come this car meet season. “We would like to have her back, but nothing’s confirmed. There’s always something interesting happening at Strada.”
To view the video and stay posted for more Strada meet updates, you can follow them on Instagram @stradabjr.
