Brookfield Village is in deep East Oakland, and it’s a real neighborhood… people know each other. It’s a blue-collar community with longtime homeowners. But it has its struggles. A recent article noted that Brookfield Village is located in one of the poorest ZIP codes in the Bay Area. But the community is rich in culture, evidenced by the folks who come from there, like rapper and creative director Brookfield Duece.
Brookfield Duece is an artist ingrained in the community. His childhood friends still live around the corner. And his family has been there for generations. His grandfather, Albert Alvin Johnson, used to lay asphalt for the City of Oakland. Meaning Brookfield Duece’s grandfather literally helped build this town.
For the last few years, Brookfield Duece has been putting out projects consistently, in fact, this year he dropped two albums, “America’s Orphans” and “2016”.
Brookfield Duece says he wants to change the perception of his neighborhood; and he’s doing that. You can see him working alongside folks like his cousin, NBA star Damian Lillard. Together they dropped the “Dre Grant” music video, in which Brookfield Duece is featured and helped co-direct. The music is dope and the clips in the video feature glossy testimonials from neighborhood residents, including Dre Grant himself. The video shows a community, culture and a neighborhood that’s sometimes overlooked.
