With over 130 homicides per 100,000 residents, Caracas is the deadliest of the world’s capital cities. Amongt its infamous ‘Barrios’, the large slums that sprawl over its mountainous terrain, perhaps the most notorious is Petare, the largest of them all.

Home to more than 300,000 people, local and national authorities haven’t been able to turn around difficult conditions and on-going violence prevalent on its streets. But there is one young man who is determined to make a change. Armed with his natural leadership skills and a talent for hip-hop, he put together the Strongest One Records, a label that uses rap music as a tool for social change.

His name is Jose Gregorio Herrera, but in Petare everybody calls him Joe, and he is this week’s Game-Changer.

Petare: a little hope for the most dangerous slum in the world

With over 130 homicides per 100,000 residents, Caracas is the deadliest of the world’s capital cities. Amongt its infamous ‘Barrios’, the large slums that sprawl over its mountainous terrain, perhaps the most notorious is Petare, the largest of them all. Home to more than 300,000 people, local and national authorities haven’t been able to turn around difficult conditions and on-going violence prevalent on its streets. But there is one young man who is determined to make a change. Armed with his natural leadership skills and a talent for hip-hop, he put together the Strongest One Records, a label that uses rap music as a tool for social change. His name is Jose Gregorio Herrera, but in Petare everybody calls him Joe