San Luis Obispo High School is filled with interesting students, and senior Dillon Stricklin is no exception. From his rapping career to his Tigers News Network scandal, Stricklin is one of SLOHS’s most unique students. Expressions asked him about his life, the rap game, and what actually happened last year during the infamous TNN incident.

Expressions: What have you been up to lately?

Senior Dillon Stricklin: Lately, I’ve just been really working on the company I run with [former SLOHS students]  James Vergara and Vincent Angelo. We’re just working on our brands and trying to get them out there.

Expressions: What are the brands?

Stricklin: Well the one I personally own is called D-Strik Entertainment. The one I work with is Rapstract Records which includes Vincent Angelo, a.k.a. Theorem, James Vergara, [Santa Barbara rap group] Something Strange, and some other people.

Expressions: How is the rap game going?

Stricklin: I’ve kind of stepped away from the rap game right now, and I’ve just been working on the company I run, which deals with photography and helping produce tracks. I’m not really rapping much, but you can expect something from me in the next coming months.

Expressions: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Stricklin: In ten years, I hope to be with my company taking off. I’ve actually been getting emails from possible clients. A reggae artist, who shall remain nameless, offered me two thousand dollars to be a photographer for a surprise event. That was the coolest thing ever.

Expressions: Last year, you were on TNN and supposedly got dropped as an anchor. What happened?

Stricklin: The first time I got dropped as an anchor was when Friday Night Live just put out a board with a bunch of student Facebook and Instagram posts. Then in the middle of a TNN broadcast I said, “Shout out to FNL for invading student privacy.” I was kicked off for two months for that one. The [incident] that got me permanently kicked off was when TNN was broken and we were doing intercom announcements. I slipped up and accidentally said “Atrashcadero” instead of Atascadero.

Expressions: How did you bounce back from that incident?

Stricklin: I kind of stopped trying to be an anchor because I wasn’t allowed to be in front of cameras anymore.

Expressions: If you could sum yourself up in one word, what would that word be?

Stricklin: Independent.