You don’t normally think of rap stars as having much to do with Washington’s health care debate. After all, hip-hop is mainly about young people and young people almost never think they’re going to get sick. But, even rappers get older, if they’re lucky. Bodies begin to give out, doctor bills begin to pile up and suddenly that health care debate hits home.

“Normally I find it kind of hard being a part of things like this,” said hip-hop artist Malik Taylor, better known as “Phife” or “Phife Dawg” from the Billboard award-winning rap group A Tribe Called Quest.

True that. “This” was a health care round table co-sponsored by the New York-based Hip-Hop Theater Festival, which is something that is in town this week besides Congress.

The panel was held at the Washington, DC, headquarters of the Service Employees International Union, one of many “lobbyists” (If you don’t like what they’re lobbying for) and “stakeholders” (If you do) who are vigorously working the health care debate in Congress this summer.

In the 21 years since Tribe’s birth, Taylor has learned a few things about holes in America’s safety net –the hard way.

First there was his late friend James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla, an influential rap artist and producer who before his death from lupus in 2006, worked with Chicago’s Common and other well known stars.

During four years of struggle against the often-debilitating autoimmune disease, Dilla’s inadequate health insurance coverage ran out, leaving his family with mounting bills of thousands of dollars every month that friends and fans have tried to help pay off with fundraisers.

Phife’s doing his part, plus helping to raise public awareness of Lupus and the nation’s broken health care system — especially after dealing with health issues of his own.

Tracy Jarrett, an intern for this blog who interviewed Phife, picks up the story here:

In May 1990, Phife was diagnosed with diabetes. A self proclaimed sugar addict, Phife approached his health and dietary needs in the ways of a classic self-indulgent hip-hop star, which is to say that he did not take much care at all.

In 1999, after Tribe broke up, he noticed a pimple-like bump on his neck. Soon he was shocked to learn from a doctor that: “Your kidneys have died. You may have to start dialysis.”

He gained weight and his heart began to fail. In 2006, he recalls, with his heart working at only 25 percent, he would need a kidney transplant. Immediately. After two other donors resulted in complications, he found an ironic match closer than he had imagined: his wife.

Since January, four months after his transplant, he’s been working and traveling again. And fortunately he was covered by his wife’s health insurance, saving them from the six-figure debt that burdened Phife’s family.

“(W) hat I’ve been through the past four or five years, and prior to that, the J Dilla situation,” said Phife at the SEIU roundtable, “—that’s basically what made me come to my senses and say I have to do something to help.”

His motto? “Each one, teach one.”

Source:
Chicago Tribune

The power of music and the power of politics met Tuesday, with a hip-hop mogul and one of the most prominent leaders in Congress joining their considerable forces to spotlight issues facing youth in America.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a youth conference co-sponsored by entrepreneur and entertainer Russell Simmons in Washington. The one-day event, called Keeping the Promise to Our Children, brought legislators together with entertainment A-listers, including Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard, who used their celebrity to advocate a variety of causes: foster care, health care and education among them.

Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit Action Network and the nonprofit, California-based Children Uniting Nations hosted the event. This is the fourth conference organized by Daphna Ziman, an adoptive mother of a child formerly in foster care and founder of Children Uniting Nations, which matches children in foster care with mentors.

Actress Gabrielle Union and actor/musician Howard were among the celebrities at the conference who pushed for policy changes directed at improving educational outreach to foster children. Only 54 percent of children in foster care graduate high school, according to the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall Center for Children.

“Intervening in the lives of these young people, giving them a sense of dignity and worth, providing them with more opportunities, therefore, is one of the most important things you can do, not just for them, which is the most important thing, but for the strength of our country,” said Pelosi at a news conference before the event.

Panel discussions at the conference also addressed nutrition, mental health, HIV/AIDS and drug abuse. Children Uniting Nations plans to lobby Congress on these issues, said the organization’s spokeswoman, Juliette Harris.

Last year, the organization pushed for a $5,000 college loan subsidy for students who mentor at-risk youths, and the subsidy was passed in the House as part of the College Opportunity and Affordability Act. This year, the organization has lobbied for the Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2009, which was introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana; and Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-New York, also attendees at Tuesday’s conference. The act proposes an allocation of $15 million for foster-care mentoring programs.

Investing in youths now can help them stay out of trouble and be more successful adults, said Simmons.

“We have such a great opportunity to make changes at this time and save our communities money and anguish,” said Simmons. “The economics of saving kids save money.”

Source:
CNN

Children Uniting Nations (CUN), one of the premier non-profit institutions working with at-risk youth, recently announced its partnership with Russell Simmons’ “Hip Hop Summit Action Network”, heading into the 4th Annual “Keeping the Promise to our Children” conference in Washington DC. Set for June 9th, HSAN president and historic civil rights veteran Dr. Benjamin Chavis held a key role in the new partnership’s formation, which will be formally introduced through a morning press conference held at the House Capitol Building and the following conference with panel discussions in the famous Woodrow Wilson Plaza located in the Ronald Reagan Building.  

This year’s confirmed political leaders include former House Majority Leader Richard Armey, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, Senator Evan Bayh, Congressman Dennis Cardoza, Congressman Joe Crowley, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Mary Landrieu, Honorable Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Adam Schiff, Senator Olympia Snowe, Senator John Kerry, Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Diane Watson, Congressman Howard Berman, Speaker of Assembly Karen Bass and Senator Dianne Feinstein while others are confirming daily.

In the year since the last conference, Children Uniting Nations has seen significant legislative achievements in support of mentoring for at-risk children. An amendment to provide loan forgiveness to community college students who mentor at-risk youth in their communities was passed by the House as part of the College Opportunity and Affordability Act in 2008, and an amendment to support the mentoring of children in foster care was passed unanimously in the Senate as part of the recent Serve America Act (2009). CUN looks forward to building upon these successes in the coming legislative session.

Children Uniting Nations Chairwoman Daphna Ziman remarked, “We are proud to be partnered with such an exceptional organization like the Hip Hop Summit Action Network. As advocates for education, health and other societal concerns essential to the empowerment of the world’s youth, we couldn’t have found a better match for this year’s conference.” Russell Simmons, Chairman and Co-Founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, emphasized, “Children Uniting Nations is one of the most effective organizations of our time and our partnership will help to raise public awareness about the key public policy issues that are focused on empowering children to have a better quality of life. The “Keeping the Promise to our Children” Conference in Washington on June 9, 2009 will enable more people to make a real difference on these important issues.”

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President and Co-Founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network concluded, “We are very enthusiastic about our partnership with “Children Uniting Nations. Together we will help promote change in America and throughout the world in the interests of children. The opportunity to affect public policy and take action on behalf of millions of children is a welcomed challenge.”

Source:
PR Newswire

This is the trailer for “Lockdown, USA,” a feature documentary that chronicles Russell Simmons’ campaign to reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the controversial New York State laws created in 1973 that became the foundation to America’s War on Drugs.

After a chance meeting, Penrod and local hip-hop artist Hush came up with the idea of a concert to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Penrod hopes to sell 2,200 tickets to the Feb. 5 show at downtown Detroit’s Fillmore Theatre. In addition to Hush, the benefit will feature rhythm and blues band Hot Sauce and Southern rocker JoCaine.

All the performers collaborated on a new song specifically for Joseph, “Keep on Believing,” that has become the family’s battle cry.

“They and the song are my voice,” Penrod says.

Joseph, 6, is a sweet-natured kid who is learning how to play the electric guitar, and who enjoys playing with his brother, Sam, 9, sister Katie, 12, and Charlie, a huge golden retriever.

Doctors suspected that Joseph had muscular dystrophy when they saw how he pushed on his thighs with his hands to rise from a seated position. It’s a classic manifestation of MD, which impairs the ability of muscles to repair themselves. Blood and genetic tests confirmed that he had a variation of the disease known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“We tell people if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t know,” about Joseph’s condition, Penrod says.

“You don’t get to pick what you’re handed, but you do certainly get to choose how you handle it. Everything they handed us was about the history and the past of the disease. We’re going to make Joseph the future of it. We’re going to change the future of what this disease looks like.”

Joseph understands that his muscles don’t work quite the way they should. “We hope to move this along in terms of research and a cure, so he doesn’t really have to know,” Penrod says.

Every night Penrod and husband Jeff guide Joseph through stretches to inhibit scar tissue that could build up in his hip, thighs and calves.

She met Hush at an autism benefit, and was touched by his eagerness to contribute. She marvels that the musicians were willing to sit down with her and help her think big.

“It’s an eye-opener to know that you’re looking at a child, and he’s just a baby, and you know some point in his life, it’s going to get hard,” said Hush, himself the father of three boys.

The benefit is an all-ages show. “We’re encouraging people to bring their kids,” Penrod says. “Everybody wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. This is allowing the best in people to come out.”

Source:
FreeP.com

My bad, the scavengers at CBS News are going to make you watch an ad first.

Wyclef Jean endorsed Barack Obama long before November 4, 2008 and performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. His charities, Yele Haiti Foundation and Together for Haiti, are improving thousands of lives across the island nation. Through Yele Haiti, Wyclef supports projects that are making a difference in education, health, environment and community development.

In addition to Wyclef Jean’s performance, the evening will feature several special guests. Confirmed speakers include Margie Alt, Executive Director of Environment America; Graham Hill, Founder TreeHugger.com and VP of Planet Green Interactive; Summer Rayne Oakes, model, activist and on-air correspondent for Planet Green; and Christiana Wyly, environmental entrepreneur.

“We have received tremendous support from environmentalists across the nation, including environmental experts, the entertainment industry and government officials. As special guests are confirmed, they will be posted on www.greeninauguralball.com,” states Jenna Mack, event co-producer.

Every facet of the Green Inaugural Ball has been designed to reduce the impact on the environment. In addition, a five percent portion of each ticket sold is donated to one of the event’s non-profit partners. Signature event partners are Environment America and One Degree Less. Additional partners include: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Green Corps, Assateague Coastal Trust, Organic School Project, Endangered Species Coalition, Environmental Working Group, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Friend’s of Rock Creek’s Environment, Environmental Support Center, Generation Rescue, National Council for Science and the Environment, US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development and Trinidad Concerned Citizens for Reform.

“Supporting non-profit organizations through donations and volunteering is a great New Year’s Resolution. Each ticket purchaser can select which of our partners their ticket proceeds are donated to,” explains Jenna Mack, event co-producer.

Planet Green, Discovery Communications’ multi platform environmental initiative including the first and only 24/7 eco lifestyle channel, is the presenting sponsor.

Source:
Hip-Hop Press

Pitbull has donated $5,000 worth of toys and is personally collecting new, unwrapped toys at the Wal-Mart in Hialeah Gardens. He’s also signing autographs for fans who donate toys at the toy drive. The overall goal for the toy drive is to supply 1,000 kids with toys this holiday season. All of the toys will be donated to the Amigos for Kids Foundation.  

Power 96’s morning show, DJ Laz in the Morning, has been broadcasting live from the event all morning long. While the presents are collected and wrapped, Florida Marlins cheerleaders and mascots will have contests and giveaways for all the children on hand.

The event is being held at the Wal-Mart on 9300 NW 77th Ave in Hialeah Gardens. The drive kicked off at 6:00 a.m. and will wrap up at noon.

Source:
CBS4

Working closely with human rights advocacy organization, Omeid International, Technique’s performance raises funds earmarked for developing the Amin institute in Kabul – where some of the two million orphaned and 60,000 homeless children of Afghanistan will receive full-scale rehabilitation from the devastating effects of war.  

Besides just doing the benefit show the hip hop artist Immortal Technique is pledging $10,000 of his own money and is traveling to the war torn heartland of Afghanistan to assure the final stages of construction are completed.

Known far beyond the hip hop community for his fiery assaults on corruption, racism, classism and oppression, Immortal Technique has also garnered a reputation for backing his politics with action, historical context and personal responsibility. The Institute, which is set to begin operating in March 2009, will provide safe housing, education, medical and psychological care and some sense of hope to twenty of these displaced children.

“My people this was not brought to you by some corporate sponsor, nor was it manufactured by some organization that takes 60% of the $ donated for “administrative” purposes. I am not a millionaire. I am not a movie star or a charity organization. I am just a man that heard the call and responded,” said Immortal Technique.

Wars and other conflicts, regardless of their political meaning or benefit always leave in their wake a devastating trail of destitution and hopelessness, especially for children. These young survivors have no politics. They have neither desire for property, prestige or domination over others; rather simply they struggle only to see another day.

These orphaned souls face the dangers of hunger and disease along with the constant threats endemic to failed states in the third world, including extremists, human and opium traffickers and other such predators who take advantage of these helpless children.

The Institute will be a beacon of goodwill in a place that has seen so much negativity and pain, giving many a chance at a real future that otherwise would be incredibly bleak. Real lives will be changed as they are shown what the determination and willingness of compassion can accomplish.

If you are in or will be in San Francisco, California on Nov. 20th please check out and support this cause. If you are not able to attend contact Immortal Technique on his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/ImmortalTechnique to see other ways to donate to this important cause.

Source:
Thug Life Army

“It’s really to bring awareness to the young people, to let them know to get out and vote and get active in the community,” he told MTV News on Friday, when the campaign made a stop in New York City. He started that day’s walk at Long Island University in Brooklyn, stopped at the famous Junior’s diner, then crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. “Eight years ago, we had the opportunity … to get out there and vote. We showed up to the polls, but we didn’t really do what we were supposed to do. And now we’ve got a second chance to correct that mistake.”

Bow Wow said he credits divine inspiration for getting him involved in politics. “It just hit me like the Holy Ghost,” he said, explaining that he came up with the Walk idea in order to use his fame for a good cause, rather than for shameless self-promotion. “It’s not about record sales; it’s not about promoting a movie. This is really just me out here. [I] just want to touch the people and just want to help ‘em in any way I possibly can.”

Bow Wow thinks the economy is the number-one issue concerning young voters. “I want [students] to feel comfortable when they go to class and not have to worry about no student loans, no credit, no high gas prices,” he said. “We gotta get back to how we was. … Wall Street is going downhill every second my G-Shock ticks. I mean, it’s just crazy right now. I’m trying everything in my power to help uplift this whole youth movement, let ‘em get out here and vote. We need it bad.”

The Walk Across America continues in New Jersey on Monday (October 13), in Boston on Tuesday and in Hartford, Connecticut, on Wednesday. Then Bow’s leaving it up to everyone else to take responsibility for themselves on Election Day.

“As young people, we’d rather be doing something else — we’d rather be at the mall; we’d rather be on YouTube; we’d rather be on MySpace. We’d rather be kickin’ it with our friends,” he said. “At the same time, you gotta be aware of what’s going on, and I think that’s why we fail, that’s why we’re in the position that we’re in now.”

But this year, Bow said, he’s optimistic. “I got faith in the young people,” he said. “I’m behind them 100 percent, and I know we’re definitely gonna rise from this whole slump we’re in.”

Source:
MTV.com