So I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it out to Russel Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit at U. Penn’s Irvine Auditorium last Wednesday, but after reading Kia Gregory’s synopsis on it in today’s PW I felt compelled to speak on it. Simmons’ goal is to spend the summer registering 10,000 of Philly’s hip-hop voters, ages 18 to 35…which is respectable without a doubt that he’s doing such a campaign. But the question is, does rallying thousands of young hip-hop fans, most of them there to be in the presence of their icons - not necessarilly to become politically and socially active - really effect change? Isn’t there a disconnect when the majority of what you hear from Simmons’ artists is lust for material bullshit, and then you have them saying, “Young people, get out and register to vote!” The man’s taking a step in the right direction, don’t get me wrong. But you really have to look at the disagreement in messages coming from these superstars, and wonder how it’s being interpretted and understood by young people. I truely believe you must go to the root of the problem, and re-evaluate some of the garbage being hypnotically penetrated on the airwaves into young people’s minds first. 
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July 22nd, 2006 at 9:55 am
Thought the same thing about Live 8.
July 23rd, 2006 at 9:48 am
Exactly the point, I like you cricism, its just that the root of the problem is difficult to operate on when must people are sensitive, or are not honest or don\’t like to talk about their past or are in denial. Morally these thing plague Americans, its seems. I don\’t think you can get to the root of the problem unless you address some of these issues. Good look on the consciousness.