Austin, TX – October 31, 2008 – Dres of the platinum-selling hip hop group Black Sheep has revitalized the 1991 hit The Choice is Yours, rewriting lyrics and donating his time and services to create an innovative pro-Obama voter initiative video. Partnered with Austin based creative teams at Voodoo Cowboy Entertainment and Super!Alright! Media in an all-volunteer effort, Dres re-recorded and shot the updated version of The Choice is Yours in Austin, Texas in just under two days.
“When I was younger I was told that I could be president if I wanted to, but for the first time in my life I believe it. It’s an honor to work with this talented artist collective and to do my part in support of the Obama campaign and towards becoming the America that truly has liberty and justice for all”.
Though the excitement surrounding this election is unprecedented, history has shown that voter apathy can have tremendous negative impact. This video will serve to inspire and remind young voters to use the power of their individual vote and encourage them to support Barack Obama. The song and video are available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbJsMPA0XvA
Drawing on the extensive cultural and political implications of the outcome of the election, the video combines line art animation, motion graphics, campaign footage/photos, and live action sequences. By creating visually intriguing content that draws overt contrasts between the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin campaigns, the video uses its rich color and imagery to divide the screen (and consequently the candidates’ political ideologies) into two distinct worlds, illustrating an obvious political separation between the parties.
The non-profit effort started with Definitive Jux co-founder Ameachi Uzoigwe CEO of Def Jux Records who brought the original idea to use the song in a pro-Obama video to Chris Butler of Super!Alright! and Sean Conner of Voodoo Cowboy Entertainment who then wrote, produced and directed the concept together. The whole process including, initial concepting, re-recording lyrics, shooting and post production was done in less than two weeks. “This idea literally came to me in my sleep and its amazing to see it come to fruition so quickly,” says Uzoigwe. “Thanks to Super!Alright and Voodoo Cowboy, and of course, Dres, we were able to make this happen and contribute our collective voices to what is the most important and transformative election of our lifetime.”
About Dres:
Known for innovative videos and thought-provoking lyrics, Dres of the award winning New York City-bred Hip Hop group Black Sheep hails from the Native Tongues crew, which included such acts as the Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. His first album, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, featured hot singles which charted on Billboard’s Album, Rap and Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in 1992 including “The Choice is Yours” (#1, Rap; #9, Top 200 Singles) and “Strobelight Honey” (#1, Hot Dance Music/Club Play).
Dres released 8WM/NOVAKANE, October 24, 2006 on Bumrush Records/The Orchard, signifying his official return to the Hip-Hop masses. Exclusively released digitally by The Orchard, 8WM/NOVAKANE features the production of BeanOne, Vitamin D, Showbiz, Wendell Haynes and Dinky Bingham, dabbles into Dres’ infamous lyrical past and boasts of his intellectual present and future. His current project entitled DAMAGE CONTROL is scheduled to release early 2009.
For more information on Black Sheep, visit www.myspace.com/blacksheep
