New York, N.Y. – November 4th, 2008 – In a sweeping and historical victory tonight, Senator Barack Obama was elected to be the next president of the United States of America. The largest voting constituency to usher in this progressive leader for change was the hip-hop vote, 18-35 year olds who are brand loyal to hip-hop culture. In consistent and telling numbers, exit polls in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Connecticut conducted by major television networks reported that 18-29 year olds voted in record numbers making their voices heard for Barack Obama.

“Tonight, the hip-hop generation made history,” emphasized Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr, President of the Hip Hop Caucus. “In the 60’s, young people had to be revolutionary, but in the 21st century we have decided to be ‘solution-ary.’ We have come out in large numbers to not only change America, but to change the world. We have made America respect our vote!”

“What we are witnessing today is the game changing impact of the hip-hop vote,” asserted Valeisha Butterfield, Executive Director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). “Our grassroots efforts to get out the vote paid off tremendously. Young adults from every part of the United States shattered all records and expectations. I’m so proud of my generation stepping up to the plate.”

“Tonight, we all witnessed the transformation of American society,” declared Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. “The early results of the presidential election verifies that the hip-hop generation is a responsible and caring generation. Hip-hop artists and icons, male and female, all worked hard to make sure the issues and the interests of young people were represented. President Elect Obama now has a serious mandate from the hip-hop generation. Hip-hop transcends race and will continue to be a force for change, not only in America, but also throughout the world.”

On October 18, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, in partnership with the Hip Hop Caucus launched an 18-city RESPECT MY VOTE! Get Out The Vote Bus Tour with hip-hop superstars T.I., Jay Z, Russell Simmons, Keyshia Cole, T Pain and others, urging potential first time young voters and all voters to Get Out The Vote. The bus tour hit battleground states throughout the country and culminated in Toledo, OH. and Detroit, MI today, Election Day. Multi-platinum hip-hop star and actor, T. I., was the official spokesperson of the tour and took the RESPECT MY VOTE! bus to vote early in Atlanta, GA.last week.

About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice. For more information, go to www.hsan.org.

The vision of the hip-hop generation and its young people is in full and glorious effect tonight. While many older Americans, who marched and struggled so hard so Senator Obama could run for president of the United States never dared to believe in his candidacy’s real potential, young people, particularly the hip-hop community, had faith and their imagination became our reality.

The election of Barack Obama, a resounding progressive voice, is a clear reflection of hip-hop politics. It is a reflection of the 35 million people who downloaded Ekhard Tolle’s “The New Earth,” and all of the other popular books espousing this new, emerging consciousness. Promoting love, compassion and generosity over fear, anger and greed; promoting lasting peace through dialogue and opportunity will be more economic to the American people in these troubled times than the promotion of war. Obama”s election as president is a beautiful testament to the American collective consciousness that is flowering. This more loving consciousness will be necessary to protect us from some of our hurtful human choices and tendencies. We will need it to create balance with the constantly emerging advances in technology so, going forward, we can use these advances in a positive way to lift up Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say that today, I feel like America has dodged a bullet. Let’s support this beautiful leader to do the work necessary to promote and execute on the change agenda we all voted for. Let’s each do our part to insure that this is a transformative time in America, where our country can be a leader in creating a positive and lasting change in the world.

NEW YORK – October 31, 2008: The Source Magazine (www.thesource.com), the leading publication of hip-hop music, culture, & politics, and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (www.hsan.org), the largest non-profit, non-partisan worldwide coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders and youth leaders utilizing the power of Hip-Hop as an influential agent for positive social change, hosted a star-studded Get Out The Vote event last night at Home nightclub under the theme of I AM C.H.A.N.G.E.. The SRO party drew attention to the importance of hitting the polls on Election Day in conjunction with the fresh off the presses November “Politics” edition of the Source magazine.

Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, Jamie Hector, Vince Carter, Tyson Beckford, Ron Browz, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Rocsi, Kevin Liles, Dikembe Mutombo, Ice-T, Coco, Lil Kim, Fabolous, Bow Bow and others, were among the celebrities who came together to urge young people to Get Out The Vote in Tuesday’s election and celebrate The Source Magazine’s “new era.” The event was hosted by the new co-owner and Executive Publisher of The Source, L. Londell McMillan, HSAN co-founder Russell Simmons, Spike Lee, HSAN co-founder, President/CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis and its Executive Director, Valeisha Butterfield.

Russell Simmons, Spike Lee, LL Cool J, Lil Kim, L. Londell McMillan, Dr. Chavis and Valeisha Butterfield gave remarks expressing the importance of Tuesday’s election to the crowd of celebrities and industry tastemakers. On the heels of recording his forthcoming 7th album, which has been accomplished by no other artist in hip-hop, rapper Bow Wow also spoke expressing his excitement for his first-time being eligible to vote since turning 21. DJing for the evening were DJ Profile and DJ Reg West. The Source Magazine was cited as a major catalyst behind a getting out the vote initiative, highlighting its comprehensive Politics issue, which features presidential candidate Barack Obama on the cover.

“We are thrilled with the upgrades we are making with The New Era of The Source by giving it back to the community and the I AM C.H.A.N.G.E. initiative. The response and support from everyone regarding I AM C.H.A.N.G.E. and understanding the importance of voting in Tuesday’s election has been great,” said Londell McMillan, Co-CEO and Publisher of The Source. “The collaborative effort of both the new era of The Source Magazine and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network certainly led to a memorable final call for the industry to come and lend their backing towards spreading this important message.”

“The recording industry call to action was a resounding success last night,” declared Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. “The Source magazine, the bible of hip-hop, and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, the leading hip-hop social change organization, joined forces with classic hip-hop fanfare. Now, we’ve rolled up our sleeves to get out the vote across America over the next four days.”

“We’re proud of what we have accomplished on the ground thus far, however, our work is not done,” exclaimed Valeisha Butterfield, Executive Director of HSAN. “We have four more days to raise our voices and encourage every single registered voter in the United States to make a difference on November 4th.”

Gift bags for the event included items from Nuvo, Sean John Unforgivable & Unforgivable Woman, Kissable Couture, Bath and Body Works’ True Blue Spa, Avon, Burt’s Bees, Revolution Organics, Dr. Miracle’s, Miss Jessie’s, Deborah Lippmann, Mizani, GlobalGrind.com, and Get Em Girls.

About The New Era of the Source Magazine
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2008, The Source has been a legendary publication within the music and lifestyle genre since its inception in 1988. The publication is responsible for introducing the music world to top-notch hip-hop acts such as Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., DMX, Common, and a variety of others. The publication is now under the new leadership of renowned entertainment lawyer L. Londell McMillan and Greenwich Street.

About the Hip-Hop Action Summit Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice. For more information, go to www.hsan.org.

Photo Credit: (L to R) Photos courtesy of photographer Terrence Jennings

Londell McMillan, Co-CEO and Publisher of The Source, Tyson Beckford, Vince Carter, LL Cool J, Lil Kim, Rocsi and Spike Lee.

Financial and mortgage expert Maria Kong, of Markon Realty and Management, advised, “Especially for college kids, credit is so important. When you go to a job interview, they will look at your credit score to see if you’re trustworthy. They will look at it when you apply for insurance. Always keep your credit card balance below 50% of your limit. If you pay your credit card bill even one day late, your credit score can be affected.”

Warner Music Executive Vice President, Kevin Liles, knows from what he speaks. Starting as an intern at Def Jam years ago, he worked his way up to President of that label. “I started with hard work and getting my mind right. In hip-hop, everything is possible. Russ taught me it’s not about what you get, it’s what you give and as soon as I understood that, everything started coming into my life.”

Gorilla Zoe revealed a bit of his personal story, “I come from nothing, from the streets. Always chasing money. People like Russ and Kevin [Liles] kicked open the door for young brothers like me to come in and change my life. Everything you get, good or bad, it’s all on you,” he emphasized. “Never depend on anyone to give you your success.”

DJ Toomp has invested wisely with the money he’s made. He advised the audience, “Invest in things that have value. Have a plan, not just A and B, but A-T. I already know what property I want to buy. Feeling rich is a state of mind too. I’ve felt rich since I’m 17 and was able to make my own schedule instead of having to work someone elses.”

Grammy Award-winning producer Bryan Michael Cox has sage advice for living within your means. “Credit can be your worst enemy or it can be your best friend, you have to know what to do with it. If you have $20,000 of credit, you don’t have to spend all of it. Look at what your financial situation is and spend what you can pay back on time.”
Roberta Shields, Ludacris’ mother and the person who runs the Ludacris Foundation, talked about mentors. “As you’re working your way up, look to someone doing a good job and match their stride. As you improve and go higher, look to someone else and match their stride and, step by step, you’ll get to where you want to go.”

Dr. Benjamin Chavis stated, “The Atlanta “Get Your Money Right” Hip-Hop Summit was a great manifestation of the power of hip-hop to focus effectively on equipping young adults with the basics of financial literacy. We thank Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Enterprise Ren-A-Car Rental, BET Networks, Clark Atlanta University and V-103 Radio for their support and partnership that helped to make the Summit in Atlanta a tremendous success.”

With the mortgage crises at the heart of the current financial turmoil, HSAN became the first national non-profit organization to address the crisis by introducing a special workshop entitled, “Get Your House Right.” The workshop featured home ownership and mortgage lending professionals. Lynn Richardson, Chair of HSAN’s Home Ownership National Advisory Council, hosted the workshop, and partners in the event which participated included Genworth Financial, NAHREP (National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals), NAREB (National Association of Real Estate Brokers) and Regions Bank.

“Get Your House Right!” is based on a model developed by Lynn Richardson and Lori Jones Gibbs, Vice President of Affordable Housing and Industry Affairs for Genworth Mortgage Insurance. It has been successfully implemented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Genworth’s communities of faith homeownership initiative.
“Genworth Financial has a long history of helping people realize the dream of homeownership,” said Lori Jones Gibbs, who is also co-chair of the HSAN National Homeownership Advisory Council. “The homeownership gap in this country can be closed. It’s very important that people who want to buy a home get educated about the process so they can make informed decisions and better choices. This initiative features free seminars by mortgage experts who give the facts, answer homebuyers’ questions and provide needed counseling.”

The “Get Your Money Right” tour utilizes the “Get Your Money Right” workbook, produced and distributed by HSAN in both English and Spanish and given to all participants. The workbook is free and is also downloadable at www.hsan.org
Community partners for the Summit included The Ludacris Foundation and 100 Black Men. The radio partner for the Atlanta Hip-Hop Summit was V-103.

Photo ID: Back row (from left to right) guest, guest, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Maria Kong, Gregg Street, Frank Ski; Middle row (from left to right) guest, Shanti Das, Valeisha Butterfield, Kenny Burns, Yung Joc, Asher Roth, Gorilla Zoe Front row (from left to right) Bryan-Michael Cox, D Woods, Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles

Photo credit: Johnny Nunez