A New Generation of Activists Arrives at the Hip Hop Convention

Since its inception hip hop has been written off and demonized by politicians from the Sistah Souljah incident in the 1992 Presidential race and numerous members of Congress attacking hip hop music. This year 4,000 members of the hip hop community got together in Newark for the first anuual Hip Hop Convention to change the standing of the hip hop generation in politics. Stars young and old of hip hop attended the conference including Busta Rhymes, Dead Prez, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Wyclef Jean, and MC Lyte among others. Convention delegates debated issues and voted on a platform to press national political parties on in this and future elections. The platform included demands for criminal justice reform, public education reform, state-hood for Washington, DC, and reparations for slavery. Delegate Hashim Shomari made a point that summed up the feeling of the convention: "2004 is the calling, but 2008 will be better, and in between we will make an impact at the state and local levels. ... In the '80s, the group Public Enemy would say, 'Fight the Power,' but we now have to 'Be the Power' to create a different set of circumstances."

Check out the stories on the Hip Hop Convention in the Christian Science Monitor, MSNBC, Newsday, or listen to a report on NPR.

Or go straight to www.hiphopconvention.org