Milwaukee makes history as the first city in America ever to create an official “Hip-Hop Week” focusing on the power of Hip-Hop to help transform urban communities
MILWAUKEE, WI – Since the 1982 release of “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Hip-Hop has been a powerful voice for the voiceless within urban communities. Hip-Hop represents and narrates the stories of those who have been crushed by the war on drugs, police brutality, subpar education, and economic hardship. Today, there are tens of millions of voting Hip-Hop fans of every race, gender and ethnicity between the ages of 18-55, an age cohort that will represent more than 60% of the electorate in 2020.
“Hip-Hop Week MKE” visionary Alderman Khalif J. Rainey has partnered with Dave Mays, the creator of The Source Magazine, in an effort to take voter outreach a step further by presenting “Hip-Hop Goes To The Polls”with legendary rapper Brad “Scarface” Jordan, who is the first major Hip-Hop artist ever to run for public office (City Council District D in Houston, TX), and Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. The event will center around the importance of political involvement in the Hip-Hop community. The event will be held on August 23rd, from 1 pm to 3 pm at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 W. Center Street.
“Hip-Hop is the most dominant music and most influential culture spanning three generations—Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z,” said Dave Mays. “This means that collectively the Hip-Hop community is the largest and most diverse voting demographic in America.”
“The Hip-Hop vote is a sleeping giant we are going to awaken and mobilize starting right here in Milwaukee with Hip-Hop Week MKE,” said Alderman Rainey. “With the formula and lineup of events we have put together, I believe we can ignite this important voting demographic, and empower and inspire Hip-Hop voters all over America.”
“Hip-Hop Week MKE”is the city of Milwaukee’s official week dedicated to celebrating a blend of old and new school Hip-Hop culture, taking place from August 19th – 25th. Special events include: “The Hip-Hop Museum Pop-Up Experience,”which features an exhibit of the world’s largest collection of Hip-Hop artifacts and memorabilia along with 3 nights of live music events—an opening night performance by the hottest new female rapper in the game, 24-year-old Megan Thee Stallion, a closing night show starring 33-year-old superstar Kevin Gates, and the “Hip Hop Legacy Awards Show & Concert”honoring legends including Scarface, Bun B, Mystikal,Devin The Dude, and Do Or Die, along with Milwaukee’s own Speechfrom Arrested Development,Coo Coo Caland others; “Healthy Bars: A Hip-Hop Conversation About Health & Fitness”hosted by Stic Manof Dead Prez; and “A Hip-Hop Seminar On Financial Literacy & Real Estate”organized by DJ Envy, co-host of the popular morning show“The Breakfast Club.” For more information please, visit https://www.hiphopweekmke.com/
ABOUT DAVE MAYS
Dave Mays is a media and branding entrepreneur and chief executive who has specialized in Hip-Hop music and its cultural impact over the past 30 years. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Mays founded The Sourcemagazine out of his Harvard dorm room in 1988 as a single-page newsletter. In the 1990s,The Sourcegrew into the #1 selling music magazine on newsstands in the world, and was famously dubbed the “Bible of Hip-Hop” by Public Enemy’s Chuck D. Mays also created the first awards show dedicated to Hip-Hop, The Source Awards, which set rating records on both the UPN and BET television networks. Mays was the organizer of the first-ever Hip-Hop political summit in October 2000 with the Rev. Al Sharpton. In 2018, Mays created Dave Mays Media, a digital and experiential media, technology, consulting and business development firm based in Washington, DC, and Chicago. Mays co-founded The Hip-Hop Museum Pop-Up Experience in January 2019 and is a partner with the city of Milwaukee in creating and organizing Hip-Hop Week MKE 2019.