THE HIP HOP CAUCUS AND THE HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NETWORK JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH THE RESPECT MY VOTE! NATIONAL GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV) BUS TOUR WITH HIP-HOP SUPERSTARS T.I. , JAY Z, RUSSELL SIMMONS, KEYSHIA COLE, T PAIN AND OTHERS DURING BET HIP-HOP AWARDS THIS WEEKEND IN ATLANTA

Campaign Launches 18 City GOTV Tour Beginning October 17th to Encourage Young Adults to Vote

“Record first-time voter registrations, dramatic increases in youth turnout in the primaries and surveys pointing to unprecedented interest in the political process are leading both parties to predict that 18- to 29-year-olds will vote in the highest numbers ever.” BLOOMBERG – October 9, 2008

Atlanta, GA. (October 14, 2008) – The Hip Hop Caucus (www.hiphopcaucus.org), today announced a partnership with the |Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (www.hsan.org) to jointly launch a national 18 city RESPECT MY VOTE! Get Out The Vote Bus Tour, urging potential first time voters and all voters to Get Out The Vote on Election Day. The GOTV Bus Tour of key battleground states will launch on Friday, October 17 at 4pm EST at the Atlanta Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment taking place at Clark Atlanta University’s Cornelius L. Henderson Student Center at 223 James P. Brawley Drive, S.W., during the BET Hip Hop Awards this weekend. Participating in the launch weekend will be hip-hop stars T.I., Russell Simmons, Keyshia Cole, Yung Joc, BET “106 & Park” host Rocsi, Gorilla Zoe and more.

The RESPECT MY VOTE! Campaign, created by Hip Hop Caucus founder Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., has garnered the support of such celebrities as T.I., Keyshia Cole, MTV reality stars Angela and Vanessa Simmons, Chris Brown, David Banner, BET’s “106 & Park”’s Terrence J and Rocsi, Nelly, Omar Epps, Bow Wow and Busta Rhymes, among others.

According to a recent poll of 18 – 29 year old voters by Lake Research Partners, The Tarrance Group and Rock the Vote found that young people are really engaged in this election. They are talking about it with friends and family and opting in over the internet, seeking out information on their own. The pollsters pointed to data that 86 percent of young people are likely to vote.

The Bus Tour will launch from Atlanta, GA. on October 17 and culminate in Toledo, OH and Detroit, MI on November 4th, Election Day, making stops to spread its message of youth empowerment through voting at a number of venues including the BET Hip Hop Awards, T.I, T-Pain and Jay Z concerts and college campuses like Ohio State University, Hampton University and Virginia State University. Hip-hop stars T.I, Keyshia Cole, Angela and Vanessa Simmons, Busta Rhymes and others will be participating in the Bus Tour, making select appearances. More artists to be announced. Grassroots marketing teams from both non-partisan organizations, the Hip Hop Caucus and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network will be distributing voter education information to the hundreds of thousands of potential new voters in each state at all Bus Tour events and stops.

“Now that the deadlines for registration have passed my goal is to encourage the masses to exercise their right and vote,” declared platinum selling hip-hop star and actor, T.I. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”

“No registered voter can sit on the sidelines during this critical election. This ‘Get Out the Vote’ bus tour will encourage newly registered voters to vote, and will make sure that every vote that is cast is respected,” said Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr. “Utilizing the help of celebrities such as T.I. and organizations like the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, we’re able to combine forces to encourage many young Americans to vote for the first time in what is regarded as the most important Presidential election of our generation.”

In fact, if there is any key state where [the youth vote] wouldn’t seem to be much of an asset, it’s Florida, where discussions of Social Security and Medicare have traditionally trumped all other issues. But the once easily pigeonholed demographics in the Sunshine State are changing, and many pundits say the 30-and-under crowd could turn out to be the decisive factor in this year’s closely contested race.” TIME – October 8, 2008

“We’re in the home stretch now toward the most important election of our lifetime,” declared Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. “We are honored as HSAN to join the Hip Hop Caucus, Reverend Yearwood, T.I. and others on this historic GOTV Bus Tour to make a decisive contribution toward the fulfillment of the dreams and aspirations of millions of young people across America who want change. Every vote will count. Every hip-hop vote will make the difference.”

The RESPECT MY VOTE! Campaign has mobilized over half a million registered young voters (18-39) in urban communities. RESPECT MY VOTE! was built on previously successful marketing, communications and grassroots strategies in an electoral context. The Hip Hop Caucus integrates the audience building capacity of celebrities and media to achieve unprecedented base building among our target market. The campaign provides insights and data into the political behavior of this generally unengaged citizenry and builds sustainable community participation.

The itinerary for the RESPECT MY VOTE! National Bus Tour:

Friday, October 17, 2008
Atlanta, Georgia; Hip-Hop Summit

Saturday, October 18, 2008
Atlanta, Georgia; BET Hip Hop Awards

Sunday, October 19, 2008
Fairfax, Virginia; George Mason University, T.I. and T-Pain Concert

Monday, October 20, 2008
Akron, Ohio; Kent State University

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio; Rally

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cincinnati, Ohio; Radio One Drive Time (AM) Columbus, Ohio; State University Homecoming (PM)

Thursday, October 23, 2008
Petersburg, Virginia; Virginia State Homecoming

Friday, October 24, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Powerhouse Show w/ T.I., Jay Z and Keyshia Cole

Saturday, October 25, 2008
Norfolk, Virginia; Norfolk State University Homecoming (AM) Charlottesville, Virginia; Jay Z, T.I Concert (PM)

Sunday, October 26, 2008
Richmond, Virginia; TBD

Monday, October 27, 2008
Hampton, Virginia; Hampton University Homecoming

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Raleigh, North Carolina; St. Augustine’s College Homecoming

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Durham, North Carolina; North Carolina Central Homecoming

Thursday, October 30, 2008
Charlotte, North Carolina; TBD

Friday, October 31, 2008
Tallahassee, Florida; FAMU Homecoming

Saturday, November 1, 2008
Memphis, Tennessee; TBD
Tallahassee, Florida; FAMU Homecoming/T.I. and Jeezy Concert

Sunday, November 2, 2008
St. Louis, Missouri; TBD

Monday, November 3, 2008
Indianapolis, Indiana; TBD
Gary, Indiana; TBD

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Toledo, Ohio; TBD (AM)
Detroit, Michigan; TBD (PM)
ELECTION DAY

About The Hip Hop Caucus The Hip Hop Caucus (www.hiphopcaucus.org) is a non-partisan organization that works to ensure the voice of the Hip Hop Generation is heard by engaging them in the political process. Through the use of grassroots organizing and celebrity spokespeople, the Hip Hop Caucus looks to mobilize young people to register and vote in November and in subsequent elections. The President of the Hip Hop Caucus, Rev. Yearwood, was the co-creator of the 2004 campaign “Vote or Die” with Sean “P Diddy” Combs, former Political and Grassroots Director for Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit Action Network, and a Senior Consultant to Jay Z’s “Voice Your Choice” initiative.

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.

About Atlantic Records Atlantic Records, which is celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2008, currently ranks as the #1 label in the music industry. Founded in New York City, the label grew from literally a one-room operation into one of the world’s preeminent music companies. Atlantic has released a string of recordings that have had a profound impact on the course of modern music, its rich history including such musical icons as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, and Led Zeppelin. The Atlantic roster today includes many of the world’s most popular recording artists, among them Björk, James Blunt, Tracy Chapman, Phil Collins, Death Cab For Cutie, Missy Elliott, Lupe Fiasco, Gnarls Barkley, Jet, Kid Rock, Matchbox Twenty, Jason Mraz, O.A.R., Panic At The Disco, Paramore, Sean Paul, Pretty Ricky, Rush, Shinedown, Staind, Rob Thomas, T.I., and many more.

Hip Hop Caucus Press Contact: Hanif Sumner, 5W PR Email: hsumner@5wpr.com Phone: 212-584-4310

HSAN Press Contact: Jody L. Miller, Pamela Lipshitz/JLM PR Email: jody@jlmpr.com; lip@jlmpr.com Phone: 212-431-5227