Even though the 2020 presidential election is over a year away, hip-hop artists and other celebrities are teaming up to (quite literally) rock the vote. TIDAL recently announced the 5th annual “TIDAL X” benefit concert, TIDAL X Rock the Vote. The event will take place on Monday, October 21st at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, and will be hosted by Angie Martinez and Clarissa Molina. It will feature performances from Alicia Keys, Farruko, French Montana, Becky G, G-Eazy, Ty Dolla $ign, and many more.
The concert serves as the kick off to a long term partnership between TIDAL and Rock the Vote to support voter registration, education, and rights.
Fans who can’t make it to the actual event can still tune into the live stream at TIDAL.com/RockTheVote.
Since its founding in 1990, Rock the Vote has served as a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. The organization was originally created in partnership with MTV response to the censorship of hip-hop and rap artists.
By providing unbiased information about issues, voter eligibility and registration, and other election issues, Rock the Vote have revolutionized the way the hip-hop and music community uses pop culture, music, art, and technology to engage young people in politics and build collective power.
While the presidential election is obviously dominating headlines, other senate, congressional, and local elections are equally as important for voters to participate in. In the 2018 election, 33 out of 100 Senate seats were being voted on as well as all 435 congressional seats. Aside from important Senate and congressional races, there are numerous ballots on the measure including state and local initiatives regarding marijuana legalization, healthcare spending and regulations, and most importantly, educational funding. Even before fighting for the right to vote, women throughout the United States had to fight for the right to the same public educational opportunities as men. Many of the local education spending initiatives would impact special public school programs- including the arts, making it crucial for hip-hop fans and other supporters of the arts to register and vote every year that they can.