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America Votes 2004: The Hip-Hop Vote
Aired January 12, 2004 - 14:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well there is a vast pool of untapped voters out there, most of them 25 years old or younger. But one man has a plan, he believes the world of hip-hop can do what others have not, namely, get millions of young people interested in politics.
Our Adaora Udoji looks at his ambitious idea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is said hip hop mogul Russell Simmons has the golden touch. He hopes that translates into success of his Hip-Hop Team Vote campaign.
RUSSELL SIMMONS, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NET: The idea, to register at least two million voters between now and the end of next year and millions of voters over the next five years.
UDOJI: That's 20 million young voters through 2008. Ambitious, considering less than 30 percent of voters under 24 cast ballots in the last general election. The lure, his hip-hop superstar friends, 50 Cent, Beyonce and Eminem, among dozens of others. The Detroit rapper brought in thousands to one of the two dozen summits planned nationally. Fans get in free with a voter registration card. If not, they can register on arrival or online. Ever the CEO, Simmons has also partnered with traditional grass root organizers and others.
SIMMONS: You get clear channel and it's broadcasting, and you get MTV and BET and the Wrestling League and we push until we get, you know, enough voters that young people's voices are heard.
UDOJI (on camera): The campaign plans to keep in touch, track who votes. How? Well, they're collecting voter's vitals, their e- mail and home addresses, along with their cell phone numbers.
(voice-over): Executive Director Ben Chavis.
DR. BENJAMIN CHAVIS, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NET: When a person from my own demographic gets an e-mail from P. Diddy Combs or Russell Simmons or Jay-Z or Beyonce, they pay attention to that e-mail.
UDOJI: Election analysts are cautious, saying other campaigns, Rock the Vote or Rap the Vote, have only been moderately successful.
CURTIS GANS, STUDIES AMERICAN ELECTORATE: What is going to make a difference on the short haul is whether there are big issues to be decided this time around and whether somebody who is a candidate speaks to those big issues in a -- in a way that young people trust. UDOJI: Simmons says that's exactly right. But first, those young voters must believe the process matters and that's what he's out to prove.
Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 12, 2004 - 14:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well there is a vast pool of untapped voters out there, most of them 25 years old or younger. But one man has a plan, he believes the world of hip-hop can do what others have not, namely, get millions of young people interested in politics.
Our Adaora Udoji looks at his ambitious idea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is said hip hop mogul Russell Simmons has the golden touch. He hopes that translates into success of his Hip-Hop Team Vote campaign.
RUSSELL SIMMONS, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NET: The idea, to register at least two million voters between now and the end of next year and millions of voters over the next five years.
UDOJI: That's 20 million young voters through 2008. Ambitious, considering less than 30 percent of voters under 24 cast ballots in the last general election. The lure, his hip-hop superstar friends, 50 Cent, Beyonce and Eminem, among dozens of others. The Detroit rapper brought in thousands to one of the two dozen summits planned nationally. Fans get in free with a voter registration card. If not, they can register on arrival or online. Ever the CEO, Simmons has also partnered with traditional grass root organizers and others.
SIMMONS: You get clear channel and it's broadcasting, and you get MTV and BET and the Wrestling League and we push until we get, you know, enough voters that young people's voices are heard.
UDOJI (on camera): The campaign plans to keep in touch, track who votes. How? Well, they're collecting voter's vitals, their e- mail and home addresses, along with their cell phone numbers.
(voice-over): Executive Director Ben Chavis.
DR. BENJAMIN CHAVIS, HIP-HOP SUMMIT ACTION NET: When a person from my own demographic gets an e-mail from P. Diddy Combs or Russell Simmons or Jay-Z or Beyonce, they pay attention to that e-mail.
UDOJI: Election analysts are cautious, saying other campaigns, Rock the Vote or Rap the Vote, have only been moderately successful.
CURTIS GANS, STUDIES AMERICAN ELECTORATE: What is going to make a difference on the short haul is whether there are big issues to be decided this time around and whether somebody who is a candidate speaks to those big issues in a -- in a way that young people trust. UDOJI: Simmons says that's exactly right. But first, those young voters must believe the process matters and that's what he's out to prove.
Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
