Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek of Reflection Eternal, Kweli's Black Star mic-mate Mos Def, the Roots' Black Thought, Dead Prez, and DJ Tony Touch will perform at the third annual Black August benefit concert, set for Aug. 30 at the New Age Cabaret in New York. The event aims to draw support for political exile Assata Shakur and bring about policy change regarding the U.S. Navy's use of the Puerto Rican island Vieques.
Dead Prez and Touch will also appear at a Cuban edition of the benefit, in conjunction with the sixth-annual National Rap Festival Aug. 17-21 in Havana. Proceeds from the event will go toward the construction of a "hip-hop library" in the city.
In 1977, Shakur, a former Black Panther, was convicted on charges stemming from the 1973 shooting death of a New Jersey state trooper. She escaped from prison in 1979 and eventually fled to Cuba, where she has lived since 1986. She chronicled her story in the 1988 book "Assata: An Autobiography."
The Black August benefit is sponsored by labels Rawkus Records and Loud Records, along with Stress Magazine, Sam Ash, UrbanMusicMatrix.com, and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
Dead Prez and Touch will also appear at a Cuban edition of the benefit, in conjunction with the sixth-annual National Rap Festival Aug. 17-21 in Havana. Proceeds from the event will go toward the construction of a "hip-hop library" in the city.
In 1977, Shakur, a former Black Panther, was convicted on charges stemming from the 1973 shooting death of a New Jersey state trooper. She escaped from prison in 1979 and eventually fled to Cuba, where she has lived since 1986. She chronicled her story in the 1988 book "Assata: An Autobiography."
The Black August benefit is sponsored by labels Rawkus Records and Loud Records, along with Stress Magazine, Sam Ash, UrbanMusicMatrix.com, and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.
Up for Discussion