Atlantic labelmates matchbox twenty and Nappy Roots have thrown their support behind Speak Up, the PAX organization’s campaign against weapon-related school violence. Rap act Nappy Roots recently completed a public service announcement voicing their support of the initiative; matchbox twenty, meanwhile, has included information on the campaign in its latest album, “More Than You Think You Are,” released earlier this week. Atlantic Records co-president Ron Shapiro is a member of the PAX board.
Speak Up is a national media and in-school educational campaign designed to empower students to make schools safer. The program encourages students to anonymously report weapon-related threats in their school via a toll-free national hotline (866-SPEAK UP). For more information, visit the PAX Web site. Teen People magazine has also taken an active role in supporting the organization, which was co-founded in 1997 by Daniel Gross, whose younger brother Matthew was critically injured in a shooting atop the Empire State Building.
To support the release of “More,” matchbox twenty will appear tomorrow (Nov. 22) on NBC’s “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” and Nov. 29 on the network’s “Last Call With Carson Daly.” The band is planning a European tour early in the new year, followed by an extensive North American run to begin in March.
Nappy Roots have been working hard behind their debut album “Watermelon, Chicken & Grits,” which last month was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of 1 million copies. Among the group’s upcoming performances are several California stops — Palo Alto (Nov. 23), Solana Beach (Nov. 25), West Hollywood (Nov. 26), and Anaheim (Nov. 27) — as well as visits to Chicago (Nov. 30), and Tulsa, Okla. (Dec. 13).
