science dropping on fresh faces, movers & shakers, who have stopped talking and started doing.

WHO & WHAT

The Hushbox 10

The Hushbox 10 is a lil section that we do in an effort to to identity folks who are doing some positive things on many levels and deserve a lil exposure. Feel free to drop us a line on folks you might wanna nominate for this area. Now go see past Hunks and Hunnies.

"A Great Day In Atlanta" honors the latest Hushbox 10

Hip Hop Politics: Fading Fad or Emerging Force 
by Cory Brown

By the time you read this column, Americans will have cast their ballots for the election of the President of the United States. It will undoubtedly be the subject of much conversation and, more than likely, controversy. Indeed, one subject that will deserve serious attention will be the impact of voters in the 18-35 demographic also known as the Hip-Hop Generation.

Two prominent leaders of Hip-Hop culture, Russell Simmons and Sean “P-Diddy” Combs have been, to their credit, instrumental in galvanizing hundreds of thousands of young people to register to vote. Both men have held numerous concerts and political summits and have appeared on major broadcast outlets encouraging young people to vote. But are the efforts that are being put into this 2004 election cycle going to be a flash in the pan or the start of a push for social and political change in the era of “bling-bling”.

Contrary to popular belief, hip-hop has always had a significant element of social consciousness within its music. In the early day of hip-hop, songs like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s The Message (“Don’t push me ‘cause I’m close to the edge, I’m trying not to lose my head. It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under”) and Public Enemy’s Fight the Power (“Our freedom speech is freedom or death. We’ve got to fight the powers that be.”) sought to speak to the socio-political-economic concerns that faced many young Blacks. Interestingly, these particular songs came out during the Reagan-H.W. Bush years, which saw an erosion of civil rights gains, a protracted fight for a national Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, an increase in the defense budget (and deficit) and a decrease in the amount of federal monies set aside for higher education.

The Political impact of hip-hop lost its way for much of the 90’s. Due to the overwhelming commercial success of groups such as N.W.A. (“Negroes With Attitude”…well it wasn’t exactly “Negroes”) and Snoop Dogg, Hip-hop focused more on gangsta rap and less on political progress for Blacks. But then the 2000 elections, September 11 and the War in Iraq happened and awakened Hip-Hop from its long slumber, again during a Republican administration. Artists such as Andre 3000 of OutKast, Jadakiss (who wrote a song called “Why” which raises many political and social questions) and Common registered to vote for the first time earlier this year and helped to register and rally voters.

The emerging force of hip hop politics can be seen in the National Hip Hop Convention in Newark, NJ this summer where 4,000 people attended and 400 delegates sought to craft a hip hop political agenda. Also, the awareness that politics matters to young people, particularly as it relates to the military draft, is coming through more in the music and actions of this previously politically apathetic group. HSAN has estimated that it has helped to register 2 million voters.

But what happens after November elections come and go? Hip Hop tends to be very trend conscious and if a subject is not “in”, then it doesn’t get the focus. Members of the Hip Hop generation should remain engaged in the process and seek to have their issues addressed from a local level on up to the Oval Office. Sometimes the focus is singularly on the Presidency to the exclusion of lower levels of government. Although the President heads our federal government, he (or perhaps one day soon, she) has to get the House and Senate to approve their budgets, judicial appointments and other policy initiatives. The Hip Hop community can and should band together to form political interest groups, such as the League of Pissed Off Voters, to seek to gain resources and influence policy in the areas of education, employment, drug sentencing and health care.

According to the Associated Press, Georgia added at least 143,508 new Black voters to the rolls since January 2004, which at that time showed 1,017,579 Blacks on the registration rolls. This same phenomenon is occurring throughout the U.S. Can Blacks in the 18-29 age group can improve on their 2% share of the 2000 national electorate, particularly in key electoral swing states? If so, it will position itself to be a force to be courted, or reckoned with, during the 2006 Congressional election cycle and the 2008 Presidential contest. But in order to be truly effective, the Hip Hop community will need to study the issues support and in some cases put forth its own candidates on the local and state levels that are committed to addressing their concerns and interests.

Cory Brown can be reached at comment4cory@yahoo.com

Style Atlanta, GM Plan Weeklong Fashion Event.

ATLANTA — Atlanta is gearing up to show its fashion credentials with Style Atlanta presented by General Motors, a weeklong fashion and design event scheduled for May 1-6, 2005.

According to Kevin Knaus, Style Atlanta’s founder, “Style Atlanta was developed to promote the beauty, fashion and interior design talent, as well as highlight the diverse retail experiences available in Atlanta.” Style Atlanta events for consumers, press and the industry will include accessories, fashion and interior designer exhibitions, apparel and design industry panels and trend forecasting with fashion designers, music and retail executives and with GM automotive designers.

GM is the presenting sponsor of Style Atlanta, and the vehicle maker will exhibit its design-forward cars and trucks. GM has experience in the style event realm, having hosted and sponsored fashion and design events such as GM’s TEN in Los Angeles, 7th on Sixth — New York Fashion Week and Chicago’s Imagine.

Knaus said the goal behind Style Atlanta is to get local designers noticed and Atlanta recognized as a style center. “The biggest thing is the exposure,” he said. “We have some talented designers here that don’t get noticed because they’re not in New York. The event is to expose all the style elements of our city and get national recognition.” He’s also talking with local better retailers about taking a look at the designers and testing their lines.

The event will kick off with a party for apparel designers on Monday evening, May 1, followed by another party on Tu