This Public Service Announcement (PSA) with Miami Hip-Hop MC Rick Ross won the National Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB) Rogers' Public Service Announcement contest:



It's pretty nice to see a Hip-Hop cat like Rick Ross at least going forth to do multiple things to reach out to his local community though things like this and other activities through his non-profit organization, Rick Ross Charities.

We can feel whatever about folk's music content and style (art imitates life and vice versa), but I have to respect his grind and him doing things not just because a whole bunch of cameras will be following him or because he got caught up in trouble and needs to do a fancy public relations two-step move to deflect any issues.

This PSA was done by the organization, Vote Hope, which is from their information, is "a new statewide political network championing democracy and justice in California".

The purpose of the commercial and other PSAs/commericals in the future is to get people - especially those of communities of color - ready to vote in the United States presidential primary in that state and others on February 5, 2008.

So far on the Democratic Party's end, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton seem to be the one's gunning for the big race in 2008.

At the end of the day, all I want is for voters to go ahead and make an educated vote, whether is for a "major" party, third-party or independent person on a write-in without relying on just stupid slogans, follow the leader tactics ("my peoples are voting for dude, why not me?") and folks yelling at each other on political news shows.

We see what happened when a lot of the country didn't do that (and maybe hasn't for a while, depending on your point of view) - a lot of displeased folks in regards to social, economic and cultural issues.

Check it out the PSA with Common right here - what do you all think?



Vote Hope Organization Website