Leading up to this pivotal election, celebrities and public figures have mobilized to engage in the political process by publicly backing their chosen candidates. There’s been mass voter turnout in states across the country, and influential voices in the music industry, including Megan Thee Stallion to Quavo made public endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris adding their voices to a youth-led movement that’s reshaping politics.
This initiative isn’t an isolated effort; it’s part of a broader wave of digital outreach that has made social media an essential tool for youth voter mobilization this election season. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are flooded with messages from celebrities and influencers urging people to vote, and hip-hop artists have been at the forefront, using their cultural influence to galvanize civic duty. This digital push is especially significant in battleground states where Black voters can make a decisive impact, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
However, these stars aren’t the only ones rallying their fans. Some hip-hop artists have gone a step further, using their talents into a final push to inspire voter turnout. Atlanta native and Crime Mob artist Lil Scrappy, legendary New Orleans bounce artist Big Freedia, as well as New Orleans rapper Mia X, Civil Rights attorney Lee Merritt, and musicians Cookie Nasty and Trae Crockett partnered with the Hip Hop Caucus to create a political cypher.
The Hip Hop Caucus was created as a nonprofit organization that amplifies political activism for the younger generation, using hip-hop music and culture as a vehicle to spread awareness. The political cypher is just one of the initiatives the organization rolled out this year, as it follows behind the launch of the Respect My Vote! Campaign and tour which happened earlier this year.
Hip-hop’s involvement in social justice is hardly new; the genre has long served as a platform for cultural commentary and political activism. Following in the footsteps of groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A., today’s artists are carrying the torch forward, proving that hip-hop remains a powerful vehicle for change. As each artist in the cypher delivered bars urging fans to make their voices heard, Mia X’s words struck a particular chord: “Say it with my chest, imma step for my rights, 10 toes down…my choice, my freedoms, my voice, my votes, and ‘if you don’t vote you don’t matter.’”
This effort by Black artists and activists builds on a wave of influential voices calling for action and publicly supporting Harris.
Scroll below to watch the full political cypher.