WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — The Congressional Hip-Hop Taskforce is now in place and some recognizable names are part of the team’s stated mission of creating a more just and equitable world.
This week, Representatives Jamaal Bowman, Hank Johnson, André Carson, and Delia Ramirez, were joined by Hip-Hop artists, producers, and industry professionals, as they launched the first ever Congressional Hip-Hop Power and Justice Task Force.
The lawmakers said the goal of the newly formed group will be to center Hip-Hop’s mission and vision of creating a more just and equitable world.
The organizers said the Hip-Hop Task Force is intended to give voice to the shared values of Hip-Hop, including peace, love, and justice, while advocating for solutions to issues that disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other marginalized groups such as access to healthcare, mass incarceration, economic opportunity, and artistic freedoms.
“Without Hip-Hop, I would not be here as a member of Congress, which is why I’m so excited to lead the first ever Congressional Hip-Hop Task Force,” Bowman said. “Hip-Hop is the rebirth of civilization. It isn’t just music or culture — Hip-Hop shapes our identities, our personalities, and the foundations of who we are. The political ideology I represent is rooted in the radical love and political perspectives that Hip-Hop has given us, perspectives that center and uplift marginalized and oppressed people.”
Bowman said his origin story shares similarities with Hip-Hop and helped form the man he is today.
“From its creation in a basement in the Bronx at a time when young people of color were being villainized and oppressed to becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Hip-Hop has ingrained itself in our culture and continuously called upon us to fight for civil and racial justice,” Bowman said. “Hip-Hop is why I support the movement for reparations, an end to discrimination and corporate greed in the housing industry, and access to healthcare and economic opportunity for everyone. That is why I am proud to stand with my colleagues in bringing the advocacy and ideology of Hip-Hop to Congress in this moment and continue our urgent calls for peace and justice across the world.”
The music industry luminaries who will join the newly formed taskforce say the move is a natural progression of the work they have been doing for decades.
“Black Music Action Coalition’s (BMAC) mission is to work with business leaders and lawmakers to utilize the music industry’s influence to impact federal policies that address racial and social justice,” Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, BMAC Co-Founder and President, explained. “The RAP Act is just one example of how aligning BMAC’s efforts in tandem with the Congressional Hip-Hop Task Force is a natural extension of Black Music Action Coalition’s work supporting solutions to mass incarceration, justice reform, and economic hardships disparately impacting marginalized communities.”
While Hip-Hop has a largely overstated reputation for glorifying antisocial behavior, those who will sit on the taskforce say the message has always been one of love and cheering the underdog.
“As one of music’s most popular genres, hip-hop’s cultural and political influence stretch globally and it has been a groundbreaking form of cultural exchange and creative expression for those who have been historically overlooked and marginalized,” Hip-Hop Caucus’ President Rev. Yearwood Jr. said. “We look forward to expanding the power of this cultural force to advance policy solutions for the issues that disproportionately impact Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities.”
