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THE RISE UP PROJECT

J.PERIOD, YOUNG GURU, JAZZY JEFF & DJ KHALIL BRING TOGETHER AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS & ACTIVISTS FOR NEW ALBUM & NATIONWIDE SOCIAL ACTION CAMPAIGN: THE RISE UP PROJECT

NEW RELEASE SPARKS CROSS-GENRE CONNECTIONS TO CREATE A NEW SOUNDTRACK FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

(New York, New York. May 24, 2019.) Today an all-star group of Hip Hop, R&B and Soul artists debuted The RISE UP Project album on music streaming platforms and digital music stores. The collaborative offering features Grammy-winning artists Andra Day, Black Thought (The Roots), Aloe Blacc, Joss Stone, Posdnuos (De La Soul), Dead Prez, Rhymefest and Maimouna Youssef; leading activist Jesse Williams; and production from J.PERIOD, DJ Khalil, Rance Dopson (1500 or Nothin), DJ Jazzy Jeff, Stro Elliot, Tall Black Guy and more.

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The RISE UP album marks an exciting new chapter in the groundbreaking RISE UP Project, a nationwide social action campaign that has brought electric performances and engaging discussions to institutions including The Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Smithsonian NMAAHC and more, igniting young minds around social justice and building bridges - across all lines - with music as its connective tissue.

“As artists, we have a responsibility to forge connections, raise awareness and take action,” said J.PERIOD, co-founder of The RISE UP Project. “In order to truly change hearts and minds, and bring people together, movements need music. Now is the time to elevate the conversation and raise the bar. It’s our time to rise up.”

The RISE UP album reaffirms music’s place - for a new generation - as the soundtrack for social change, with 10 new songs that speak to the renewed urgency of the fight for justice and equality in our nation.

“RISE UP is very necessary,” said The Roots’ front man, Black Thought. “It speaks to the current climate in this country in a way that is clear and articulate. It means a lot for me to be able to show solidarity with my fellow artists and long-time collaborators. Projects like this are essential creative push back in such absurdly turbulent times.”

Over the past year - led by music storyteller J.PERIOD, legendary engineer Young Guru, iconic DJ Jazzy Jeff, multi-platinum producers DJ Khalil and Rance Dopson and Grammy-nominated MC/singer Maimouna Youssef - The RISE UP Project has produced music and interactive events with an all-star roster of artists, musicians, activists, and institutional partnerships, to help inspire the next generation of young artists to channel their creative energy towards social justice. 

About The RISE UP Project
The RISE UP Project is rooted in the collaborative ethos of DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Playlist Retreat, an annual gathering of music creatives that empowers independent artists through creative collaboration.  Funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, The RISE UP Project follows a long tradition of organized social action initiatives in Hip Hop, beginning with KRS-One’s Stop the Violence Movement in the late 1980s, which helped raise funds for the National Urban League with the #1 single, “Self Destruction.” 

To date, the collaborative project has produced events in Washington D.C., Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, Carlsbad, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek, MI, including workshops and discussions with thousands of aspiring young writers, artists and activists. The project will continue to expand to a host of other events and activations in 2019 and beyond.

The RISE UP Project album is available on Truelements Music/Dubset Media, and features cover art from award-winning visual artist Ernesto Yerena.