Revolutionary Rapper Immortal Technique Urges New York’s Hip-Hop Generation to Vote

Voter Registration Booth to be Included as Part of Record Release In-Store Event at Midnight on Day of Release

(Monday, June 23rd, 2008 New York, NY) Renowned rapper and activist Immortal Technique, in conjunction with Fat Beats Record Store, will be encouraging the hip-hop generation to register to vote at his record release party in New York for his third album, The 3rd World. The party will start at midnight on Monday, June 23rd at the New York location of Fat Beats Record Store.

Immortal Technique and Fat Beats owner and founder Joseph Abajian decided to include a voter registration booth at his record release party with the shared goal of getting the hip-hop generation involved in the presidential election. Says Mr. Abajian, "The original intent of hip-hop was to lead a more informed, righteous life by getting kids out of gangs and educating them. Back in the day, we had Melle Mel and Public Enemy to hold the torch, but nowadays, Tech is one of the last standing emcees who talks about politics in his rhymes. We need to wake up the hip-hop generation, who has been blinded by bling, money, and women." Tech corroborated, "Even though democracy can be circumvented (and it traditionally has been) it is important for us to remember that voting is just one aspect of it,  voting 25 times every century is only a part of democracy, what holds a society together are the institutions that it sets up. Those will outlast any  regime and echo throughout history. Voting is important because all politics is local and what we do locally can be seen nationally, and then…globally."