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Political gathering rallies hip-hop clout

NEWARK, N.J., June 22 (UPI) -- Rappers Busta Rhymes and Wyclef Jean were among those attending the first U.S. National Hip-Hop Political Convention in an effort to unify political clout.

The Newark, N.J., event held last weekend brought together 4,000 people to increase voter awareness and responsibility among the hip-hop fan base, the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday.

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"There is tremendous clout within the hip-hop community," said Bakari Kitwana, an activist in the rap music world and author of "The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African-American Culture." "People need to realize and exploit this power that exists."

The event reminded some of 1960s protests from the likes of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.

"The relationship between music and politics is a very old one," said William Galston, professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy in College Park, Md. "But this movement is particularly interesting because it now enables the consumers of hip-hop to become the producers of their own politics."

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