A coalition of Congressional Democrats has launched a hip-hop task force to spearhead initiatives aimed at addressing racial and economic inequality.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) unveiled the Congressional Hip-Hop Power and Justice Task Force outside the Capitol, The Hill
reports. Bowman is leading the unit that will use hip-hop’s power to introduce initiatives to address economic equality, affordable housing, and racial justice.Bowman was inspired to launch the task force after thinking about hip-hop’s substantial impact on him during his youth and as an educator. The lawmaker credits artists like Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy, and Queen Latifah for helping to empower him.
“They were very instrumental in creating a curriculum and blueprint for my life,” Bowman said. “I owe a lot of who I am to the lessons they taught me on and through their music.”
Considering hip-hop’s history of addressing and raising awareness on conditions that impact Black and brown communities, Bowman thinks introducing the task force is only right following the art form’s 50th anniversary last year.
“Hip hop has always been about ending poverty in America, about fully funding our public schools. It’s always been about justice reform and police reform,” Bowman explained. “It’s always been about affordable housing and dealing with the issue of threats of violence.”
The official task force follows an initiative launched last September. Fat Joe, Rick Ross, and Busta Rhymes partnered with Power to the Patients to film a public service announcement urging legislators to create a more honest, affordable, and equitable healthcare system.
“At this moment in particular, when you consider the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ceasefire movement and the fight that continues for freedom, justice, and equality —now it’s time to build political power at a level that’s never been done before,” he said.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert made a comical response to Bowman’s hip-hop task force via a sketch that introduced a Republican-led coalition that sang renditions of hip-hop classics, including Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice,” Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.”
“Republicans ain’t got no swag y’all,” Bowman wrote in a tweet.