This year’s 8th Annual
Black August Hip-Hop Benefit Concert kicks off this summer with shows in New York
City (August 7) and Tanzania, East
Africa.
The annual concert sponsored
by KNOW HIV/AIDS and Viacom aims to encourage HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness
among young adults in the
hip-hop community.
Throughout the festivities,
HIV/AIDS resource materials will be distributed and customized PSAs from the
KNOW HIV/AIDS Initiative’s
will be shown.
The KNOW HIV/AIDS organization
is known for its youth-targeted HIV/AIDS campaigns featuring Chicago MC Common.
"With the number of
HIV/AIDS cases in the US recently hitting the one million mark for the first
time since the 1980’s and the overwhelmingly rapid spread of HIV/AIDS related
deaths among youth in Africa, it’s imperative that we assist in reaching out
to as many young people as possible, especially in the Hip Hop community,"
Black August concert co-coordinator Meron Wondwosen said in a statement.
Concert headliners include
Mos Def with Smif N Wessun, and Black Moon.
The Black August concerts
serve to expose human and civil rights issues, including political prisoners
in the U.S., education reform, and police brutality.
In recent years, Fat Joe,Talib
Kweli, Dave Chappelle, and the Roots have freely participated in the event,
one of the largest annual hip-hop benefit concerts in the States.
The New York show takes
place August 7 at B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square, and shows in Dar es
Salaam and Arusha, Tanzania kick off on August 18 and 20.
Tickets are available
at Ticketmaster locations and ticketmaster.com.