Hip-Hop Stars Stump For Obama In South Florida

MIAMI — With two days remaining until Election Day, Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs told voters in South Florida not to be scared away from the polls by long lines.

"It's bigger than us," Combs said. "We have to do it for our children, we have to do it for the people that died for us to have the right to vote."

Combs and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, appeared before a crowd of about 800 at the Chester Robinson Athletic Center at Florida Memorial University for a "Last Chance for Change" rally Sunday afternoon.

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, music executive Kevin Liles and fellow recording artist Mary J. Blige also joined them at the get-out-the-vote effort for Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

"We stood in line to get the new Lil' Wayne CD," Liles said. "We stood in line to get a new pair of Jordans. We stood in line to get in here. So we ain't afraid of no lines."

The event was more of a campaign rally than hip-hop extravaganza. None of the artists actually performed on stage, instead using their time to stump for the Democratic nominee. A DJ played as the crowd waited for the group to arrive, and a gospel choir and college step teams also performed.

"We have been doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result," Blige said. "Please do something different. Barack Obama is a true example of something different. He's a true example of something our children can have in the future, what they can look at and say: 'Wow, we can really, really do something. We can really, really be something.'"

When an announcer asked if anyone in the crowd had already voted, several attendees threw their hands in the air, waved blue campaign signs and screamed.

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More than 2 million of Florida's 11.2 million registered voters had already cast their ballots by Sunday morning, according to the state Division of Elections Web site. As of Saturday in Miami-Dade County, more than 300,000 had gone to the polls, according to county statistics. Early voting in the state ended Sunday.

Combs, who bounced on stage wearing an Obama T-shirt and sunglasses, has long worked to increase young voter turnout. Four years ago, he was part of the "Vote or Die" campaign and launched the nonpartisan group Citizen Change.

"I think we just really reinforced what they already knew," Jay-Z said after the event. "It energized them."

One attendee, 36-year-old Rebecca Vaughns, said Election Day would be especially sweet for her. The Miami resident, who was wearing a black Obama T-shirt and had a likeness of the nominee shaved in the back of her head, said she had been saving a giant chocolate "O" in her freezer for months, waiting for Nov. 4.

"It's not about black or white," Vaughn's said, "It's about the fact that this country is in a hole."

Fort Lauderdale resident Joyce Downing, 53, sat in the back of the stuffy arena before the rally started, wearing a red Obama T-shirt. Downing said she waited five hours a week ago to vote in an election she called an "awakening."

"Although I've voted as long as I've been eligible, this is the most exciting election I've been able to participate in," she said.

Comments

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

THE CLASS OF THE NEW GENERATION IS CAMPAIGNING FOR DETOX :)

[Samalabear]

Diddy's persona is more in line with McCain (whatever is good for him), but at least he's out there and as long as he gets the butts to the poles for Obama, it's all good.

[Daisy1111]

I got 99 problems but a corrupt Chicago politcian ain't one of them.

[DJ23]

There's EVIDENCE of McCain's corruption. There are also no incidents of ethical misconduct on the democratic ticket. Irrelevant?

[justwaitandsee]

Update for Las Vegas: My mother works at the Venetian hotel and she told me that if the people who work at Venetian Hotel were the only people voting, Obama would win by a landslide. From the Latino perspective it is huge; she said Latinos keep coming up to her and asking who did she vote for and she said Obama and they whisper to her we voted for him too. She said it is like nothing she had every seen.

My mother was a HUGE Clinton supporter and it wasn’t until the Democratic Convention in which I had her watch the entire thing that she became a HUGE Obama supporter. After that she really began to focus on the issues and this funny because I would talk to her about politics and at times I found myself slowing down because I was going over her head but now my mother is able to keep up...

[Brian187]

I'm glad to see that Diddy has abandoned the "Vote or Di e" motto...se­emed a little extreme. He's good at reaching people, so I hope that his efforts will convince young (and old) people to vote for Obama.

[RaineyDay5]

This is good. I think they realize their influence over young Americans (and older ones kicking and screaming to face that their getting older) and I'm happy to see them putting it to good use. The long lines are not f air. We honestly need to take a page from NV when it comes to voting. They have machines EVERYWHERE! Including the mall and parks.

[Brian187]

I'm glad to see that Diddy has abandoned the "Vote or Di e" motto...se­emed a little etreme. He's good at reaching people, so I hope that his efforts will convince young (and old) people to vote for Obama.

[papla]

nice job diddy and jay z

[chronic]

P-Diddy irks me, but he does have great business sense.

[Bethgirl]

I am so thrilled that communities all over is engaged with this election. As an African American Female United States Veteran, I get so angry how the media and John McCain Campaign has attempted to divide us along racial, religion and economic status lines. I remind people everyday that when my husband and I raised our hand to protect and serve our country we did so not promising to protect only those that looked like us, prayed like us, or on the same economic level as us. We raised our hand because we love our Country more than our Country has loved us as Veterans. What Barack has stated, and what Barack has done his entire political life has aligned with attempting to do the right thing for the right reason. The hatred that Sarah Palin, John McCain and the Republican party is spewing is as divisive and wrong for this Country. People forget that the world is watching a Country (The United States) get stripped bucked naked so that the rest of the world can see exactly what has been going on in this country, first with Katrina, and now with the racism, and hate that is being displayed in this election. From my home to all of you that took the time to learn the issues, and took the time to get engaged Thank You. And on tomorrow don't forget to "THANK HARD, VOTE HARD"

[tmbrinkley]

...you are so right, and sometimes even for diversity-cultured whites like myself, we can forget the depth of slavery, "Jim Crow," oppression---all the atricities that occured, the systematic advantage that is still in place and the reality of it's yesterday-­to-tomorro­w in a flash---and the possibility this violent-suffering has been the precursor, carried within it the paradox to love, giving, integrity, oneness---but that is our tomorrow, we go there with you, just to be able to get the door for you;

-tmb

[wmafoune]

Nice...Lov­e it