Rap Icon Mopreme Shakur to Produce an Episode of BET’s Critically Acclaimed Series, “American Gangster”

Rap icon and member of the legendary group Thug Life, Mopreme Shakur will help bring the story of his father, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, to life on BET in an upcoming episode of “American Gangster” tentatively titled “Mutulu Shakur and The Republic of New Afrika.”  The episode is set to air in the fall of 2008 in the series’ third season.

As a regular viewer of the show’s first two seasons, Mopreme reached out to the producers to develop interest in his father’s story.  A political prisoner imprisoned for his revolutionary activities in the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Shakur’s story is not typical of those told on the show.  Nonetheless, Dr. Shakur’s role both in the civil rights movement and as step-father and mentor to the legendary, late Tupac Shakur compelled the producers to take a more critical look at the term “gangster” and include his story amongst those that will be told in the upcoming season. Mopreme remains actively involved in the episode’s production as a consulting producer, providing insight, direction, subject matter for interviews and acting as a liaison between the show and his father. Mopreme will also be featured in the episode where he talks about his childhood as the son of a revolutionary and how that impacted both his and his brother Tupac’s professional and political development. Mopreme will take viewers on an historical tour of the Shakur family’s earliest residences and places of work. 

Viewers can also expect surprise interviews with political and entertainment icons, all of whom knew, worked with or were touched by Dr. Mutulu Shakur. “I knew my father isn’t the kind of gangster they had been doing stories about, but I thought that if my father suffers from all the consequences of being labeled and incarcerated as a gangster by the system that at the very least he could benefit from his story being told,” explained Shakur about his reasons for working on the “American Gangster” series.  “I’m very excited to be working on this episode because my father is an important figure in the civil rights movement and his story should be remembered as a part of American history, so some of the positive things can be known about him and the  Shakur legacy.” Dr. Mutulu Shakur was an important leader the Republic of New Afrika who was implicated in the liberation of Assata Shakur and Brinks robberies in the New York area.  He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 60 years in Federal Prison.  Though there was little to no hard evidence of his involvement in these crimes, he was convicted under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act in 1986.  He and his supporters maintain his innocence and further that he is a political prisoner because the real motivation for his incarceration lies in his activities as a revolutionary figure and not for the crimes he was convicted of committing. The episode is slated to air in November on BET.  In addition to Dr, Mutulu Shakur, the upcoming season of “American Gangster” will also document the lives of Mac Dre, Larry Davis, Monster Cody and J. Edgar Hoover, among others.

About Mopreme Shakur

Mopreme Shakur is one of the founding members of the legendary hip hop group, Thug Life.  Following the success on his first commercial project with Tony, Toni, Tone on the hit record Feels Good, Mopreme recorded and performed with his step-brother Tupac Shakur until his brother’s untimely death in 1996.  A loyal son to his father, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Mopreme has been vocal about keeping his father’s story in the public arena.  Some of the recent projects on which he has worked include being featured in and acting as Producer of the documentary Tupac Assassination: Conspiracy or Revenge.  He is also featured in the upcoming film Parkside and has a solo album being released in 2008 entitled, “Alpha Thug.” For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/mrmoprmemeshakur.

Are You a Hater?

-by CZA

 

The word, label, and possibly ideology “Hater” gets thrown around so much many don’t know what it really is to be one. A hater, by the CZA definition, is someone who wishes physical, mental or financial distress on another. Most times though it’s the latter that they want. A hater, at the end of the sentence, is someone who doesn’t want you to shine because of their own selfishness.

 

Let’s go deeper into the psychology of being a hater. What are some of the key aspects of “haterism”? For one, a hater isn’t balling. To ball is the anti-thesis of what a hater is. A hater finds fault in what you’re doing because they aren’t clocking any grip whatsoever. They eat bummy, sleep bummy; think bummy, and ultimately live, bummy, because they don’t know what avenue to take to pull themselves from the trenches of despair.

 

Besides being broke, a hater many times has confidence issues that they haven’t conquered yet. Usually, a person goes through a soul-searching period from their early teens until they graduate college (Don’t be fooled; that is what most of college is for, not a damn education!) at which point they know what it is that they’d prefer to do to get cake. (For me, it was dually hip hop and journalism.) Haters are the ones that either don’t graduate or do, but can’t apply the degree or themselves into their niche. Have you ever been to a club and saw a group of vulture-ish, Sex In the City wanna-bes posted up at a table sipping watered down metropolitans pretending to have a “girls night out” but really hoping (and sometimes praying) that someone will come up and chop good game with them but no one does? There’s a good reason for that. Bitterness creates an almost musk that permeates their area. Anyone with even a hint of gusto about themselves will avoid that like kicking it with George Bush. (By the way, if you look up “hater” in the dictionary, his picture will be there 10/10 times.) They know this, but they’ve played the victim so long that they don’t know how to change and by the time they realize it, they’re as old as Carrie’s ass and cackling about how there’s no good men left anymore. There are plenty of good men, but they aren’t checking for you.

 

Another facet of being a hater is a lack of will-to-do, or as my brethren and I call it, hustle. Having no hustle is the number one reason a hater is in the predicament that they’re in. Some might be like, what exactly is “hustle”? Glad you asked, now receive. Hustle is the centrifugal force behind every single celebrity that you’ve ever seen. You don’t have to be a celebrity to have hustle, but I’m just using them as an example. Michael Jordan could’ve been an average player, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted to be a dominant player, one that was on top of his game every time the spotlight was on him. What’d he do? Practiced, practiced and more practiced. To the point that he was being recognized for his tenacity on and off the court. He could’ve stopped there too, after garnering a name for himself and his clutch ability to win games. Once again, his hustle kicked in and he did more than was necessary to move him to the next echelon. He created a brand that not only increased the public awareness of himself; it generated millions of dollars through his shoes. Now, Air Jordans are synonymous with greatness in the basketball arena. So much so that he can charge a premium for his product and get it no problem. How many other shoes can charge $170 a pair and people get at them religiously? In Jordan’s case it was an absolute talent but you must remember that Jordan has lost a lot of games as well. Because he didn’t quit, he succeeded. Arguably one of the worst rappers of all time (Who?) made a name for himself simply through his extreme work ethic but haters don’t have this and don’t see this.

 

Haters are always seeing the bad side of every situation. “Oh, he’s riding on 23’s, but you know they rented!” No good comes to those who want only bad. Your mind state depicts your actions; if you have negativity in your mind, you’ll negative things. A positive outlook brings positive results. Things do happen in the course of life, but if you shut down every time there’s a hitch in your plans, you won’t make progress. Adversity breeds opportunities to grind so don’t look at it from a “Why Me?” standpoint; look at it as another chance to try your luck.

 

Haters are lazy. They would rather take from the next man than go out and get their own. Every person who has snatched a chain or even talks favorably about jacking another is a coward. There, I said it. You’re weak-minded and scum, really. If you’re so uncommitted to your own self and wealth that you’d take from someone who is trying to better themselves, you don’t deserve to have it in the first place. Real don’t jack; they earn. That’s why haters get no respect. If you have a friend or colleague who’s a hater, turn to them right now and say “Stop all that gotdamn hating, punk!”

 

As a side note, disliking another person’s music isn’t hating; it’s simply disliking their music. It seems people have become so vain that if you aren’t stroking their ego enough to substantiate the subpar music they’ve put out, you’re hating on them. Sometimes, this can be true, but most times it comes from the reviewer not articulating what they didn’t like about the music itself to the artist. It’s common knowledge that I abhor hip hop music from before 1996. I could leave it at that, but I’m sure that someone somewhere would say that I’m a hater. Others might agree because there’s no reasoning behind my statement. Being the type of cat I am, being well versed on both sides of the game, I won’t leave something like that to chance so I’ll continue with my statement, magically transforming my “hating” into constructive criticism. I don’t like hip hop from before 1996 (which many call the “golden era” 1989-1994-ish) because I enjoy having bump in my trunk. Many of the beats from back then were boom-bap sounding with not too much on the low end of the frequency range so the kicks sound hollow to me. I dislike the swing that many put on the drums and often the subject matter of the songs were boring. I enjoy intellectual hip hop as much as everyone else, but back then, the emphasis was on how you wrote your bars and the different styles of rhyme. I’m from Texas, so I need knock. No offense to anyone who’s all about that sound, I just can’t get with it. And the retro-hop acts now do get slept on most of the time by me. You see the difference? I fully told my specific reasons for my statement, enough so that anyone listening would accept that as my own opinion. To make it more constructive, I’d suggest something like “Remix Illmatic and put some better beats on there.”

 

There are many other characteristics of being a hater that I haven’t covered but this should help with the all too common misconception of what a hater is. Before you haul off and declare someone a hater, think about it, you might be the hater yourself.

B’More’s D.K blazing the charts with his track “Italics”

At age 23, D.K. is no new jack in the music industry. After a chance meeting and impromptu battle with Geda K and Memphis Bleek, D.K. was signed to Def Jam’s now defunct Carter Faculty Record Label, July, 2001. Carter Faculty was started by Jay-Z, however was ran by his cousins, B-Hi and Ty-Ty. While there he completed an album with production credits ranging from Young Lord of Bad Boy’s Hitmen to Kanye West and Hot 97’s DJ Absolut. He also worked with Swizz Beats and Aftermath Records rapper, Brooklyn. Upon learning from a Murder Inc. A&R that the end of Carter’s deal with Def Jam was near, D.K. jumped ship. Being that he was under 18 upon signing the contract, he was free to leave.

The next year, D.K. was focused on redemption in the form of getting a completed album to the hands of the public. He had a brief stay with an independent called Salem Entertainment. Perhaps the only benefit reaped from the also fledging (now bankrupt) label was his invitation to the Mixshow Power Summit in Puerto Rico. There, he made an impression on DJ’s all over the country that were banging the “B-More’s Finest” mixtape he put out with DJ Sickamore (Just Blaze’s A&R).

D.K.’s music is likened to his background because the myriad of creative sounds reflect an eventful past. He is credited as a narrative, top lyricist with an untypical natural knack for creating hooks with mass appeal. However, his love for the craft only reflects the unsung heroes of the underground because he has been one of them for so long. His abilities have allowed him to open at many top venues as a performer. He opened up for the likes of Mobb Deep, P.Diddy (Vote or Die), 3 6 Mafia, Juelz Santana, Trey Songs and most recently Ne-Yo.

D.K. — already a “part of history,” shows little signs of slowing down. His single entitled “A Part of History” maintained a steady spot atop of the College Radio Charts hitting as high as #7 beating notable records which later on became smashes like Big Boi’s “Kryptonite.” The song was also featured on the Purple City Byrdgang/Dipset album “Road to Riches”, which entered the Billboard Charts as the #9 rap album. D.K. also appeared on Jim Jones presents “The Purple Album.”
Publications as credible as allhiphop.com critically acclaimed the song saying, “D.K. poignantly places himself under society’s microscope on the introspective “Part of History.”

Available now is the highly anticipated mixtape “King Me,” hosted by New York Hot 97……’s DJ Kay Slay and Purple City Emperor Sheist Bubz…Mixtape features Un Kassa (Dipset), Domination, M.O.P. and Fabolous as well as production by Kanye West, 9th Wonder, the late JDilla and 730 Commission orig. production. The mixtape has gaine the attention of various national press and media outlets. MTV recognized King as the mixtape pick of the week, and The commemorative 200th Source Magazine issue highlighted his mixtape as one of the top 8 street albums. In August he was nominated #1 Contender in the underground Music Awards, and lastly but not least in the Baltimore City Paper, “King Me” was compared to Illmatic Nas due to his “vivid imagery and prodigious talent.” An artist like this cannot be contained controlled and he is clearly destined for greatness.

Visit DK’s MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/dk730
Official Website: http://www.babygrande.net/dk/

AMALGAM ENTERTAINMENT REISSUES CLASSICS FROM CAM’RON & NAUGHTY BY NATURE

Independent Hip Hop Distributor Amalgam Entertainment promises to make it hot this July by striking again with an onslaught of specialty titles and classic Hip Hop Reissues.

This time around teaming up with Sony BMG to bring Dipset general Cam’Ron back into the light with “Harlem’s Greatest” due out July 8^th.

 

The following week of July 15^th Amalgam will be releasing two classic re-issues courtesy of Rhino/WEA:  Naughty by Nature “19NaughtyIII” and Naughty By Nature “Poverty’s Paradise”!

 

Hip Hop Hooray!

 

Tracklist for Cam’Ron “Harlem’s Greatest”:

01. 357

02. Horse & Carriage Ft. Mase

03. What Means The World To You

04. That’s Me

05. Glory Ft. Noreaga

06. Let Me Know

07. Do It Again Ft. Destiny’s Child & Jim Jones

08. Losin’ Weight Ft. Prodigy

09. Whatever

10. Fuck You

11. My Hood

12. A Pimp’s A Pimp Ft. Jermaine Dupri

13. Confessions

 

Tracklisting for Naughty By Nature “19NaughtyIII”:

01. 19NaughtyIII

02. Hip Hop Hooray

03. Ready For Dem

04. Take It to Ya Face

05. Daddy Was A Street Corner

06. The Hood Comes First

07. The Only Ones

08. It’s On

09. Cruddy Clique

10. Knock Em Out Da Box

11. Hot Potato

12. Sleepin’ On Jersey

13. Written on Your Kitten

14. Sleep Walkin II/Shout Outs

 

Tracklisting for Naughty By Nature “Poverty’s Paradise”:

01. Intro Skit

02. Poverty’s Paradise

03. Clap Yo Hands

04. City of Ci-Lo

05. Hang Out and Hustle ft Road Dawgs & Cruddy Click

06. It’s Workin’ ft. Rottin Razkals

07. Holdin’ Fort

08. Chain Remains

09. Feel Me Flow

10. Craziest

11. Radio Skit

12. Sunshine

13. Webber Skit ft. Chris Webber

14. Respect Due

15. World Go Round

16. Klickow-Klickow ft Rottin Razkals, Cruddy Click and Road Dawgs

17. Double I Skit

18. Slang Bang

19. Shout Out ft Gordon Chambers

20. Outro

21. Connections

 

 

For more information on these releases or Amalgam Entertainment please visit:

www.myspace.com/AmalgamEntertainment

www.AmalgamDigital.com

 

MORE A-LIST TALENT ADDED TO THE ALREADY STELLAR LINE-UP FOR “BET AWARDS ‘08″

Best Female R&B nominee Rihanna, last year’s Best Male R&B winner Ne-Yo, Viewer’s Choice nominee Keyshia Cole and Best Gospel Artist nominee Marvin Sapp have joined previously announced performers Usher, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and Young Jeezy for BET AWARDS ’08.  In addition, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Gabrielle Union, Mary Mary, Lauren London and Kevin Hart have been added as presenters and Jill Scott has been confirmed to perform a special tribute to legendary R&B Icon Al Green, who is receiving BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Quincy Jones, celebrated producer/arranger/composer, is also being honored this year with BET’s prestigious Humanitarian Award for his outreach to young African-Americans through the Listen Up Foundation.  Hosted by actor and comedian D.L. Hughley,  BET AWARDS ’08 premieres live from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on Tuesday, June 24 at 8:00 p.m.*. 

 

Tagged as “the hottest ticket on television,” BET AWARDS ’08 brings together the biggest stars in music, sports and entertainment for an electrifying evening.  For the past seven years, the BET AWARDS has boasted unforgettable moments such as Michael Jackson’s surprise appearance during James Brown’s tribute; Rick James in his final duet with Teena Marie; Will Smith presenting Muhammad Ali with the first-ever Humanitarian Award; Prince onstage backing Chaka Khan; Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams and India Arie in a powerhouse tribute to Rufus’ first lady of funk; Destiny’s Child’s steamy lap dance; the reunion of one of hip hop’s most beloved trios, The Fugees; and last year’s touching opening performance with Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Holliday.

 

BET has once again teamed up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the GRAMMY Awards® and the seven record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Stephen Hill, BET Executive Vice President, Music and Programming, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of Specials, will executive produce the telecast. 

 

BET AWARDS ’08 will be sponsored by Dodge, Pepsi, Verizon Wireless, General Motors, P&G, Target, CIROC Vodka and Ford.

LETOYA LUCKETT, LIL MAMA, MC LYTE, MELYSSA FORD, LIL MO AND MORE TO HELP LAUNCH WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT EMPOWERMENT NETWORK (WEEN) “DON’T JUDGE ME…EMPOWER ME” TOUR 6/28 IN NYC

WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT EMPOWERMENT NETWORK (WEEN) KICKS OFF “DON’T JUDGE ME…EMPOWER ME” TOUR
JUNE 28 IN NEW YORK CITY

LeToya Luckett, Lil Mama, MC Lyte, Melyssa Ford, La La Vasquez, Lil Mo, Julissa Bermudez, Free, Alesha Renee, Dawn of Danity Kane, Danyel Smith, Marilyn Crawford To Participate

The Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) has emerged as the premiere organization for the education and empowerment of women worldwide. WEEN is spearheaded by stars and executives from the entertainment industry and advocates for the balanced, positive portrayal of women in entertainment and in society. WEEN will launch the “Don’t Judge Me…EmPower Me” national tour at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on June 28, 2008 at 1:30pm.

Entertainment icons and executives will discuss health, financial literacy, leadership, career development and relationships with thousands of young adults in a series of intimate, interactive panel discussions. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. is the presenting sponsor and Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the supporting sponsor.

WEEN was founded by the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network’s (HSAN) Executive Director Valeisha Butterfield. The WEEN Advisory Board consists of hip-hop pioneer MC Lyte, TV personality Lauren Lake and television producer turned public school teacher Sabrina Thompson. Kimora Lee Simmons is the National Spokeswoman for WEEN.

Joining the “Don’t Judge Me…EmPower Me” kick-off in New York City is LeToya Luckett, Lil Mama, MC Lyte, Melyssa Ford, Lil Mo, Julissa Bermudez, Free, BET television personality Alesha Renee, Dawn of Danity Kane, Vibe Magazine Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith, Primetime Omnimedia CEO Marilyn Crawford, Universal Motown Executives Shanti Das and Phylicia Fant, 5WPR executive Tracy Nguyen, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Director of Talent Relations Jasmin Franjul, Model Agent Davida Williams, Dr. Nicole Roberson, Dr. Catrise Austin (Dentist), Activist Maria Davis, Lynn Richardson of Wealth n Real Estate, Lori Gibbs of Genworth Financial. The WEEN event is also supported by actor/author Hill Harper, renowned video director Lil X, Warner Music Group Executive Vice President Kevin Liles, BET’s host of “106 & Park” Terrence J and Hip-Hop Summit Action Network President Dr. Benjamin Chavis.

“Our tour begins in New York City at a most opportune time given the unprecedented national debate about the leadership of women in American society. WEEN’s fast growing network of artists, executives and professionals will deliver vital and exciting information to thousands of young women on June 28. After many months of preparation, we are enthusiastic about the launch and our goal is to provide young women with the tools necessary to make informed professional and personal life choices,” exclaimed Founder Valeisha Butterfield.

The community partners include The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), Girl Scouts of America, the National Urban League, Latinos in Fashion and Entertainment (L.I.F.E.), T.E.E.N. Diaries, Carifest Cares and Melyssa Ford’s Less Is More. The exclusive radio partner is Power105.1. The production partners are Bird’s Eye Entertainment and Corner the Market Media. Swag room contributors for the event include Rocawear, B*Star, Married to the Mob, BeanpYe, Get em Girls, Steaz, Miss Jessies, Eki’s Famous, Pieces Boutique, Pollen Nation, Zenedge Energy Drinks, Soul Fixins, Black Enterprise, Dr. Miracles, Vita Coco, The Coil Review, Carifest Cares and the Gift Agency.

For more information and to join WEEN, log onto www.weenonline.org.

About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007. Anheuser Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or www.africanamericanbud.com.

About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Founded in 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is headquartered in St. Louis and serves customers in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, and Germany. Enterprise is North America’s largest car rental company in fleet size, number of locations, and annual revenue, ranking No. 18 on the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies in America. Enterprise has ranked highest in customer satisfaction among airport rentals in eight out of the past nine years, according to J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study. Enterprise is owned by the Taylor family, which acquired the National Car Rental (nationalcar.com) and Alamo Rent A Car (alamo.com) businesses in 2007. For more information about Enterprise, visit enterprise.com.

About Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN)
The Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) is a coalition of women committed to supporting, promoting and defending the balanced, positive portrayal of women in entertainment and in society. WEEN is led by women executives in music, television, film, radio and other forms of entertainment. WEEN is a program of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. www.weenonline.org.

RUSH PHILANTHROPIC’S ART FOR LIFE ONLINE AUCTION, LIVE 6/23-7/23::Jam packed w. celeb experiences. Donna Karen, Russell Simmons, Ellen Degeneres & more

Rush Philanthropic’s famed ART FOR LIFE East Hampton annual benefit gala is expanding its charitable outreach with its first ever online auction. Rush Philanthropic, in conjunction with Charity Buzz, the online auction experts, who work with non-profits founded by various big names including Elton John, Bette Midler, Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy and Andre Agassi have already gathered together some of today’s top celebrities and brands to donate specialty items for this online benefit event. For the sixth year, Luxury Auction Chair, Tybie Etoy-Dotson is also at the helm of all the ART FOR LIFE auction excitement.

Over 75 items and packages will be up for auction. Rush Philanthropic Co-Founder, Russell Simmons, is offering one lucky wanna-be apprentice a one-week internship with him in his executive office at his NYC headquarters. Also up for grabs is a private one hour yoga session with the Hip-Hop mogul at his NYC home with certified Jivamutki instructor and girlfriend, Porschla Coleman. Victoria’s Secret is also back with their very popular package that would be any man’s fantasy, tickets to the impossible to get into Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Other hot packages include a “Summer in the Hamptons” with VIP tickets to Donna Karan’s Super Saturday shopping event complete with VIP gift bags; tickets to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, “Get Your Swerve On” with Gerri Kyhill and a party of ten for a one hour S Factor intensive; and attendance to a NYC sporting event with model Petra Nemcova.

The ART FOR LIFE online auction goes live June 23rd and will last through July 24th, 2008. Bidders can click http://artforlife.charitybuzz.com/viewLots.do for a chance to take home these hot items and special celebrity experiences which, previously, only ART FOR LIFE gala attendees could bid on.

Whether it’s an exclusive Christian Dior leather bag,jewelry by David Yurman or a personal Happy Birthday phone call from a certain Grammy® award winning crooner, this on-line auction will be almost as exciting as being at the ART FOR LIFE gala itself!

ABOUT RUSH PHILANTHROPIC ARTS FOUNDATION

Founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant exposure and access to the arts, as well as providing exhibition opportunities to under-represented artists and artists of color. A 501(C)3 organization, Rush Philanthropic fulfills its mission through three core programs: grants, exhibitions and mentoring. The Rush Community Grants Program annually provides direct funding to over 70 nonprofit organizations that offer education programming in all disciplines of the arts to New York City and South Florida youth. Rush also runs two arts exhibition and education facilities: Rush Arts Gallery and Resource Center in Manhattan’s Chelsea arts district and the Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. The organization is currently in a fundraising campaign for Rush East New York, an 11,000 square-foot arts education and resource center it will open this fall in East New York, Brooklyn. The building was a gift from United Homes. The Rush Gallery in the School and Rush Kids Visual Arts Mentorship Programs (a.k.a. Rush Kids/Teens) use arts education to create a spark that lights the imagination and creativity of the urban youth we serve. Rush Blueprint, formerly known as Rush Impact Mentorship Initiative, will launch this fall and will allow youth the opportunity to learn about and explore careers within the arts.

Check out : artforlife.charitybuzz.com/viewLots.do

For ticketing information please contact:

Tracey Doolin at Inez Weinstein Special Events
(212) 254-6677 or (212) 614-0400
Fax: (212) 477-4501
tdoolin@inezevents.com

Individual tickets from $1,500. Tables of ten from $15,000.