Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Kurtis Blow, and Doug E. Fresh Introduce Rap’s First Official Union, The Hip Hop Alliance
Hip-hop, perhaps the biggest genre in recorded music history, is coming together to form an official union.
The union, called The Hip Hop Alliance, was founded by legendary hip-hop artists Chuck D of public enemy (founder/president), kurtis shot (founder/vice-president), and Doug E. Fresh (founder/member of the board of directors). The purpose of The Hip Hop Alliance is to represent the needs and issues of importance related to “the [hip-hop] and the R&B workforce through advocacy, information and service.
Even in the beginning, The Hip Hop Alliance has already formed a strategic partnership with the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Collaborative efforts between the two organizations will focus on raising awareness and engagement within the hip-hop and R&B community. Affiliation will benefit artists by being treated fairly in terms of contractual obligations and fair compensation, as one of the initiatives between the two organizations.
To gain attention and awareness of The Hip Hop Alliance, the union released a video featuring KRS-One. Making appearances in the music video on their Instagram page are two other legendary hip-hop artists, Slick Rick and Grandpa Kane.
“Shout out to those working behind the scenes to make [hip-hop happen]! Managers, artists, agents, engineers and producers, what are the pension plan, health care plan and tariff commission standards for us? What is a wage rate for what we do in “hip-hop” as an industry? Those who animate and assist artists, those who protect artists, those who promote the show, and those who sell merchandise, among other roles and responsibilities that make [hip-hop] occur; Who speaks for us? What brings dignity and respect to the work we do? Answer. The Hip-Hop Alliance! With the knowledge, skills, and power of our collective voice, there’s no reason we can’t protect ourselves and our future! Read more Hiphopalliance.org”