Image via YouTube / Wisconsin Conservation Voices
Whether it was Virgin Records and MTV’s “Rock The Vote” organization, or Diddy’s “Vote Or Die” campaign, the combination of music and political activism have had lasting effects on culture over the past several decades. On a local scale, Wisconsin Conservation Voices, the Milwaukee Rep, Northwestern Mutual and local producer Q The Sun have joined forces for “Voice The Vote,” a campaign aimed at youth voter engagement.
The videos are short, with each aimed at around a minute in length to keep attention in the Instagram era. Each of the four young artists take a beat from the New Age Narcissism producer to voice their own concerns around the upcoming election in a unique fashion. In addition to the message, it also showcases the talent coming out of the next wave of Milwaukee music.
The most effective element of these videos, however, is the creative freedom allotted to the artists. Mudy makes allusions to unjust police brutality and the revolution created by this summer’s marches on “Change Comes Slow.” Bisca Rae harmonizes the importance of showing up, because political decisions affect everyone. Baby Mont takes a more high-energy approach while talking about turning up for change, and Pyro raps about the importance of Census representation and allocation of funds to black communities. It’s an inspired approach that doesn’t feel like a canned marketing campaign, which is paramount to the overall feel of the videos.
For those interested in registering to vote or obtaining an absentee ballot, you can do so by filling out a form at the Wisconsin Conservation Voices website.
