Mos Def and Talib Kweli Headline Black August Benefit Concert

Mos Def and Talib Kweli will headline the 10th Annual Black August benefit concert on Sunday, August 26 at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square, NYC. Black August is a project of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM), which looks to promote awareness about social and political issues that affect inner city youth and raise money for various political prisoners. “What started in 1997 as a local collaboration between organizations to use hip-hop as a tool to raise political awareness, has evolved into a major fundraising benefit that has taken us around the world,” says Monifa Bandele, MXGM national co-coordinator. “This tenth annual concert marks a tremendous milestone, because it not only represents a decade of progress in the fight for social justice, but also accounts for a support base of politically active young people that is now global and growing.” During this year’s Black August concert, Kweli and Mos Def will perform and bring out other surprise guests, which have not been revealed yet. “We’ve been big supporters of Black August since it first started, because we understand that music — particularly hip-hop music — is the one element that binds people around the world,” Talib Kweli says. “To be able to play a part in educating young people, show them the importance of speaking up and making a difference, while also raise money for social and racial justice is a no-brainer.”