As The REVOLT Summit took place in Atlanta, Ga from Sept. 12-14, several panel discussions were incorporated to inspire the next generation of people who want to enter the music and entertainment industry.
The REVOLT news event was sponsored by AT&T and REVOLT chairman Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“The REVOLT Summit brings artists, creators and executives together to celebrate the culture and empower the community,” Combs said.
A particular panel included the discussion of black leaders in hip-hop and politics and their experiences of being black, voting and living in America.
“Trap the Vote: Hip Hop & Politics” was a panel discussion, which included co-president of the 2019 Women’s March Tamika Mallory, former spokesperson for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign Katrina Pierson, rappers T.I. and Killer Mike, American conservative commentator Candace Owens and Trap the Vote’s Steven Padgett. The people on the panel represented the different types of black people in America.
The discussion began with the need for black children to learn the importance of voting.
“One of the main issues is, we wait too late to try to motivate young people,” T.I. said.
Conversations about absent fathers, police brutality and Donald Trump were also included.
The discussion surrounding Trump led to T.I.’s million dollar question to Candace Owens: “When you say ‘make America great again’, which period are we talking about?”
T.I.’s question to Katrina Pierson went viral and people anxiously listened for her response. Candace Owens failed to respond due to the outlash from the crowd over T.I.’s questions.
“Seven years after the civil war black people accumulated over 15 million acres of land black people were the only skilled labor, so our value became more,” Killer Mike said.
Killer Mike also discussed the ignorance of black people and how the method searching information should be renewed.
“Who is your congressman, who is your senator and who is your city councilperson if you don’t know that you have already failed yourself,” the rapper said.
Students tuned in to watch the panel discussion to determine the issues important to them and initiatives they want to see from people running for office.
“I want to change gun laws because there are a lot of mass shootings happening and we need to do something to change it,” Krystal Wood, a junior kinesiology major said.
The summit incorporated several other events, panel discussions and activities for attendees.
Quality Control’s Coach K and Pee attended the summit as co-chairs and spoke during a panel to their success in a discussion titled, “Quality Control: The Blueprint Behind Hip Hop’s Most Influential Imprint.”
Another panel, “The Pioneers Panel” was led by Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin and Rico Wade, who are all songwriters and producers from Atlanta. Singer and songwriter Ester Dean led a panel “Songwriter 101” to discuss her process on writing hits.
Remy Ma hosted the “Be Heard” event for attendees aspiring to launch of their singing or rapping careers. Attendees were provided the opportunity to audition.
