Hip-Hop mogul Russell
Simmons has joined the long list of celebrities contributing to the Live 8 Show
held this Saturday in Philadelphia.
Simmons has signed on as a producer to the concert, which is
being held to pressure the world’s richest countries-the G8–to cancel
Africa’s massive debts and double the aid for the continent.
“This is no charity this is about justice,” Simmons
told AllHipHop.com. “This is to repair the past and to pay for the resources
that are still being taken from Africa.”
Accepting to participate in the event was not a hard decision
for Simmons, who dedicates a healthy portion of his time fighting on behalf
of numerous civil causes.
Philadelphia is one of 10 countries holding concerts on July
2. Participating cities include London, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Tokyo,
Barrie, Canada and Johannesburg.
The Philadelphia show will be hosted by Will Smith with performances
from Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Stevie Wonder, Black
Eyed Peas and many more.
“All the Pop stars in the world can’t do for Africans
what Hip-Hop can do,” Simmons stated. “We must pull more resources.
Some stars aren’t involved [and] they need to join in now. We need their
help and we must press now to send a message to these world leaders.”
Celebrity presenters include Chris Tucker, Jennifer Conolly,
Natalie Portman, Salma Hayek and others.
Organizers said
the concerts could be the largest global telecast, as they hope to attract at
least 4 billion viewers.
