(AllHipHop News) A number of rappers, entertainment executives and political figures will gather in Chicago this weekend when the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan hosts The Nation of Islam’s Annual Saviours’ Day Convention.
Wyclef Jean, filmmaker Allen Hughes, Raheem DeVaughn, Freeway Rick Ross, Frank Lucas, former Jamaican Ambassador Dudley Thompson, Iyanla Vanzant and Susan Taylor of the National Cares Mentoring Movement are among this year’s participants in the annual weekend. The convention will be held February 26 and 27th at the Stephens Convention Center, while Min. Farrakhan will deliver his keynote speech, “The Time and What Must Be Done,” at the United Center on February 28th. “I intend in my Saviours’ Day address to provide Divine warning and guidance from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to the Black community to the American people and to our brother, President Barack Obama,” Min. Farrakhan told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “It is critical that everyone understand the time in which we live so that we can act in the manner that could save our lives.”
Focal points of the weekend include resolving youth gang violence in Chicago and its surrounding communities and increasing the effort to assist the island nation of Haiti, which was devastated by a 7.0 earthquake. “Haiti needs all the assistance she can get. We in the Nation of Islam are organizing our efforts to provide relief and in the spirit of the Million Man March, The Millions Women’s March and the Millions More Movement we encourage everyone to organize their efforts into a National Response to Haiti,” Min. Farrakhan said. Min. Farrakhan and The Nation of Islam have been an influential force in Hip-Hop for decades. In addition to being name checked on numerous albums, a number of rappers are members, including Ice Cube, Kam, Snoop Dogg and others.
He also spoke at Russell Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network’s first ever Hip-Hop Summit in New York in 2001.
Additionally, Min. Farrakhan was instrumental in resolving some of Hip-Hop’s biggest crisis’s, including the national East Coast/West Coast “war,” a feud between 50 Cent and Irv Gotti and another between Beanie Sigel and Jadakiss. “If we come together and speak with one voice and use the brightest and best of our minds to organize an effective response to this from the entire Black and Hispanic community of America, what a statement that would make,” Min. Farrakhan stated. “After we assess what we have done and the success of it, we have a working model for bad days that may soon come upon us,” continued Min. Farrakhan.
The Nation of Islam was founded 80 years ago in 1930, by Master W. Fard Muhammad.
The Saviours’ Day Convention begins at 9:00 am on Friday February 26 in Rosemont.
For more information visit www.noi.org.
