One of Los Angeles’ premier gathering for socially conscious music and people commences on September 27, with the highly popular We the People Festival.
The forward-thinking event focuses on advocating “non-partisan, non-violent, environmental, and politically conscious views as established through music and dialogue.”
The festival began in Watts in 2006 as a small gathering to give community leaders and artists the opportunity to reach out to urban youth.
The following year the event swelled to over 4,000 attendees as positive word of mouth spread around the community.
This year, the We the People Festival expects close to 15,000 people to witness performances from DJ Premier, EPMD, RZA, Dilated Peoples, Barrington Levy, Fishbone, Tom Morello, Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down) and many others.
Guest speakers for the event include Green Party presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney, G.C.N. Network radio personality Jack Blood, and anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.
Also on hand will be various community-centered non-profits such as Rock the Vote, the American Lung Association of California, and Self Help Graphics.
We the People Festival co-founder Orlando Padilla explained that his event will make attendees aware of community issues and give them the opportunity to connect with others seeking to make social change.
“This festival stimulates social awareness by bringing together some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers, artists, and activists,” Padilla told AllHipHop.com. “They will all converge on one day for a common purpose: to express raw, uncensored social views that push the boundaries of the norm and encourage tangible results that will improve the quality of life to people around the world.”
The Festival will be held at Los Angeles State Historic Park.
Tickets are available now through www.ticketmaster.com.