Jay-Z urges youth to vote

First it was the Rock the Vote campaign founded in 1990.

Then Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, pledged to make voting “sexy” in 2004 with his Citizen Change voter registration drive.

Now the MTV generation once again has an idol urging them to vote — Jay-Z.

After nearly two million more Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the 2008 presidential elections compared to 2004, the rapper hopes to continue the trend with his public service announcement “Vote Again 2010.”

According to HeadCount, the campaign will air on CBS and some cable networks. HeadCount is the nonpartisan organization that produced the ad and that works with musicians to increase voter registration and democratic participation.

Andy Bernstein, a member of the board of directors for HeadCount, said in a blog for the organization that many musicians were reluctant to speak out this time until Jay-Z stepped up.

Although the Get Out The Vote campaign focuses on registration and participation rather than party or ideology, Jay-Z has been linked to President Barack Obama on numerous occasions.

“Young Hov” performed at one of the president’s inaugural balls in 2009, and Obama said Jay-Z was part of his iPod playlist in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2008.

The president even appeared to reference the rapper’s song “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” at a campaign stop in Raleigh prior to the election in 2008.

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UNC sophomore Rachel Rolar said celebrities are important for increasing the youth vote as long as they convey a nonpartisan message.

“It’s effective, but they shouldn’t make their opinions clear,” she said. “Fans will believe what they believe.”