John Forte was once riding high as a rapper and producer - co-writing and producing two songs on The Fugees' hit album "The Score." But he had trouble finding his groove as a solo artist, made some bad decisions and eventually was arrested at Newark airport with a reported $1.4 million worth of cocaine. He then found himself in federal prison facing a mandatory minimum 14-year sentence.
Two years ago, at the urging of Carly Simon and Sen. Orrin Hatch, President George W. Bush commuted Forte's sentence. He is now making music once again. In this video created for the Vote Again 2010 campaign, he tells his story and shares an original song inspired by the right to vote that he lost. Check it out:
The Vote Again 2010 campaign is awarding a $5,000 prize to the creator of the best short video promoting the upcoming election. Check out a few of the other entries below, and visit http://www.youtube.com/voteagain2010 to vote on your favorites or learn how to enter. If you think you can do a better job, grab a camera and you might win $5k. The contest runs through Oct. 29th.
Here's one of the contest entries, a Justin Bieber parody...
And this one was submitted by HeadCount volunteer Mathieu Ferguson, filmed in our nation's capitol...
This one pulls at the heartstrings...
So, think you can top these? Enter the contest!