When we unleashed our Jay-Z PSA on Tuesday we had a good feeling about it. The pop culture vibe around the elections had taken a complete 180 since 2008, but we also knew if anybody could turn that back around it would be Jay-Z.
The PSA debuted on RollingStone.com. It was then picked up by notable political sources such as The Nation, The Hill, NY Times and Politico. Throughout the next two days it seemed to spread to all fronts: Media Bistro, Global Grind, The AP, Relix and even Perez Hilton!
Wednesday night on MSNBC Lawrence O'Donnell and Sway Calloway discussed the importance of youth voting and during the segment they aired the entire clip! Check it out:
It was also discussed on CBS last night in a youth vote segment where they aired the entire PSA.
The same week we launched the PSA, President Barack Obama entered into a town hall style meeting and took questions from young people on MTV, BET and CMT. Some folks were angry that the people asking the questions were screened and influenced on what questions they should ask. But overall the questions seemed relevant and important ranging from bullying and gay rights, to issues in the Sudan.
It may be a coincidence, but between the Jay Z PSA airing, and the President's town hall meeting people are finally starting to talk about the youth vote. Here's to hoping this splash turns into a wave.