Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Celebrates Hip-Hop Culture at the Thirteenth Annual Birmingham, Alabama Heritage Festival August 1-3, 2003.

Entertainment Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 18, 2003

On one of the most sacred sites during the height of the civil rights movement forty years ago, civil rights leaders, business executives, hip-hop artists and thousands of families and youth will gather for the Thirteenth Annual Birmingham Heritage Festival, which will feature for the first time, a Hip-Hop Summit. On August 1-3, 2003, in the square facing the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church tragically bombed in 1963, generations will come together to celebrate both the progress of the civil rights movement and the evolution of hip-hop culture. More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the Festival and Hip-Hop Summit in Birmingham's Historic Civil Rights District, which include the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the Civil Rights Institute and Kelly Ingram Park.

Headlining the Birmingham Heritage Festival and Hip-Hop Summit will be Baby, Juvenile, Lil' Wayne and T.Q. of the Cash Money Millionaires, Reverend Run of Run-DMC, Floetry, David Banner, Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boys, Big Tymers, Zapp Band, Lil' Flip and others to be announced.

The theme of the Birmingham Hip-Hop Summit is Youth Empowerment and Leadership Development,. The Summit will begin August 1 at 11am at the Albert B. Boutwell Municipal Auditorium located at 1930 Eighth Avenue North in Birmingham. Featured will be hip-hop dj's, music and a hip-hop celebrity panel discussion on a range of issues, including Hip-Hop Team Vote, a national program of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network with the goal of registering 20 million voters over the next 5 years; career opportunities in the recording industry; wealth management and financial literacy and community economic development.

The Thirteenth Annual Birmingham Heritage Festival will not only highlight hip-hop, but other genres of music, as well, such as R&B, jazz and gospel. The Festival will also feature spoken word, freestyle battling and break dance performances. The Festival and Hip-Hop Summit is expected to draw an abundance of new artists who will be able to showcase their talent before recording industry and entertainment executives attending. Attendees will also be able to experience traditional art, fashion, dance and cuisine as part of the Festival.

The Birmingham Heritage Festival and Hip-Hop Summit will also provide the first public unveiling of two new entrepreneurial ventures launched by Russell Simmons: the Rush Card, a financial services empowerment vehicle for millions of people who are financially disenfranchised and Def Con 3, a new energy soda produced by The Russell Simmons Beverage Company.

Russell Simmons, Chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, stated, "The Birmingham Hip-Hop Summit and the Heritage Festival are being co-joined to produce a powerful statement concerning the importance of empowering young people with the rich legacy of our heritage and to push forward to make even greater progress, utilizing the tremendous gifts, talents and energy of the youth of today."

Larry Allen, founder and coordinator of the Birmingham Heritage Festival affirmed, "We welcome people from throughout the United States to come to the cradle of the civil rights movement and enjoy a great Heritage Festival and Hip-Hop Summit. Birmingham represents the new South and the new America."

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network concluded, "The Birmingham Heritage Festival and Hip-Hop Summit will help to galvanize the entire Southern region in our quest to register millions of new voters and to place in the hand of our youth the baton of leadership and opportunity."

For further information, go to

www.bhamheritagefestival.com or

www.hiphopsummitactionnetwork.org.