Time has passed since the devastating earthquake that rocked a small nation and captured the hearts of America - but time has not forgotten the people of Haiti. At risk of repeating myself, the Presidential Palace left in ruins has been chiseled into my mind as a haunting representation of the destruction that was wrought upon the Haitians that fateful Tuesday afternoon. If the single most powerful effigy of a nation is reduced to rubble and debris, imagine the death, destruction, agony and pain that was inflicted upon the rest of the nation.
Haiti was in dire need and a small group of artists came forth to answer the call. Utilizing the power of social networks, Aja Monet and Ferrari Sheppard were able to hook up with the World Water Relief organization and put together one of the most impressive hip hop bills ever for this humanitarian cause. Marco Lopez of Black Market Caviar was generous enough to allow his store to be the hub of the operations, as well as providing T-Shirts and other printing services for the event.
With a lineup set and most details locked in, it didn't take long for a buzz to begin among social circles for weeks prior to the event. Despite any obstacles and internal disagreements that may have occurred - which is just the proverbial nature of the beast when trying to organize such a large scale event - while planning, all were overcome and the final product was one huge music event that will be spoken of for years to come.
We had the privilege of attending the Every Drop Counts benefit that brought out every single important hip hop artist in the city of Chicago for an evening of motivational speeches, cohesion, love and selflessness. The atmosphere was filled with inspiration and the performances truly did rock the sold out crowd at Reggie's Rock Club. Aja Monet was the most gracious of hostesses for the event, while Ferrari Sheppard ensured that the operations ran smoothly. Clayton Hauk of Everyone Is Famous captured the event best - check out the gallery.
We were given the opportunity to interview most of the local artists that performed and the general consensus seemed to be in unison across the board. There was no hesitation to put forth a helping hand for this cause and everyone's efforts paid off - this event raised close to $7,000 from ticket sales and auction items. And this monetary value was matched by the World Water Relief organization, enough to buy several water filtering systems that can reach out to thousands of people in need.
After all is said and done, however, the tragedy is still not over. There are still tens of thousands of Haitians without enough sustenance or even a shanty to call home for them and their families. Relief and aide is still needed. If you'd like to donate or volunteer or become a part of the movement, please visit Every Drop Counts website.
Check out the video, and watch it in it's entirety. A lot of passion and dedication went into organizing the event and we hope that this video does the benefit justice in capturing the essence of what went on and the feelings that were felt from all of those present.
Thank you Aja, thank you Ferrari and a special thanks to all those of you who supported and made this event such a huge success. Events like this show the world what Chicago is about and capable of. All it takes is one person to care enough, and the rest will follow.
Every Drop Counts from Chicago Music Project on Vimeo.
article written by: Israel Fernandez III (contact at ifernandez@chicagomusicproject.com)
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