Throughout the early ’00s, Littles garnered recognition for his hardened verses on tracks like Mobb Deep‘s “Nothing Like Home” and “Get Me.” This resulted in critically-touted singles like “Gun Love” and 2005’s Reloaded project. Now, almost three years after branching off from a management position with Mobb Deep, the Queensbridge artist and businessman has gotten political.
“I realized the importance of politics when I saw a poster of Barack Obama in my 12-year-old daughter’s bedroom. It used to be Chris Brown, Omarion or Beyonce, but these kids are caring about their future, and it dawned on me how important that is,” Littles told HipHopDX.com this afternoon. While the artist sees the potential within his home, Littles stressed the importance of bringing others awareness. “The system is designed so that urban people don’t care about voting, politics or their future. We want to change that. After all, this election has a woman and a person of color, that’s something that even Dr. Martin Luther King might not have [projected].”
On March 18, at Harlem’s Peter Norton Symphonyspace, Littles and New York City party-promoter Mook Diamonds‘ organization Laugh Now, Vote Later will be holding its first event. Comedians Rob Stapleton, Michael Blackson and Donnell Rawlings will be performing at the event, which according to Littles, will feature voter registration tables upon entrance and at intermission. Slick Rick, Greg Nice and Lil’ Mo will also be providing musical performances for the gala.
The “Laugh Your Pants Off Event” will be followed by Ball Now, Laugh Later in the coming months, a similar event themed to a celebrity basketball game. Littles revealed that events will be happening in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The artist said, “We’ve got events planned leading right up to November.”
Musically, the politically-minded Littles admits he’s on a bit of a hiatus. “You probably won’t hear from me until somebody makes something really creative. Rap, to me, is about competitiveness. There’s no competitiveness right now. I’m more interested in my community right now.”
For additional information, ticketing and press information, contact organizer and publicist Nakia Hicks at 347.423.2692.
HipHopDX will keep you posted of upcoming events.
