According to a recent blog post by The Hollywood Reporter, Joe Biden’s presidential campaign has tapped Ludacris, Monica, Jermaine Dupri and Jeezy to record “Get Out The Vote” ads focusing on Black voters in battleground states.
“It is really really important to make sure people don’t sit at home,” Dupri tells The Hollywood Reporter. “There are a lot of people I know that are still on the fence about voting, period.”
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Dupri says he has been impressed by Joe Biden’s outreach to the Black community, recalling a meeting he took with the former vice president after the Democratic primary debate held at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.
“He really wants to hear what we have to say. He came to the meeting with a pad and a pencil. He didn’t come to the meeting acting like he’s the boss, or the president,” Dupri says.
The 60-second ads will run on radio and on digital in key battleground states.
“If you’ve been out marching in these streets, exercise your rights. You now need to exercise you right to vote,” Ludacris says in one of the ads.
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The campaign will also be expanding its “Shop Talk” discussion series, which aims to address the challenges facing Black men across America. Panelists have included Dupri, actor Terrence J and Don Cheadle, among others.
“If there wasn’t a pandemic in place, the campaign would be in barbershops across the country, we would be there in person, talking to people, touching people’s hands, and having this dialogue,” Terrence J tells THR, adding that the dialogues the campaign put together are the next best thing. “For me, these conversations are incredible.”
“Our campaign is focused on meeting voters where they are with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ message to build back better,” says the campaign’s director of strategic communications Kamau Marshall. “These events and new GOTV ads with various influencers reach a critical audience of Black voters that we’re hoping to turn out this election.”
