Beanie Sigel spent Election Day much like he spent the past several months, encouraging people to vote. One day after Vice President Kamala Harris held a major rally in his hometown of Philadelphia on November 4, “The Broad Street Bully” was at a local, community-based rally on November 5, ensuring people turned out to the ballot boxes. The former Roc-A-Fella Records cornerstone artist stumbled upon a new career in 2024.

With the encouragement of his close friend and cousin-in-law Marvin Bing—founder of the civic organization Mobilize Justice—Beanie and a slew of celebrity allies traveled to neighborhoods in cities like Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago to register citizens and encourage them to vote.

“Just to get out, knock on doors, canvassing from state to state in different cities, it was been good,” Beanie said. “I can't even explain the feeling. It’s not about money, it's just good to be able to touch the people. And the response I was getting from the people… I believe like this is my calling. I believe this is my calling to come out and do this type work.”

“Beans, his life, his story of overcoming the odds, being the underdog, his upbringing, everything in his music is real to the people in communities that we go talk to,” Bing explained. “They understand his story because it's their story. They understand that picture because that's the same painting outside their doors.”

“It’s always great to be back home,” NFL legend and Newport News, VA, native Michael Vick said during a break from canvassing on October 10 in West Philly. “I say home because it feels like home. It’s like being in Virginia. Some of my greatest memories in my life happened here in this town. From 2009 to 2013 and beyond, from my wife’s family being here, just everything. It’s always great to be here.”

Residents were pleasantly shocked to see the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and city hero ring their doorbells.

“Oh my God, it’s Michael Vick,” one lady screamed when she answered the door. “You are still so fine!”

The journey to educate people about the voting process and ultimately help them make informed decisions at the ballot box this year was especially meaningful to Vick, who had his voting rights revoked after going to jail for a 2007 felony case. However, thanks to Florida's Amendment 4, passed in 2018, Vick’s rights were restored.

“I know first-hand from having my [voter rights] revoked, what that meant to me,” Vick said. “It might not seem like a big deal to some people, to some people it is. To me it was. To get that restored was a big thing. And for Beanie, who represents the community to be out here [is a big deal].”

“The community was receptive,” he continued, describing his and Sigel’s interactions with the people. “It was a job well done.”

Over the summer, Bing’s Mobilize Justice partnered with other organizations like The AAPI Victory Fund, The Black Church PAC, and Working Families to launch the non-partisan “Vote Or Else” initiative. This initiative saw Sigel joining forces with prominent figures such as Killer Mike, Pusha T, Freeway, Jadakiss, The Marathon Brand’s Blacc Sam, and Jorge “JP” Peniche, as well as Alix Lapri, LaToya Tonodeo, Woody McClain, and Michael Rainey Jr. from “Power Book II: Ghost,” Jabari Banks from “Bel-Air,” Smoke DZA, Tamika Mallory, Mysonne, and the aforementioned Mike Vick. They engaged in canvassing and participated in Town Halls to discuss politics and community. Even NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson made appearances in a few cities to show his support.

“I feel like we started something that's going to pay short- and long-term dividends,” Bing said of his and his team’s efforts. “We made a statement that the people, the organizations, the political strategists, the campaign managers, the people who decide who gets money to talk to whom, the people who decide who gives money to whom. I think what we did was let our communities know and let all those people I mentioned know, that our communities, the ones that they like to throw away, do have a voice. Our communities are educated, opinionated, they are very astute to what's happening in the social, political conversations both nationally and locally.”

“We went and reignited a spirit, a hope, and a vision in our communities that are often neglected. The work we did, it wasn't about photo ops,” Bing continued. “We want to transcend minds, hearts, attitudes. We wanted to talk about people's pain, people's daily pressures in life. And people like Mike Vick, Beans, Nipsey’s brother Blacc Sam, they were able to articulate and connect on a deeper level than just a photo op in a campaign ride. This is deeper than politics. This was deeper than rap.”

Rap music, however, did provide a powerful message as part of the movement. Pastor Michael McBride of The Black Church PAC and Bing brainstormed and decided to put together an EP vocalizing the challenges in the neighborhoods. The result is an eight-song EP named Vote Or Else, released on November 1. It features Jadakiss’ son, Jaewon, and Busta Rhymes’ son, Trillian, on “Trouble You.” “Educate Yourself” pairs Styles P and Beanie Sigel, while Havoc produced and raps on “Another Chance,” alongside Bun B. The lead track, “Still Here,” gathers master MCs Jay Electronica, Freeway, Black Thought, and Benny the Butcher.

“That was dope,” Benny said after the “Vote Or Else” town hall in Atlanta on October 25. “I never got to work with Jay Electronica before. I was excited to get on a record with him. And the cause. This project was for a cause. That made it extra special. If you’re a rapper like me, we get on these tracks and talk about the street life, so people don’t always get to hear us speak in these [political] spaces. I think that’s important too. For people to see us in the environment.”

The “Vote Or Else” Town Halls featured spirited dialogue among figures from hip-hop, social activism, professional sports, and Hollywood. Media personalities like Ray Daniels, Angie Martinez, and Wayno hosted these gatherings, creating a space for everyone to learn from each other.

“I’m so far into art, I don’t know what’s going on in the world,” Woody McClain admitted in ATL at the Town Hall. “I’m gonna do better and try to educate myself. I’m always DMing Killer Mike, thanking him for the info. I’ve been watching Dee-1 do his thing. I’m just here to learn so I can go back and tell people that’s like me, that don’t understand, why it’s important to get out and vote.”

“It was a blessing, a learning experience being around all these great minds and hearing everybody’s different opinions,” Benny added. “I was on the panel and speaking, but learned a lot. I’m gonna take this home and inform my family and my neighbors. We need to make our neighborhoods more cohesive. It definitely starts at the polls and at your own kitchen table.”

“A lot of times we don’t know what we can do,” Killer Mike says. “We need to use our entertainers and athletes in the same way Jim Brown allowed his platform to be used when he helped so many brothers that had got involved with gangs and violence and drugs. He gave them an opportunity to change their lives.”

A major concern for those who voted against Donald Trump is the looming Project 2025—a 900-page proposal of agendas and policies for the Trump administration, written by the right-wing Heritage Foundation. The strict anti-abortion, immigration, and education initiatives—among other agendas outlined in Project 2025—have left many horrified.

Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party, has spearheaded “The Push Back: Project 2025,” which has gained support from celebrities such as Killer Mike, 2 Chainz, Wyclef Jean, Meagan Goode, Kandi Burress, YG, Fabolous, Teyana Taylor, and Taraji P. Henson.

Henson spoke resoundingly at the BET Awards this summer, denouncing Project 2025.

“The red flags went up for me when I tried to engage people in conversation about Project 2025 and everybody was clueless,” Henson says about what compelled her to speak out at the BET Awards. “I just had to say something. The entire thing is taking us backwards. I don’t need to read 900 pages of B.S. of y’all trying to take us back to the 1800s. They’re using the law to take away our freedom y’all. It’s very serious.”

Mitchell says it’s time for people to unify more than ever now that Kamala Harris has officially lost the Presidential election.

“Tuesday didn’t land ultimately with the conclusion that we wanted,” he said on Friday (Nov. 7) afternoon. “But I’m an organizer, so I’m back on my feet and looking forward. We understood what a great threat Project 2025 laid for our people; for working class people, for Black people in particular. We knew we had to raise the alarm. We understood that whatever the outcome of the election, Project 2025 as an agenda, would seek to be expressed. We needed to make sure that everyday working class Black folks understood what it means and how we could prepare to stop it. Stopping it electorally in the federal election was just job number one. We have to organize now that the election is over and understand the power of culture.”

Mitchell also noted that he was “disturbed” to see an underswell of Black people siding with Project 2025. He counteracted that with outreach to celebrities aligned with “The Push Back.”

“When people ask me what comes next now that the election went the way it went, I say we have to organize and we have to go on the offensive. Because people like Trump and MAGA and the Project 2025 crew, what they want is for us to cower. They want us to go home. They want to be able to run the board with their policies. The election may have not gone the way we wanted it to go, but we still need to stand on business. Even more so now that Project 2025 is going to be a reality in the federal government. We need to prepare our folks to be ready. Be ready to push back.”

“You gotta keep going,” platinum Brooklyn MC and multi-media personality Maino advises. He, too, has joined operation “Push Back: Project 2025.” “Don’t lose hope. Honestly speaking, I felt like Trump was gonna win. I wasn’t as hung up on it as other people were. I just knew that it was gonna be his show again. But you gotta keep believing and keep fighting.”

Shaheem Reid is a veteran journalist and influential figure in the hip-hop industry, with a career spanning over two decades. He's written for MTV, Vibe, Variety, XXL and co-authored Fat Joe’s memoir, The Book of Jose. Reid serves as the president of Busta Rhymes' Conglomerate record label and, in 2021, launched Polaris—the first Black-owned, ad-free streaming platform.