1-Call a local neighborhood youth center and volunteer your time. Offer to come in one afternoon or one evening to speak to the youth about a particular subject. Maybe it could be a group of you who come in to speak to cats about anything ranging from how to make money to how make it in life etc. Once a month is not much to ask but could make a major difference in their lives.

If you really wanna step it up offer to sponsor some kids to an event. For example, in NY they are gearing up for their annual Hip Hop Theater Festival [ www.hiphoptheaterfest.com ] It will last for ten days June 18th-June 29th and tickets range from 10 to 20 bucks. 200 bucks can send a bunch of kids to see one of the stellar performances being offered up. A group of you who pool your money can really do some good by exposing young cats to another side of Hip Hop.

2-If you're an artist or dancer or deejay offer to do a free performance at that youth center. This is especially for those who feel like Hip Hop is headed in a wrong direction. If you feel there's too much P-Diddy and not enough underground stuff, offer to do a free show for the youth. Lets keep it real, there's more than a few of you who can actually use the practice getting your stage show together. Come in do 2 or 3 songs and then sit around and talk with the kids about what your doing in Hip Hop.

When I started deejaying I used to do free parties for local youth centers so I could get some exposure. Bay Area rappers like Midnight Voices or Basbombing Sounds used to teach young cats how to rap. Currently organizations like Youth Speaks work with the schools to teach spoken word. The Rocksteady Crew has consistently taught b-boy classes as does long time b-girl Aioko out of San Jose. There's nothing preventing us from reaching out. It could be a win win situation. You get to practice and the exposure and they get the free show. More importantly you get to give back to the community.

The irony to this is that a lot of commercial Hip Hop stations do this all the time. Check around and you'd be surprised at how many are doing free lunch time school dances or sponsoring concerts. How many Hip Hop artists who hate the way things are going are willing to the same thing? It might be hard to get into a local schools because of liability issues but it should no problem to perform for a youth center.

3- Go to a local record store ask what the top 3 rap albums that are selling. Get some music that you think is banging. Get together with some neighborhood kids and listen to the albums together. Hold a discussion where you do a lyrical analysis and break down about the albums. Find out what they like and don't like. Listen to the new BG, Petey Pablo or Cam'ron joint and introduce them to the Mystik Journeymen, J-Live or Demigodz LP. Better yet pull out an old X-Clan album or an old PE or even an old Bambaataa album to play alongside the new Cam'ron and discuss the pros and cons of the music you all are listening to...

4-Borrow a page from the organizers of Hip Hop Speaks. Hold an open mic or emcee battle where folks have to rhyme on a certain topic. You could host an emcee battle or open mic at church and have cats rhyme about spirituality and God. Have them rap from the perspective of a Biblical character. Someone be Noah, Someone be Mary. Someone else be John the Baptist, etc.

You could host an open mic at a youth center and have the topic be about the War on Terrorism. Prior to the contest offer up some information so they can build upon the topics. Offer up some nice prizes like tickets to an upcoming concert or trip to an amusement park, etc. Be creative and let your imagination run wild.

5-Print out a list of positive Hip Hop albums and songs that people should be listening to... Get a group of people together and head on down to the local radio station and demand that they start adding this to their format. If you get rebuffed gather up some more people and hold your own 'shut'em down' rally.