Renowned mindful rapper releases mesmerizing new tribute for Mahatma’s 145th birthday and International Day of Non-Violence
San Francisco, CA (October 2, 2012) – In what might be the most creative celebration of legendary peace activist Mahatma Gandhi’s 145th birthday today, MC Yogi has unveiled the new mix and music video for the fan-favorite song, “Be The Change.” The animated video chronicles Gandhi’s life, achievements and empowers viewers to act for justice without using violence.
Equal parts Indian raga and old school hip-hop, “Be The Change” is a labor of love spanning four years of creative collaboration between rapper MC Yogi, musical co-producers Robin Livingston and Niraj Chag and animator Michael Rosen of Samplistic Media. The first incarnation of “Be The Change” was released in anticipation of the 2008 presidential election. Four years later, the song and official video celebrate another crossroads for conscious leadership and peaceful action.
“We wanted to make a rich, cinematic pop-up book,” said MC Yogi. “Our vision is to make it easy for people to connect with Gandhi’s teachings and show how leaders from the Dalai Lama to Bob Marley have continued his path. We all have the opportunity to become peaceful warriors – if you follow your heart and act bold maybe one day it’ll be your story that’s told.”
While MC Yogi’s intention is to share Gandhi’s vision for all people to be the change that they wish to see in the world, the result is as infectious as it is educational. Unofficial fan-created “Be The Change” videos on YouTube have received nearly 300,000 views and the song is one of the top requests during live performances at large-scale venues such as Wanderlust Festival, the Boulder Theater and theFillmore.
MC Yogi’s latest album Pilgrimage debuted at number one on iTunes World Music charts on June 19th, 2012 and has since remained a top five download. MC Yogi also shares the lessons of yoga through beats,rhymes and life as an ambassador to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Initiative and an ambassador to the non-partisan political action initiative YogaVotes. As hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons says, “The world needs more artists like MC Yogi.”
The video also comes in observance of the United Nations’ International Day of Non-Violence, honoring how political and social change can come through tolerance and understanding.
For more information, visit http://mcyogi.com
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Please spell Gandhi’s name correctly in the title. Thanks!
Just found the blog and boy, do I have a lot of reading to do…love it!
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Hooray Positive vibrations at last
Very nice! Gandhi is really an inspiration to all of us and he’s life is a very good example of making a “change”. The song really describes how Gandhi has influenced change in our lives. So, salute to MC Yogi for this video, very well done.
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