PlayStation®2 Teams With Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network to 'Race to the Polls' Along With Performances From Hip-Hop's Elite

Continuing its effort to empower young voters, PlayStation®2 joins forces with Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) for "Race to the Polls," an exclusive event designed to help encourage young voters to participate in the upcoming presidential election. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or Circle, the pool of potential voters includes more than 40 million Americans ages 18-29. With voter participation among this younger demographic reaching an all-time low during the election in 2000, "Race to the Polls" hopes to reignite today's youth and improve voter turn-out on November 2.

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"Race to the Polls" will ride into New York City's Manhattan Center Studios Hammerstein Ballroom on October 14, where a limited crowd of 2,000 young people will get the chance to see exclusive performances by Disturbing the Peace featuring Ludacris, Public Enemy, and Mase, and appearances from Russell Simmons and more. Tickets are available for $20.04 at www.hot97.com, www.hsan.org or by calling Ticketmaster at 212-307-7171.

"We've registered hundreds of thousands of young people over the past year, but we aren't stopping there," said HSAN Chairman Russell Simmons. "The most American thing you can do is vote. This special event is about reminding young people to make an effort to educate themselves on who they want their next leader to be and go to the polls this November."

"Our year-long partnership with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network has given us an opportunity to touch our coveted fan base in new ways, while encouraging voter education and participation in the process," said Molly Smith, director, public relations, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "With the 'Race to the Polls' event, our goal is to help HSAN create a forum to encourage young America to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election."

Voting apathy among young people is expected to be reversed this year as shown by the PlayStation®2 Pulse, a survey conducted during recent HSAN Summits in Detroit, Columbus, New Orleans, Boston, and St. Louis. The survey found that 95 percent of respondents plan to head to the polls this November to voice their opinions.

Further unifying hip-hop and interactive entertainment with the distinct opportunity to connect with today's young voters, PlayStation 2 will also host a celebrity gaming tournament on the ultimate driving simulator, Gran Turismo®4, scheduled for release in December exclusively on PlayStation 2. The all-star roster, including artists and celebrities such as Lil' Kim, Adrian Grenier, Anne Hathaway, Ludacris, Rev. Run, Russell Simmons, Foxy Brown and more, will compete on the more than 650 licensed vehicles representing over 80 manufacturers and race on up to 100 race tracks in the next extension of the multi-million unit PlayStation 2 franchise. "Race to the Polls" PlayStation 2 gaming tournament will reinforce the belief that -- whether gaming or at the polls -- may the best person win.

Through the support of PlayStation 2, today's hottest hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders and education advocates aimed at involving the hip-hop generation in issues such as voter education, youth leadership and economic advancement, HSAN has reached more than two million young people over the past 12 months and registered hundreds of thousands of new voters. Proceeds from the concert and the celebrity gaming tournament will benefit HSAN.

About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network

HSAN is a non-profit, non-partisan national coalition of artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and youth leaders united in the belief that the "hip-hop" phenomena is an enormously influential agent for social change which must be responsibly and pro-actively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.

For more information on the local summits and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network efforts, go to www.hsan.org.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one™ game console, and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.

Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com/ .

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SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

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Web site: http://www.hsan.org/

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