Music Maker Productions and the Student Association will host “Wrap the Vote”  from 8 to 10 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Mississippi State University Amphitheater. This event is free to the public, and it will emphasize the importance of voting one day prior to the midterm election, which takes place on Nov. 6.
According to junior Bailey Berry, publicity chair of Music Maker Productions, her organization and SA have worked on this event since the end of August to promote voting in the midterm.
Food trucks will be available starting around 7:30 p.m., and speakers will begin at 8 p.m. The headliner for the event is American rapper J.I.D. He will perform at 9 p.m.
“He is an Atlanta-based rapper, and he is under J. Cole’s label, ‘Dreamville,’” Berry said. “He’s been touring with J. Cole, and he was supposed to open for Mac Miller before Mac Miller passed away. He’s about to perform at Mac Miller’s tribute show. He’s supposed to be dropping his second album soon, so we are hoping he drops it before the show.”
Although J.I.D. is an upcoming artist, Berry believes his fame will skyrocket.
“People are saying he will be the next Kendrick Lamar,” Berry said.
The event’s name, Wrap the Vote, stems from an organization known as Rock the Vote; however, SA and Music Maker Productions put their own spin on the name.
“Rock the Vote is an organization that puts on events and concerts across the nation,” Berry said. “We were initially going to call it Rock the Vote, but we decided it would be misleading because its J.I.D. who is performing and is a rapper. We went ahead and said Wrap the Vote because it’s a play on words. Wrap, because it sounds like ‘rap,’ and then because we are wrapping up the election.”
With the midterm election right around the corner, senior Allie Nichols, who is Music Maker Productions’ student director, said the event will allow students to gather information about voting in the election.
“At the event, they can find information about the election process, how to get registered and where to find their polling location,” Nichols said.
Berry said she believes voting in any election is essential.
“We are the future of America, and the future is in our hands,” Berry said. “I think it is important that we get involved now. I know it is easy to think that your vote and your voice doesn’t matter because you are one in a million. In the grand scheme of things, you do matter.”
While this election is a major one, Nichols said students should get involved no matter the level of the election.
“I think voting in any election is super important,” Nichols said. “Mississippi has a lot of seats at the federal level on the ticket, which is notable, but we want to encourage students to be civically engaged no matter how big the election is.”
According to both Berry and Nichols, the event will be encouraging for students.
“The purpose of the event is to get people pumped about voting the next day, so I think it’s a cool way to engage with students about why their vote matters,” Nichols said. “J.I.D. is an incredible performer, so it will be a nice break for a Monday.”
The hope of both SA and Music Maker Productions is to get many students involved politically, and to let them know their votes count.