His next all-star Pass the Mic Live!
event will take place in Las Vegas.
It definitely struck a chord we were not quite expecting.
DJ Cassidy at the DNCMyung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
But its still not possible to have a real sense of the impact something will have.
I never realized how important the roll call was.
The average person may not realize it.
Speeches dont have to happen.
But the roll callhasto happen.
Its the foundation of the convention.
It allows each states voice to be heard.
So it was a surreal feeling to see the Pass the Mic experience connected to the roll call.
It hit me differently than I thought it would.
It felt like it brought a new life to the process that people take for granted.
And the process is giving people a voice.
Thats a question for the producer.
But I think its a combination of things.
Its a combination of the campaign energizing the country in exciting ways and the countrys diversity.
What came next?We started producing the segment over a month before.
None of them were freestyle.
Everything was meticulously plotted.
Ive never done something like this.
So I had to determine how this would work.
I insisted to everyone from the beginning that this wouldnt be a one-man process.
I didnt want to curate a soundtrack in a vacuum based on my taste.
I insisted that every song having an actual connection to the state.
And that connection could be for a number of reasons.
Or the lyrics mention the state.
Or the song was an anthem.
Did they have a shared feeling?
Did they feel celebratory and hopeful and inspiring?
That was also my job.
I went into this knowing there are not going to be three Empire State of Minds for each state.
Nor should there have been.
That would have been boring.
Some should be like that and some should have more of an unexpected explanation.
I was very insistent it was a collaborative process.
And thematically the song makes a lot of sense.
[As for clearing the songs, Cassidys rep notes that the convention handled those logistics.]
I think you taught a lot of people thatChappell Roanis from Missouri by picking that song.Indeed!
On a very concrete level, I learned where every artist was from.
I would just Google artists old and new.
And some were curveballs like that one.
New artist and new song.
We really wanted the list to represent the diversity of the country and all songs and eras.
I believe the oldest song on the list was Sam Cookes Twistin the Night Away.
And there were songs from the last 12 months that were really important.
MISSOURIS DELEGATION PLAYED GOOD LUCK BABE FOR THEIR VOTE AT THE DNC!!!!
House of Pain arent from Wisconsin.
I dont believe Everlast mentions Wisconsin in the lyrics.
But the University of Wisconsins theme song is Jump Around.
That was one of the highlights of the night.
Other big moments for you?Playing the Chicago Bulls theme song [for Illinois] was my favorite.
First of all, we were in Chicago.
Were at the United Center, where the Bulls played.
It was so electrifying and impactful.
And it shouldnt, because its the most important part of the whole week.
The producers found a way to bring emotion to a typically emotionless process.
That was a perfect way to cap off the night for me.
