NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Oakland, CA native Sway Calloway returns to
his roots on October 18 for the first
ever 'Sway Fest 2019,' which will bring together celebrities, local
leaders and special guests in a celebration of hip-hop, community
and culture, to be broadcast on SiriusXM. The four-hour
special will air live from the streets of Oakland, outside Pandora headquarters,
beginning at 9am PT on
SiriusXM's Sway in the Morning on Eminem's Shade
45 (ch. 45).
Calloway's celebrity friends, performers, local activists and
community leaders will gather on Franklin Street between
21st and 22nd streets from
9am PT to 1pm PT in Oakland for performances and conversations on
music, arts and the Oakland
community. This Sway-hosted block party is also a way for our
Oakland-based SiriusXM and Pandora
employees to celebrate the combining of SiriusXM and
Pandora.
In advance of 'Sway Fest 2019,' Sway will unveil his own
Pandora Story, offering his
commentary to a playlist of tracks that shaped him while growing up
in Oakland and beyond. While
SiriusXM subscribers can tune in live the day of the event, local
residents are encouraged to attend this free event to hear live
music, meet community and business leaders as they weigh in on
important community issues, and celebrate music and culture.
"Sway Fest 2019' is a celebration of an amazing community of
people that make up the Bay Area," said Calloway. "I'm looking
forward to returning to my hometown and shedding a light on the
diversity, culture, uniqueness and magic that makes Oakland an amazing place."
"Sway Calloway has been an integral part of the rise of
SiriusXM over the years," said Scott
Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer,
SiriusXM. "We want to celebrate Sway's national
accomplishments in Oakland, a
place he has so much passion for, and which also serves as the home
base of Pandora, which is now fully integrated with
SiriusXM."
Calloway has been a part of the SiriusXM family since 2011 as
the host of Eminem's Shade 45 channel's daily morning
show, Sway in the Morning from 8am to 12pm ET and has recently added additional
duties with Pandora as the voice on selected channels and
podcasts.
Calloway also hand-picked local organizations to shine a
spotlight on during Sway Fest 2019: Kongo SQ West Kinship Society
and the Choose College Educational Foundation. Each organization
will be represented on-site to spread awareness and educate
attendees on their cause.
Kongo SQ West Kinship Society provides distinct services of
impact in campaign relief advancement and social
entrepreneurship. Serving primarily the Bay Area,
California with extensions to
New Orleans, the Caribbean, and the Congo, the organization harvests the natural
resources of its communities through strategic partnerships. As a
respected cultural arts leader, Kongo SQ West remains dedicated to
establishing a legacy of well-being and nourishment of communal
artists of shared kinship works.
The Choose College Educational Foundation works to foster a
vibrant, college-going culture among underserved communities with
youth programming, grassroots outreach efforts and a robust
commitment to connecting families with college resources and
information. Learn more about these organizations below.
SiriusXM and Pandora listeners will have the opportunity to
enter for the chance to win a trip for two to Oakland, CA, including airfare, hotel stay,
and a pair of tickets to SiriusXM and Pandora Present Sway
Fest. See Official Rules for complete details
at siriusxm.com/SwayFest. For more information on 'Sway
Fest 2019' visit SiriusXM.com.
'Sway Fest 2019' marks a meaningful homecoming for Calloway as
it serves as an opportunity for him to give back to his beloved
community by bringing awareness to causes, culture and music that
have helped to shape him personally and professionally.
Calloway began to hone his craft as an emcee and radio personality
with his partner, King Tech, at KMEL-FM with their
show, The World Famous Wake Up, that provided a
platform for a host of hip-hop artists from all over the country,
including, Tupac, the Hieroglyphics, Biggie
Smalls, E40 and Eminem to name a few. The duo
continued to make history by producing albums distributed through
Interscope Records entitled This or That, which
featured artists such as Eminem, KRS-One, TecN9NE and RZA from
Wu-Tang Clan. Calloway also
gained global fame as an integral member of MTV News, covering
politics and music. He remains a key correspondent and has
been a part of initiatives, interviewing various political leaders
that include President Barack Obama,
President Bill Clinton, former
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton,
Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney. His music endeavors at MTV
included TRL's All Eyes series, which featured top
artists like Kanye West and
50 Cent, MTV News Now's Jay-Z
vs. Nas: Beats, Battles & Beef, MTV News Presents:
After the Storm, RapFix Live, and The Hottest MC's
List. He is also a part of the network's annual live
events: MTV Video Music Awards, MTV European
Awards and their Grammy pre-show. He currently
serves as an Executive Producer and Host of TRL-AM. Calloway
continues to participate in various panels and discussions, hosting
and moderating on important issues like hate crimes, racism and
education, and plays a major role with Viacom's Get
Schooled program, which reaches students across the
country to encourage them to graduate. He is also the Chief
Navigator for his site, SwaysUniverse.com which features celebrity
interviews, music, entertainment and health news.
About Kongo SQ West Kinship Society
Answering a call
to service from the Gulf Coast Hurricanes, in 2005 Kongo SQ
West Kinship Society was erected in in Oakland California,
with a mission that serves to build bridges, restore networks and
bind cultural ties. A respected leader of Cultural Arts partnered
initiatives, the vitality of the Society's works generate
campaign relief advancement initiatives, while creating dynamic
philanthropic ventures of direct impact. Anchored by the
visionary, Field Leaders, Community Service Agents, and
Professional Technical Artists, Kongo SQ West sustains a seasoned
working kinship of exchange that continues to fuel its mission,
with extended service to New
Orleans, Caribbean, and the
Congo. Programs of services include Communal Healing
through the Arts, Donor Procurement services and Good Service
Agent recruitment. Motto: "...of good works and
prosperity." web: www.kongosqwest.com
About Choose College Educational Foundation
Founded
in 2005, the Choose College Educational Foundation, Inc® (Choose
College®) promotes the benefits of pursuing higher education beyond
high school. Choose College® knows that all students have the
ability to succeed academically and pursue post-secondary education
if provided with resources, information, guidance, and support—it's
their mission to make that happen. Choose College® spearheads a
number of cultural and academic enrichment programs for Bay Area
youth, including the Youth Cultural Ambassador Program (YCAP) and
STEM Strategies to Empower and Prepare Students for Success (STEM
STEPS for Success). Learn more and donate today at
www.choosecollege4life.com .
About Pandora
Pandora, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is
the leading music and podcast discovery platform, providing a
uniquely-personalized listening experience to approximately 70
million users each month with its proprietary Music Genome Project
® and Podcast Genome Project ® technology - whether at home or on
the go - through its mobile app, the web, and integrations with
more than 2,000 connected products. As the largest streaming music
provider in the U.S., with an industry-leading digital audio
advertising platform, Pandora connects listeners with the music and
podcasts they love the most.
About SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI)
is the world's largest audio entertainment company, and the premier
programmer and platform for subscription- and advertising-supported
audio products. With the recent addition of Pandora, the largest
streaming music provider in the U.S., SiriusXM reaches more than
100 million people with its audio products. For more about the new
SiriusXM, please go to: SiriusXM.com.
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