From Ethiopia to Albuquerque, Mike Ellison is educating college kids about the harmful effects of smoking, and he has gotten lots of support from other artists and fans, he said.
Ellison, aka Mike-E, has teamed up with the American Cancer Society and UNM's chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity to continue the AfroFlow tour at 6 p.m. today in the SUB Ballroom.
Ellison said his musical experience coming from Ethiopia has shaped his ideologies and that he has applied them to his musical career.
"I was born in Ethiopia, and then a lot of my family is from New York, so I was exposed to hip-hop at a young age, and I was like a lot of country kids trying to do something but not very authentically," Ellison said. "Then I got involved as far back as I can remember in poetry and spoken word and public speaking."
Ellison graduated from the University of Virginia and pursued a few jobs in public relations and marketing.
"I always had this creative itch that I never scratched, so I kind of just delved back into it," Ellison said. "What really helped me in Detroit was spoken word, and there was a very well-known spot called Captain Mahogany. And that was when I kind of started waking up out of my creative coma."
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Ellison teamed up with the American Cancer Society two years ago and has expanded the tour each year.
"The first year, we did it for only five weeks, and it was primarily schools that were historically black colleges and universities," Ellison said. "So we all felt that is should be much more broad and inclusive. And so then the next year we hit up a few more colleges, and we did a Relay for Life event, some club dates, and we played some churches."
Ellison said the American Cancer Society offers a 24-hour hotline at 800-227-2345.
"This is a tremendous resource - 24 hours a day you can call and get counseling whether it be medical-based, or emotional," Ellison said. "It is (in) several languages, and literally you can call any time of day, even three in the morning."
Ellison said AfroFlow is more of an ideology than a band and a tour.
"AfroFlow is a way for us to create a whole different platform," Ellison said. "If anything, AfroFlow should open more audiences up and make people want to flow with us because it is very interactive."
Ellison said hip-hop is an ever-changing movement and that the AfroFlow tour is just one extension.
"Who am I to tell you which song gets you through your day?" Ellison said. "We're not cultural snobs in thinking what we do is some personal highbrow. It's just what we do. There are certain things I'm not going to do and certain things I'm not going to say, and that's just the way it is."
The AfroFlow tour also features Kenny Watson, DJ Invisible and percussionist Sowandé Keita. Ellison said having multiple talents on the tour helps diversify the music and entertain the crowd.
"Because I don't formally play a musical instrument, I have always had a profound respect for musicians," Ellison said. "I want to be surrounding myself with musicians and exposing people to that and bring a mix of stuff that I have been exposed to on the stage with hip-hop, spoken word and some of the culture from Ethiopia and West Africa to the African percussion you see with Sowandé Keita."
AfroFlow Tour
Today, 6 p.m.
SUB Ballroom
$3 in advance/$5 at the door
