Mos Def, Brother Ali Are ‘Takin’ It to the Streets’ in Chicago

On June 19, Mos Def, Brother Ali and the Rock Steady Crew will gather with 97 other artists over four stages at the free 'Takin' It to the Streets' music festival in Chicago. The one-day festival, which is being produced by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), has a goal of exploring how social change can be produced through artistic expression, creativity and spirituality.

The festival will go down at Chicago's Marquette Park between 9AM and 9PM. The Hip-Hop Pavilion, where Brother Ali will headline, will feature performances and workshops in MCing, DJing, break dancing and graffiti-related art. Mos Def is all set to headline the event's main stage at 7:45PM.

For those outside of the Chicago area, a special mixtape is coming soon that previews acts on the festival bill and includes some exclusive tracks. Brother Ali had an open call for producers and chose fellow Minnesotan Medium Zach as his go-to man. The duo came up with 'Don't Look at Me, Look Around' -- a Dr. Dre-influenced song that Ali rides with some of his trademark socially awakened rapping.

You can download the Brother Ali track here and check out the 'Takin' It to the Streets' website for more information.