BUSTA RHYMES WINS RIGHT TO PERFORM TO VOLUNTEERS AT ORANGE ROCKCORPS GIG

London, 26th September: Rapper Busta Rhymes has won the right to perform to 5,000 volunteers at the Royal Albert Hall for the Orange RockCorps gig. He will join fellow Grammy award winning hip-hop star Ludacris, who organisers added yesterday.

The judge ruled that he would be able to honour his commitment to play to fans who have each given four hours of their time for charity in order to see him perform at the UK's first-ever Orange RockCorps gig. Fans didn't buy their tickets, they didn't win their tickets, they earned their tickets by taking part in a series of Orange RockCorps community projects this summer, clocking up 20,000 collective hours. Busta Rhymes was the first act to be announced for the Orange RockCorps show.

Following detention at London City Airport yesterday, Busta had been granted entry into the UK but denied the right to perform, despite the fact he had a valid work permit and has been in the country twice this year to perform gigs. The judges decision today means he can now play the gig.

Busta Rhymes will join fellow-Grammy winning hip-hop star Ludacris, who organisers added to the bill earlier this week — in addition to The Automatic, Lethal Bizzle, Guillemots, John Legend and Feeder at the Royal Albert Hall.

Stephen Greene, co-founder of RockCorps comments: “Busta is playing the Royal Albert Hall and together with the other acts the atmosphere both on-stage and in the crowd is going to be amazing. This is the perfect result for all the fans who've volunteered their time, for Busta, for us, and also for the government, who share many of our aims to connect young people with their local communities. Orange RockCorps achieves this through a love of music, and we can't wait to see all those volunteers at the event, along with Busta!”

Justin Billingsley, Brand Director for Orange UK adds: “Orange and RockCorps believe in the power of bringing people together, and this outcome reflects this. Over the summer, thousands of volunteers have made real and lasting differences to their communities. The gig is all about connecting people and celebrating the fact that together we can do more. Busta will join other brilliant artists and be a big part of a night to remember.”

Fifty Orange RockCorps volunteer projects in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff and Southampton have been conducted since July in collaboration with over 40 charities including Envision, CSV, Young Timebank and Hoxton Hall. All volunteers are encouraged to strike up a long-term relationship with these charities, without the lure of a gig ticket.

V, the most significant of the government-funded programmes to boost volunteering, set up by Gordon Brown in 2006, currently lists Orange RockCorps as ‘Opportunity of the Month'. The initiative is also endorsed by the Princes Trust and the GLA, and has the full support of Mayor Boris Johnson.

RockCorps has been running in the US for four years, collaborating with artists including Kanye West, Kelis, Panic at the Disco, Nas, Korn, and Nelly. More than 35,000 young people have participated in projects that have benefited their local communities, and over 35% of those participants have volunteered again within 12 months.

Busta Rhymes has supported RockCorps in the States since it began. He has played three shows in three cities and volunteered for 10 community projects.

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