The tour features original Okayplayers The Roots, Rah Digga, Dead Prez, Talib Kwelik, Jaguar, Bhamadia and Jazzyfatnastees on all dates.

The collective known as the Roots hasn’t had the huge commercial recording success of some of their counterparts in the world of hip-hop, but the group of Philadelphia artists has had its impact.

The Roots had a big year in 1999, releasing two albums including their biggest-seller to date, Things Fall Apart, as well as The Roots Come Alive.

Rah Digga is quickly becoming a household name in hip-hop, not just because she’s a rare woman MC, but for her positive messages to women and her social activism. The Busta Rhymes protégé has a strong debut with Dirty Harriet – a homage not to Dirty Harry movies but to Harriet Tubman.

There’s a message in Dead Prez’s music, too. They’ve been referred to as the most political group since Public Enemy, and that may not be idle boasting.

The latest controversy for Dead Prez was sparked by their video for “They Schools,” a scathing commentary on the state of the U.S. public school system. One scene in the clip shows high school students with nooses around their necks.

Dead Prez spent August in Cuba performing at the Black August benefit concert, which raised money for creation of a music library and studio for hip-hop performers in Havana. The group has also backed educational campaigns for U.S. prison inmates and others in exile.