Morrissey, Mos Def, Rodrigo y Gabriela Give Songs to Latino Census Cause

Posted on Feb 16th 2010 5:18AM by Barnaby Smith

Morrissey, Mos Def and Rodrigo y Gabriela are among the artists to contribute songs to the album 'Be Counted! Represent!,' a release designed to encourage higher levels of participation by Latinos in the 2010 US Census.

Morrissey's song is 'When I Last Spoke to Carol (Toy Selectah Mix),' and Mos Def's offering is 'No Hay Nada Mas,' with Rodrigo y Gabriela's being 'Hanuman.' The compilation is otherwise dominated by Latin artists, including Os Mutantes, Ozomatli, Pitbull and Aventura.

The idea is for members of Latino communities in the US to make a pledge to fill in a census form, and in return they can download the 25-track album for free.

Census Day in the USA is on Apr. 1, with the Vote Latino movement also releasing a mobile phone application as part of its drive for participation. Vote Latino is associated with America's long-established Rock the Vote initiative. More information on Vote Latino and the 'Be Counted! Represent!' album can be found at its Web site.