Corite Launches Fan-Powered Charity Initiative “Ohio Against Opioids” With Ohio-Based Rap Group, Raw Word Revival (RWR) 

“Ohio Against Opioids” pacing to raise $25,000+ to support Scioto County CASA

VISIT THE CORITE CAMPAIGN PAGE HERE TO SUPPORT

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR RWR’s DOCUSERIES HERE AND “BLIND EYE” PROMO VIDEO HERE

DECEMBER 2, 2021 - NEW YORK, NY - Corite, the fan-powered music platform that brings fans and artists together to achieve a common goal, has announced their latest music-powered charitable initiative, “Ohio Against Opioids.” Working with Ohio-based Rap group, “Raw Word Revival (RWR),” Corite has launched a fundraising campaign for the group’s song “Blind Eye” that will distribute proceeds from the song to Scioto County CASA. Scioto County CASA is a court-based agency that provides the services of Court Appointed Special Advocates to support and assist children who are victimized by their families’ opioid addictions. The campaign has already raised half of its $25,000 goal.

RWR’s “Blind Eye'' is a song about children who have become collateral damage as a result of the opioid crisis, and for whom the loss of loved ones to addiction has become heartbreakingly routine. Ohio is known to be one of the epicenters of America’s deadly and devastating opioid epidemic, with the COVID-19 pandemic fueling an even greater surge of overdoses in the state. The latest numbers released by the NCHS show a 26% increase in the number of drug-related overdoses in the state of Ohio in the last year.  

“Working with Corite to get our song ‘Blind Eye’ out to our fans while giving back to our community has been one of the greatest experiences of our career,” said RWR founder, Clint Askew. “The impact of opioids in Ohio extends beyond just the user, and we’re honored to be leading Corite’s ‘Ohio Against Opioids’ campaign to help kids in need.”

Caroline Taucher, Senior Project Manager at Corite, first discovered RWR in October 2020 after finding an online video of an interview that the group did with CBC News: “The National”. Corite was moved by RWR’s powerful, authentic voice and saw an opportunity to positively impact the Ohio community while also helping RWR put out new music. Using Corite’s unique fan-powered funding model and distribution channels, RWR was able to release a single that was the perfect track to lead their charitable anti-opioids campaign.

“Corite is honored to support ‘Ohio Against Opioids’. This campaign demonstrates the power of music to change the world for the good,” said Mattias Tengblad, CEO of Corite.  “I hope that fans of music in the U.S. and abroad listen to “Blind Eye” and decide to support the song, knowing that it will help the children who are innocent victims of the opioid curse.” 

L.A. Reid, Founder and Chairman of HITCO, Corite’s partner in the U.S. said, “As a native of Ohio, I’m delighted that HITCO can join with Corite in supporting this Ohio Against Opioids charitable musical initiative.” Sam Quinones, the celebrated author of Dreamland (2015), which mentions the devastating impact of opioids on the city of Portsmouth, and The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth (2021), is a committed and enthusiastic backer of RWR and its “Blind Eye” song. He said, “Clint Askew and his group are an inspiring example of local musical artists coming courageously to the aid of their community in distress.”

“Blind Eye” is the first song to be released as part of the larger “Ohio Against Opioids” fundraising campaign, which provides a dynamic platform for singers and songwriters from Ohio to have their music supported by Corite and HITCO in raising much-needed funds for the Scioto County CASA Program.  “Ohio has been hit very hard by the opioid epidemic, and we need all of the resources we can get right now. We’re thankful to have local artists using their platforms and their art to bring much needed awareness and funding to our work”, said Cortney Reiser, Director of Scioto County CASA.

“Blind Eye” was written and recorded by Raw Word Revival, and produced by the Swedish Grammy Award-winning Nils Svennem Lundberg, a/k/a Nisj. “Blind Eye” was first released on November 12, 2021, and will be supported by an upcoming audiovisual short-documentary series. The first episode of the series is directed by Clint Askew of RWR, Caroline Taucher of Corite, and acclaimed cinematographer and director, Kaapo Kamu and will be released on December 29th, 2021.

PRESS PHOTOS HERE

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Press Contacts: Brian Giglio / Rebecca Shapiro / Shore Fire Media

ABOUT CORITE

Corite lets artists turn fans into backers, supporting the artists’ vision, work and music. Whether it’s making a royalty advance, handling marketing campaigns, or finding new listeners, followers and collaborators, Corite is there for the artists every step of the way.

Corite decentralizes the traditional record deal model, affording independent artists financial and creative freedom, and direct engagement with their fans like never before. When fans and artists are sharing in the success of a project, the bond between them grows stronger. All people are experts in the music they love. All artists are born free. All great art comes from shattering norms and breaking old rules. Corite believes that the future of the music industry will be driven by fan power. Corite was founded by two music and media industry veterans, Mattias Tengblad and Emil Angervall.

ABOUT RAW WORD REVIVAL (RWR)

Raw Word Revival (RWR) was formed in 2011. The current members of the group include Clint Askew, Barry Munyon, Nick Mungle, Donricko Greene and Justin Lewis, all of whom have been with the group from the very beginning. In 2013, RWR released its first music video for the song “What The Hell You Know About That 740.” The video, directed by group member, Clint Askew, went viral in Ohio and is still the anthem for Portsmouth, the largest city in the 740 area code. RWR is well-known in Ohio for its strong musical voice and lyrics, which have raised the alarm on the harsh realities of life in the degraded, impoverished, drug-ridden and bypassed communities in America’s heartland. RWR speaks directly and honestly about the tragedies of families in the Portsmouth, Ohio area who have lost parents and grandparents to opioid addiction, and who are left on their own to care for younger siblings, or have to endure being separated from siblings and uprooted from one foster care facility to the next.

ABOUT SCIOTO COUNTY CASA

Scioto County CASA is a court-based agency within Scioto County Juvenile Court that provides the services of Court Appointed Special Advocates to local children who have experienced abuse or neglect in opioid-addicted households. Since its inception in 2017, Scioto County CASA has been expanding its effort to serve all the children entering foster care. Currently, there are over 30 CASA volunteers serving children in Scioto County, but, with over 300 children in foster care in the county, the program has a long way to go before it has the resources with which to assist all the kids in need. 

The mission of Scioto County CASA is to recruit, train, guide, monitor and maintain qualified volunteers to advocate for the best interest of children who are before the court as a result of abuse, neglect and/or dependency as defined by the state child welfare laws. CASA volunteers serve as an independent voice throughout the juvenile court proceedings, dedicated to finding the child(ren) a safe and permanent home.