St. Louis Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment Set for August 20, 2005

St. Louis Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment Set for August 20, 2005

Nelly, Russell Simmons, Chingy, J-Kwon, Paul Wall, Tony Austin and Black Buddafly to Headline

NEW YORK, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's 2005 Financial Empowerment National Tour is set to roll into St. Louis on Saturday, August 20, 2005 at the America's Center. Doors open at 11 a.m. and tickets are available by going onto http://www.hsan.org/ or KATZ 100.3 The Beat, as well as the St. Louis Urban League and the NAACP.

The St. Louis Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment will be the fifth Summit of the tour, and is part of an unprecedented national campaign to raise awareness among millions of young adults 18-35 about the importance of financial literacy. For the first time, one of the world's leading financial institutions, Chrysler Financial, has partnered with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), the nation's largest non-profit hip-hop organization, to help young people build a solid financial future. Russell Simmons, Chairman of HSAN and William F. Jones, Jr., Vice President of Chrysler Financial have pledged to work together to coordinate this national campaign under the theme "Get Your Money Right."

The program agenda of the St. Louis Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment will include a focus on financial literacy, basic banking, repairing and understanding credit scores, asset and wealth management, auto financing, home ownership and entrepreneurship.

The title sponsor of the Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment Tour is Chrysler Financial. The presenting sponsor is Anheuser-Busch, Inc. The St. Louis media partner is KATZ 100.3 The Beat.

"This will be the second Summit in St. Louis hosted by Nelly," emphasized Simmons. "His leadership and dedication in helping to rid society of poverty and ignorance have been outstanding. We look forward to celebrating hip-hop in St. Louis, as well as giving invaluable information on how to 'get your money right.'"

"The Hip Hop Summit Action Network, with its pulse on youth culture, and access to millions of young people, is the right partner in our quest to help the next generation of Americans make smart decisions with their finances," said William F. Jones, Jr., Vice President - Chrysler Financial.

Johnny Furr, vice president, Sales Development and Community Affairs for Anheuser-Busch, Inc., said that "More than ever it is important that our youth realize that you can't achieve financial goals tomorrow that you don't begin planning for today." Furr said that the value of the Summits is that they "provide participants with information about key financial issues and opportunities that many haven't begun to think about, but should, in order to create and leave wealth that sustains families and communities."

"St. Louis is in the heartland of America, and has become a powerhouse in producing some of the world's greatest hip-hop artists," stated Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President/CEO of HSAN. "There is a hunger and a thirst for financial empowerment, and the St. Louis Hip-Hop Summit will enhance the opportunities of young people to fulfill their dreams and aspirations."

About DaimlerChrysler Services North America LLC

The company provides brand-specific financing for automotive dealers' inventories and their retail consumers and does business as Mercedes-Benz Credit and Chrysler Financial. As DaimlerChrysler Services Truck Finance it also finances commercial vehicles for affiliate products such as Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star. The company serves as the headquarters for operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America and Puerto Rico and has more than 5,800 employees who manage a portfolio of more than $95 billion with nearly five million contracts. DaimlerChrysler Services North America is a member of the DaimlerChrysler Financial Services group of companies. This group is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and operates in 39 countries with an employee base exceeding 10,800 and a global portfolio of approximately $139 billion. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services group is one of the leading financial services entities worldwide. For more information on DaimlerChrysler Services in the Americas visit http://www.daimlerchryslerservices.com/na .

About Anheuser-Busch

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American- owned and brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in Fortune magazine's 2005 "America's Most Admired Companies" and in the top 30 on Fortune's 2005 "Global Most Admired Companies" list. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world's largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com/ or http://www.africanamericanbud.com/ .

About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network

HSAN is a non-profit, non-partisan national coalition of artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and youth leaders united in the belief that the "hip-hop" phenomena is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and pro-actively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice. For more information on the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, go to http://www.hsan.org/ .

Source: Hip-Hop Summit Action Network

CONTACT: Ellen Zoe Golden of JLM PR, Inc., +1-212-431-5227,
ellenzoe@aol.com ; or Amber Paauwe of Chrysler Financial, +1-248-427-3126,
arp11@dcx.com

Web site: http://www.hsan.org/
http://www.daimlerchryslerservices.com/na
http://www.anheuser-busch.com/
http://www.africanamericanbud.com/

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