Ashong

Ashong, or DNA as he is sometimes known, is literally the voice of a new generation. Whether it is heard in the eloquent expression of his thoughts on Barack Obama (as seen in one of the most downloaded videos of 2008 on YouTube), in his music (as the lead for the band Soulfege), in his lyrics (he won Billboard Magazine's 2007 World Song Writing Competition) or in his acting ability (in Steven Spielberg's Amistad), the 33-year-old Harvard educated talent has found a myriad of ways to inspire, engage, and activate young people with positive messages for social change.

Ashong has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics. He is the founder of Take Back the Mic, a youth‐centered cultural movement that empowers young people by using niche and viral marketing to bring music and other media to a global market.

Ashong has lived in such diverse locations as Brooklyn, New York, Voorhees, New Jersey and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trained as a classical pianist, he is also a self taught guitarist, a natural performer, songwriter, poet, and has been involved in theater.

Ashong’s recent breakthrough occurred on two parallel fronts. First, he authored the Soulfege emerging hit "From the Soul," which won Billboard Magazine's 2007 World Song Writing Competition. He was also interviewed on his political views outside a rally for Barack Obama in Los Angeles which quickly became one of the most popular clips on YouTube, with over one million views since its release. That combination led to an opinion piece in The New York Times, an article on CNN.com, and positive reviews of the Soulfege in Vanity Fair.

Ashong has lectured at colleges, corporations and governments, including recent high profile talks at the London School of Economics, King's College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, DC, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Deepak Chopra's "Alliance For A New Humanity" Conference, Global Confectionary Giant Cadbury Adams' annual corporate conference and before UK Parliament on the subject of "The Obama Generation." He is a member of the internationally recognized Next Generation Leadership Forum and a board member of the Interra Project, a social enterprise focused on consumer finance launched by Visa International founder Dee Hock, Odwalla Juices founder Greg Steltenpohl and Oasis Entertainment, a non-profit media and event production company that supports communities in need.