MACY GRAY TO ROCK THE VOTE WITH BLACK-EYED PEAS

Rock The Vote will honor Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson and MTV Group's Judy McGrath with their 2001 Patrick Lippert Awards at L.A.'s House of Blues next Tuesday (2/20), the night before the Grammys.

The announcement was made by the org's founder, veteran record industry executive Jeff Ayeroff, who has been in seclusion since George Dubya took office.

Grammy nominees the Foo Fighters and Jill Scott will perform along with the Black-Eyed Peas, who will be joined by special guest Macy Gray to perform their hit single, "Request Line." The evening, hosted by singer-actor-model-MTV personality Tyrese, will be presented by MTV.

Santana will be honored for his long-time support in the fight of indigenous peoples as well as his work with the Milagro Foundation, co-founded in 1998 with his wife Deborah, which provides support for grassroots organizations working to enable vulnerable communities to succeed. Blige will be cited for her countless hours of community activism with such organizations as Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the Million Family March, the Christopher Wallace Foundation, the UN, the Special Olympics and M.A.C. AIDS Foundation.

Reverend Jesse Jackson will be presented the Rock the Nation Award for his work with the Rainbow Coalition, Operation Breadbasket and Operation PUSH, while McGrath will receive the 2001 Rock the Vote Founder's Award for her personal and professional commitment to Rock the Vote over the past 11 years. Since its formation in 1990, MTV has contributed over $10 million in on-air programming time and donations to Rock The Vote, a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and empowering young people to change their world. Previous honorees include Neil Young, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Bono, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Queen Latifah, Chuck D., Hootie & the Blowfish, Sheryl Crow, LL Cool J., Beastie Boys, Steve Young and Salt-N-Pepa.