Jay-Z, Diddy, Mary J. Blige and Russell Simmons appeared at a rally for presidential candidate Barack Obama in South Florida on Sunday (Nov. 2) to encourage residents of the swing state to vote.

"It's bigger than us," said Diddy to the crowd of 800 at Florida Memorial University's Chester Robinson Athletic Center. "We have to do it for our children, we have to do it for the people that died for us to have the right to vote."

Also in line was music executive Kevin Liles.  "We stood in line to get the new Lil' Wayne CD," Liles said. "We stood in line to get a new pair of Jordans. We stood in line to get in here. So we ain't afraid of no lines."

The artists didn't perform, instead using time to raise support for Obama. A DJ played for the crowd, and gospel choirs and college step teams performed as well.

 "We have been doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result," said Mary J. Blige. "Please do something different. Barack Obama is a true example of something different. He's a true example of something our children can have in the future, what they can look at and say: 'Wow, we can really, really do something. We can really, really be something.'"

"I think we just really reinforced what they already knew," said Jay-Z following the event. "It energized them."