What Is
Multiple
Myeloma?
Before you can fight something, you have to understand it. Here's what myeloma actually is — no medical degree required.
Learn More at an EventStart With Your Blood
Your blood does more than just flow through your body — it protects you. Inside your blood are special cells called plasma cells. Their job is to produce antibodies that fight off infections and keep you healthy. Think of plasma cells as your body's defense team.
When Those Cells Go Wrong
In multiple myeloma, some plasma cells mutate — they go rogue. Instead of protecting you, they start multiplying out of control, crowding out healthy blood cells and flooding your body with an abnormal protein that damages your organs. Those rogue cells live in your bone marrow — the soft, spongy center of your bones — and they slowly take over.
What It Does to Your Body
Because myeloma attacks from the inside of your bones, it can cause a range of problems that often get mistaken for everyday aging or other conditions — which is exactly why it goes undetected for so long, especially in our communities.
There Is No Cure — But There Is Hope
Multiple myeloma currently has no cure. But the good news? Treatment has come a long way. With early detection, people are living longer, fuller lives. Therapies like chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and targeted drugs can slow the disease significantly — especially when it's caught early. The earlier the conversation starts, the better the outcome.
Why Our Community Needs to Know This
Multiple myeloma is the most common blood cancer in Black Americans — and Black people develop it at more than twice the rate of white Americans, often 5 to 10 years younger. But because symptoms can be subtle and easy to dismiss, too many people don't find out until the disease has already progressed. Knowledge is the first treatment.
The Culture Demands Better
Mic Check Myeloma: We Care for the Culture is a Take It Personal Campaign activation that brings together Hip-Hop culture, trusted medical expertise, real patient voices, and community conversation to raise multiple myeloma awareness, encourage earlier detection, and strengthen engagement in care.
Each stop is an immersive four-hour experience featuring a networking reception, live DJ, food, community vendors, a 90-minute moderated panel discussion, and a post-program meet-and-greet with panelists and partners — developed in partnership with the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).
Coming to
Your City
A 4-Hour Experience
Built for the Culture
Every event is carefully designed as three connected moments — community, conversation, and connection. With live music, vendors, food, and real dialogue, this is health like you've never experienced it.
The Panel Lineup
A concert lineup. A movement roster. A purpose-driven cypher. Six voices — each with a role, a lane, and a reason to be in this room.
Take It Personal
Mic Check Myeloma is part of our broader "Take It Personal" national campaign — a movement that reframes health as something we must all take ownership of, especially in communities where disparities continue to persist.
Because health isn't just clinical. It's cultural. It's personal. And it starts with knowing the signs.
Join the MovementKnow the Signs of Myeloma
- Persistent bone pain, especially in the back or ribs
- Unexplained and extreme fatigue or weakness
- Frequent infections or a weakened immune system
- Sudden or unexpected weight loss
- Numbness or weakness in the legs
- Frequent urination or excessive thirst
- Nausea, constipation, or loss of appetite
- Family history of blood cancers
If you or someone you love is experiencing these symptoms, speak to a healthcare provider. Early detection can make a life-changing difference.
We are proud to have Johnson & Johnson as our Platinum Presenting Sponsor — a global leader in health innovation committed to improving access to care across communities. Through That's My Word™, J&J brings together community leaders, patient advocates and health organizations with a shared mission: to authentically address the barriers patients face in multiple myeloma care and help ensure no one is left behind.
Bristol Myers Squibb is a proud Gold Sponsor of Mic Check Myeloma — a global biopharmaceutical company whose commitment to multiple myeloma research and patient care makes them a natural and vital partner in our mission. Through Standing in the GaaP, BMS has spent over a decade focused on advancing multiple myeloma awareness, education, and access to care — reaching more than 5,000 attendees, building a community of nearly 60,000, and continuing to expand their reach to patients and care partners nationwide.
Blood Cancer United is a proud Silver Partner of Mic Check Myeloma — uniting patients, advocates, and communities to accelerate access to education, resources, and care for those impacted by blood cancers. Their Myeloma Link program was created to increase access to myeloma education and treatment — operating across cities nationwide to raise awareness, connect patients to resources, and build the relationships that make better care possible for all.
Interested in supporting Mic Check Myeloma?
Become a Sponsor
Reserve Your
Spot
This is a free community event. Register to receive updates for your city, be first to know when dates drop, and be part of a movement that's changing the culture around health.
Your info is never shared or sold. We'll only contact you about tour updates.
City
Join us for an unforgettable evening blending hip-hop culture, trusted medical expertise, and real community conversation — all in service of raising awareness around multiple myeloma.
Local Panel Voices
Community Partners
Local community partners for this stop will be announced soon.
Register for This Stop
Your info is never shared or sold. We'll only contact you about tour updates.