If there’s one thing everyone in Hip Hop — and, in music in general — can agree on, it’s that Ja Rule’s business savvy is pure, unmitigated garbage.
Nearly two months after both a Netflix and a Hulu documentary exposed the rise and fall of the aborted Fyre Festival, the “It’s Murda” rapper announced that he’ll be launching a Fyre Festival 2.0.
Tempting as it may be to get your life savings together for the ICONN Festival, there are in fact at least five other festivals that support real Hip Hop and don’t have 50 Cent’s arch-nemesis getting mixxy with it all. Best of all, if you choose to attend all five of these festivals, the cost of doing so — including airfare, ground transportation, and food that consists of more than a struggle grilled-cheese sandwich — will cost you much less than one night of the Fyre Festival.
Fortress Festival
April 27th-28th, 2019
WHO: Leon Bridges, Chvrches, Rae Sremmurd, Khruangbin, Tinashe, Bobby Sessions
WHERE: Fort Worth, TX
WHAT: Returning for its third year to the internationally-renowned Cultural District of Fort Worth, Texas, the Fortress Festival features an incredible music lineup featuring internationally acclaimed headliners alongside some of today’s hottest up-and-coming music acts, as well as a variety of local artists and boundary-testing musical pioneers.
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Lightning In A Bottle Festival
May 8-13, 2019
WHO: Santigold, DJ Koze, Gramatik, plus an assortment of alternative rock and world music acts.
WHERE: Buena Vista Lake, CA
WHAT: LiB blends music, art, wellness, and sustainability. The all-ages event boasts a 5K race, yoga and meditation workshops, awe-inspiring stages, a soapbox derby, nightly shows put on by fire performers, a giant 70-foot long skee-ball court, and a whole lake to swim in, complete with aquatic art installations.
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HARD Summer Music Festival
August 3rd-4th, 2019
WHO: Marshmello, Travis Scott, Diplo b2b Dillon Francis, Zeds Dead b2b Jauz, Yellow Mustard (DJ Mustard b2b Yellow Claw), Louis The Child, Virtual Self (2018). This year’s lineup: TBD.
WHERE: Fontana, CA
WHAT: Taking place at Fontana at the Speedway, a new and improved layout alongside a stellar star-studded lineup ensures this HARD Summer is going to be one for the books. HARD has consistently brought some of the most groundbreaking and forward thinking lineups in the Southern California region, and this year, they’re coming correct with a who’s who in Hip Hop and dance/electronica.
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The X-Games Minneapolis
August 1-4, 2019
WHO: Wu-Tang Clan, Diplo, plus an assortment of alternative rock acts like Incubus & The Blind Shake.
WHERE: Minneapolis, MN
WHAT: X Games brings a festival experience like no other, fusing the global pinnacle of action sports competition with industry-leading live, urban and electronic Skateboard, BMX and Moto X competitions and access to X Fest at U.S. Bank Stadium, coupled with Skateboard and BMX Vert events and live musical performances at The Armory.
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Dreamville Festival
April 6, 2019
WHO: J. Cole, who personally curates the list of rising Hip Hop performers.
WHERE: Raleigh, NC
WHAT: Dreamville Festival will be the first event of its kind for the region, offering attendees a thoughtfully curated mix of performers selected by J. Cole himself, blending together some of today’s most sought-after national acts and exciting up-and-comers. Although the full lineup has yet to be released, Dreamville Festival can confirm it will welcome its curator, J. Cole, to headline and close out the first-year fest.
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