Raleigh, NC

J. Cole’sDreamville Festival is set to invade Raleigh, North Carolina this weekend, and it has announced several events celebrating Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary with appearances from Timbaland, 9th Wonder and more.

According to ABC11, Dreamville has teamed up with Amazon Music and the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to present a Hip Hop-themed event they’ve appropriately dubbed 50 and Forever.

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The event takes over the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh on Friday (March 31) from noon onwards to kick off this year’s Dreamville Festival.

Timbo, 9th Wonder, Dreamville signees Ari Lennox and Bas, and TDE-affiliated engineer MixedByAli are among the names that will be present for several panel discussions.

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There will also be a DJing and beat-making class, along with beat battles between Khrysis and D.R.U.G.S., and Bink! and Nottz.

50 and Forever is completely free of charge, so tickets to the festival are not required for entry.

“We’ll have an array of panels as well as a beat-making class,” said Nasira Abdur-Razzaq, who is an event coordinator for CAM Raleigh. “There’ll be different interviews with different artists. You’ll have a chance to interact as well as a car show that’s going to be happening across the street.

“We like the idea of culture and art and music all combining together, which is why this is so important for CAM to be collaborating with Dreamville. So, we just look forward to having everyone here.”

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Dreamville Festival 2023 returns to Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park on April 1 and 2, and promises performances from a host of high-profile names.

This year’s lineup is headlined by a joint set from J. Cole and Drake, who will share the stage on Sunday night to close things out in historic fashion.

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Elsewhere, fans can expect to see performances from Usher, Lil Durk, Burna Boy, J.I.D, GloRilla, Ari Lennox, City Girls, EarthGang, Sean Paul and many more.

Cole called it “the hardest festival lineup ever” on Twitter earlier this month moments before unveiling the lineup.