Arts & Entertainment
'It's Time For Hip Hop': NYC Mega-Concert Lineups Unveiled
Hip hop superstars will headline four free, "Homecoming Week" mega-shows in four boroughs starting Aug. 16. Only vaccinated fans can attend.
NEW YORK CITY — Four mega-concerts will proudly declare what New Yorkers have said from the beginning: "It's Time For Hip Hop."
Hip hop legends from KRS-One, to Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, to Big Daddy Kane will perform at the Homecoming Week shows starting Aug. 16.
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday helped unveil the lineup for the shows in the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. He said they're all free, but with a catch — concertgoers need their coronavirus vaccine shots.
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“The one thing you must have is proof of vaccination,” he said.
The official NYC Homecoming Week Concerts
Only SOME of the big acts in order of appearance across all week:
KRS-ONE
SLICK RICK
REMY MA
RAEKWON
GHOSTFACE KILLAH
EPMD
BIG DADDY KANE
DESIIGNER
GEORGE CLINTON
MOBB DEEP
TOO SHORT
KOOL KEITH pic.twitter.com/yZFQ50q9aD
— Bill Neidhardt (@BNeidhardt) July 29, 2021
The vaccination-only policy is meant to encourage New Yorkers to get their shots and stop the highly contagious delta variant of coronavirus.
Find out what's happening in New York Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
This week, de Blasio similarly announced the "We Love New York City" mega-concert in Central Park on Aug. 21 will only be for people who get vaccinated.
That show headlined by Paul Simon, Jennifer Hudson and Bruce Springsteen boasts an eclectic lineup compared to the hip hop-themed shows preceding it.
The Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx is helping organize those four shows.
And here's who unvaccinated New Yorkers will be missing, day-by-day.
The Bronx
The first show will be held at Orchard Beach in the Bronx on Aug. 16 from 3 to 9:30 p.m.
The lineup is:
- KRS One (Headliner)
- Slick Rick (Headliner)
- Remy Ma (Headliner)
- Busy Bee
- CL Smooth
- DJ Hollywood
- DJ Jazzy Joyce
- DJ Kevie Kev
- Fantastic Five
- Furious 5 featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio
- Grand Wizard Theodore
- Joeski Love
- Kid Capri
- Nice & Smooth
- PopMaster Fabel
- Soul Sonic Force
- T La Rock
- Ultra Magnetic MC’s
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., a noted hip hop fan, announced the lineup during de Blasio's daily briefing.
“To have it in one location, one day, for free, at Orchard Beach? Never,” he said. “If you miss this, I feel bad for you.”
Diaz said it's "fitting" to celebrate the city's COVID recovery with hip hop, a genre that was founded by people of color in the South Bronx, amid massive urban decay and disenfranchisement.
Staten Island
The second show goes to Staten Island's Richmond County Bank Park on Aug. 17 from 4 to 9:30 p.m.
The lineup is:
- Raekwon (Headliner)
- Ghostface Killah (Headliner)
- Crystal Waters
- DJ Chuck Chillout
- EMPD
- Force MDs
- Hakim Green
- HeeSun Lee
- Kool Keith
- Lizzy Ashliegh
- Pharoahe Monch
- Rikki
- Rob Base
Brooklyn
The show's third stop is at Brooklyn Army Terminal on Aug. 19 from 4 to 9:30 p.m.
"The artists we've assembled are the most iconic names in hip-hop history and in music in general," said Rocky Bucano, executive director of the Universal Hip Hop Museum. "...It's going to be a great show in Brooklyn."
- Big Daddy Kane (Headliner)
- Desiigner (Headliner)
- C&C Music Factory
- DJ Mr. Cee
- Elle Varner
- Judy Torres
- Lizzy Ashliegh
- Maino
- Obasi Jackson
- Papoose
- PopMaster Fabel
- Special Ed
- Stetsasonic
- Sweet Sensation
- Young Devyn
Queens
The final show will be held at Forest Hills Stadium on Aug. 20 from 4 to 9:30 p.m.
- George Clinton + The P-Funk All Stars with Special Guests (Headliner)
- Too $hort (Headliner)
- DJ Hurricane
- DJ Wiz
- EPMD
- Mobb Deep
- Yo-Yo
Bucano noted Clinton is the "most sampled man in hip hop" — and de Blasio is a fan.
Hizzoner belted out a tortured rendition of a Clinton lyric as proof: "Nothin' can stop us now."
Tickets will go be offered in batches at nyc.gov/HomecomingWeek starting Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. Additional free ticket release dates and times are:
- Tuesday, August 3 at 7 a.m. EDT
- Wednesday, August 4 at 9 p.m. EDT
- Thursday, August 5 at 7 a.m. EDT
- Friday, August 6 at 10 a.m. EDT
- Saturday, August 7 at 9 p.m. EDT
Find out more about the concerts here.
Patch writers Kayla Levy and Anna Quinn contributed to this report.
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