Trailblazing hip-hop artists
Big Daddy Kane,
Rakim,
KRS-One,
Slick Rick,
EPMD and
Doug E. Fresh are embarking on a joint tour this summer. Dubbed
Masters of the Mic: Hip Hop 50 Tour, it will begin 6/30 at the
Essence Fest in New Orleans and officially kick off 7/20 in Cincinnati before wrapping 10/14 in San Antonio.
Kane made the announcement on Tuesday (6/13), posting the tour flier to his
Instagram page.
2023 is evolving into one of the most prolific years hip-hop has ever witnessed, especially when it comes to the pioneers and architects of the culture. With the genre's 50th birthday on
8/11 (see "Hip Hop 50 Live" below), a plethora of celebratory events have packed our calendars and reminded us what makes hip-hop so dynamic.
Kane will also hit the stage at
LL COOL J's second annual
Rock the Bells Festival, taking place 8/5 at
Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. Additional guests include Rakim, Slick Rick,
Queen Latifah,
De La Soul,
Method Man,
Redman,
Salt-N-Pepa,
MC Lyte,
Yo-Yo,
Smif-N-Wessun,
Swizz Beatz, the
Boot Camp Clik,
Fabolous,
MC Sha Rock,
Roxanne Shanté,
Monie Love and the
Cold Crush Brothers.
Less than a week later, on 8/11,
Run-DMC will headline "Hip Hop 50 Live" at
Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Co-produced by
Live Nation,
Mass Appeal and the
New York Yankees, the event will also see performances by
Snoop Dogg,
Ice Cube and
Lil Wayne, to name a few.
More information on "Hip Hop 50 Live" can be found
here and the Masters of the Mic tour
here. You can find
us somewhere rapping the
Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight"—albeit poorly.
