Dreamville Festival Launches Hip-Hop 50 Initiative With Timbaland, 9th Wonder & More

BYAron A.2.4K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
2019 NBA All-Star Game
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 17: J. Cole watches the action during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Dreamville's 50 and Forever event will include appearances from Timbaland, 9th Wonder, Ari Lennox and more.

We’re just days away from Dreamville Festival, which will be held in Raleigh, NC this weekend. The J. Cole-led festivities will include plenty of outstanding performances from the label’s roster, as well as J. Cole and Drake who will co-headline Sunday night together for the first time ever. Needless to say, it’s going to be nothing short of exciting but that’s not all that they have in store. The Dreamville crew added a new component that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Per ABC11, Dreamville partnered with the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and Amazon Music for Friday’s 50 and Forever event, which celebrates the milestone anniversary of the culture. The event takes place at the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh this Friday with some special appearances a few of our favorite artists. Bas, Ari Lennox, 9th Wonder, and Timbaland are among those that will sit on the panel, as well as MixedByAli, TDE’s go-to engineer. Additionally, a beat battle between Bink! Vs Nottz and Khrysis and D.R.U.G.S. will also take place for the free event.

Dreamville’s Hip-Hop 50 Plans

The upcoming event will certainly provide a different vibe compared to this weekend’s two-day festival, especially as J. Cole touches down in his homestate. Contemporary Art Museum event coordinator Nasira Razzaq shared more details about the Dreamville event. “We’ll have an array of panels as well as a beat-making class,” said Nasira Abdur-Razzaq about the upcoming event at CAM. “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.”

Though it’s unclear if 50 and Forever will be available on livestream, fans will be able to tune into the weekend’s festivities. Dreamville partnered with Amazon Prime to stream the entire two-day festival, and we suspect there will be some major moments to look forward to. Lil Durk, City Girls, Key Glock, GloRilla, Summer Walker, and Burna Boy are among the major names who will grace the stage on Saturday and Sunday, along with the entire Dreamville roster. Stay locked into HotNewHipHop for more updates on Dreamville Fest. 

About The Author
Aron A.
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...