With Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam taking place today [June 5], festival season has well and truly arrived. This year a variety of festivals have produced a star studded line up for music lovers.
With acts such as Chris Brown, J.Cole and Kehlani headlining main festival stages this July, there are plenty of opportunities to see some of your favorite acts including a variety of international talent, such as WSTRN, Chip and Krept and Konan.
To make the your decision a little easier and to help you decide what city you need to fly to, we’ve picked the top three Hip Hop and R&B festivals next month providing the purest vibes.
Essence Music Festival (June 30—July 3, New Orleans)
Although this technically starts at the end of June, Essence Festivals starts July the right way. Since 1993 the New Orleans-based festival has been home to over 400,000 music enthusiasts and is considered to be one of the largest Stateside festivals.
For its 22nd year some of the biggest names in music will appear, including Kendrick Lamar and Mariah Carey as well as two of the waviest female MCs, Lady Leshurr and Little Simz, from the UK.
http://www.essence.com/festival
Wireless Festival (July 8-10, London)
This London-based festival is a great example of pairing up well-known international artists with emerging and upcoming talent with a good mix of styles and sounds. This year Boy Better Know will be headlining, which could mean Drake will be joining his London crew. Although there’s no option to camp out, Wireless still offers one of the best festival experiences.
Over the three days, Bryson Tiller, Miguel, Craig David, Krept & Konan, Section Boyz and Young Thug will be taking the main stage, performing some of their most popular hits.
http://wirelessfestival.co.uk/
Fresh Island Festival (July 12—14, ZRCE Beach, Croatia)
From the name to the acts performing, Fresh Island Festival is a top pick of festivals in July creating an eclectic vibe, providing a stage for contemporary artists. Packed with upcoming talent, the festival, which is now in its fifth year, is guaranteed to give you good music and a good view to enjoy it. Previous acts have included Pusha T and Action Bronson.
Slowly becoming one of the biggest Hip Hop and R&B festivals in Europe, Fresh Island will see Chris Brown headline this year alongside Ty Dolla Sign, Kehlani, Wiz Khalifa as well as big British names, including Chip, Big Narstie, Tim Westwood and many more.
