Hosted by SiriusXM’s ’80s and ’90s Hip Hop channel, Backspin, the Art of Rap festival tour kicked off last night [Friday, July 22] at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Featuring Ice-T, Public Enemy, EPMD, Mobb Deep, Grandmaster Melle Mel and Scorpio, MC Lyte, Kurtis Blow, and The Sugarhill Gang, the festival was fashioned after Ice-T’s 2012 documentary, Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap.
The tour only boasts a handful of dates, but as the years go by, it will hopefully expand into other major cities and markets. Tonight [Saturday, July 23], the tour hits Las Vegas and heads to San Francisco on Sunday, July 24. After four more dates, it wraps up August 6 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
“Hip Hop is the most powerful and influential cultural movement since rock and roll,” Ice-T said in a statement. “A true art form that deserves respect.”
Visit www.facebook.com/artofrapfest for updates.
Remaining Tour Dates:
07/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ Downtown Las Vegas
07/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Coney Island Amphitheater
07/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
08/04 Toledo, OH @ Savage Arena
08/05 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/6 – Detroit, MI @ Freedom Hill Amphitheatre