Erykah Badu performs at this year's Summer Spirit Festival. | Photos by Zenarfoto.
Photo Credit: Zenarfoto
Long Beach, California, brace yourselves. You're going to be home for the best music festival of the year.
The Smokin Grooves music festival will feature headlining performances from Erykah Badu, Miguel, Jhené Aiko, NxWorries and The Roots. Other artists a part of the one-day event include Yasiin Bey, Madlib, Thundercat, Sa-Ra, Ravyn Lenae, Masego, Busta Rhymes and more. Originally started in 1996, Smokin Grooves was originally a tour that ended in 2002. Although this year it will be a one-day event, the plan is to revive Smokin Grooves as a full-fledged tour again next year.
Tickets for the festival, which takes place on Saturday, June 16, go on sale Tuesday, with passes starting at $99.
Two months ago, Yasiin Bey announced that he and Talib Kweli were working on a new album together as their rap duo Black Star.
"New Black Star with Madlib, Talib Kweli, Yasiin, coming soon!" Bey said during a Madlib DJ set in Denver, Colorado. "All Madlib, all day. 2018, Madlib, Black Star. Madlib Black Star."
Following the reveal, Kweli said that Bey's announcement came prematurely.
"It looks like it might happen," Kweli said to HipHopDX during a show in Boulder, Colorado. "I found out on the internet the same way y’all did. We’ve been talking about doing an album with Madlib for years. That’s been an idea we’ve had for so long, but for him to make that announcement…I didn’t know he was going to make the announcement."
