11th Annual Hip-Hop Festival to come to Trinity this April

ERIN GANNON, ’19
A&E EDITOR
 
The 11th annual Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival will be held this year from April 7 to April 10. The “Hip Hop’s Legacy: History, Art and Social Change”-themed festival will be headlined by influential hip-hop lyricist Rakim Allah. The festival is free and open to the public, but a photo ID will be required to attend the main concert on Saturday, April 9.
This year’s event will feature two nights of concerts, and a considerable number and variety of lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and films regarding the history and art of hip-hop. The festival serves as a four day-long academic study of the music and culture surrounding the Hip-Hop genre, and is open to students who want to attend either of the two nights.
The headliner, Rakim, has been cited as one of the most talented hip-hop lyricists of all time by a number of major music publications. His debut album as part of a hip-hop duo alongside Eric B. (“Eric B. and Rakim), “Paid in Full”, was ranked among the greatest hip-hop albums of all time by Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and MTV. A song off of that album, “I Know You Got Soul”, was ranked among Rolling Stone’s Top 25 hip-hop songs of all time.
In it’s 11th year, the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival, founded in 2006 by Trinity students, is the largest festival of its kind in the US. It is organized by students in tandem with Nomadic Max, World Hip Hop Market, Temple of Hip Hop, Underground Coalition/Zulu Nation 860, and Notable Productions.
The rest of the lineup performances include hip-hop artist Joyner Lucas and British-Muslim Islamic hip-hop duo Poetic Pilgrimage. More information about the events, performers, and special guests can be found online at www.trinityhiphop.com.