Brooklyn Bodega

Announcement on 2019 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

Organizers of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival announced today that the annual event will be taking a year off. The week-long celebration of Hip-Hop Music and Culture will return in 2020 for its 15th installment.

"Producing this wonderful event has been our lives for a decade and a half. We have created some amazing moments and worked with even more incredible people. As we continue the fight, our mission to support the Culture remains unchanged. On the eve of our 15th Anniversary, we made the decision to double down on our core value of community engagement. That involved selecting the right artists and slate of programming to reflect that energy. To put it plainly, we have decided to take some extra time to make sure we did that right. The festival landscape is changing and an independent operation like ours must move wisely and make diligent decisions," wrote Festival Founder, Wes Jackson. "That being said our plan for 2020 is going to be amazing. We thank everyone for their support over the years. And fear not we will be back to do it . We love all y'all"

While the Festival may be taking a year off, organizers will not be. Plans for 2020 are already underway. In addition, Wes is working on two book projects, teaching and re-launching his "Hip-Hop History" lecture series which will be hitting the road this Summer and Fall.

Statement on 15 Years of The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

When we started the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival in 2005 the idea of thousands of Hip-Hop fans peacefully gathered in one place in the heart of Brooklyn was unheard of. Misconceptions and preconceptions abounded. Security plans were submitted and revised again and again. Sponsors' questions were answered as proposals were written and revised.

Agents had to be negotiated with. Missions were explained to managers, elected officials and volunteers alike. Truth be told, we had no real idea what we were doing 15 years ago. What we did have was passion, expertise, and smart women and men ready to build something out of nothing. And that we did. Hundreds of artists have graced our stage. From Jay-Z to Kendrick Lamar to Kanye West and Q-Tip.

Since the early days, things have changed. Companies large and small have entered the Festival game. Good money after bad has been thrown at events consumed with capturing the essence of our great Culture. All the while we stayed the course. We created a space where all of Hip-Hop felt safe. Safe from catcalling and harassment, safe from violence (not ONE arrest in 14 years, by the way). A place where generations could gather and love their Culture no matter what they looked like or where they came from.

We are proud to say our crowds represent true diversity - gender, race, age, with more and more international attendees for the Festival as well as the Hip-Hop Institute Conference each year. However, increasing costs for talent, facilities and production have made it more difficult for us to produce the Festival as the years tick up.

That being said as we enter our 15th year we are making some changes. While we are being wildly outspent and losing artists to one-size-fits-all festivals and other events determined to blur the line between Hip-Hop and seemingly every other genre, a 'legacy' Festival like our has unique appeal. It cannnot be bought or Instagram like its way into existence. It is earned.

For the full statement visit our website and stay tuned...

July 8th-13th, 2019

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