Renowned hip-hop group Cashless Society and golden era hip-hop legend Jeru The Damaja will be some of the acts headlining the Back to the City festival.
The festival will be held on 27 April at the Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, and promises to have some of the best hip-hop veterans in South Africa.
Osmic Menoe, founder of the festival, described New Yorker, Jeru as someone who has always been conscious of South Africa’s fight against apartheid.
“As we celebrate 20 years of democracy in our country, we believe Jeru personifies SA’s transition to democracy,” he said.
Menoe added that by featuring artists such as Zubz and Mischif, the festival wanted to remind people of the history of South African hip-hop.
Other artists billed to perform include Hymphatic Thabz, Miss Nthabi, QBA and Supa, who were all instrumental in the growth of the hip-hop genre in South Africa.
The festival will be preceded by a hip-hop business summit taking place at Africa Museum. According to Menoe, this is where industry pioneers will hold discussions on the current state of the genre and exchange solutions to problems faced by the industry.
“I’d like to urge young people to attend so they could walk away with knowledge about the industry,” said Osmic.
The festival is backed by the City of Johannesburg.
The Back To The City Festival celebrates the hip-hop and youth culture through a variety of live performances, street art and exhibitions all aimed at bringing the youth back to the city. It also seeks to empower emerging businesses established by young people through the business summit to be held.
“It’s going to be an amazing day, if you really want to see the growth of SA hip-hop and young people from all walks of life interacting, come out to the festival. This is all about youth celebrating freedom day,” Monoe added.
More activities planned at the festival will include a Mini Educational Summit, skateboarding, BMX riders, beatboxing, live graffiti art, merchandising and exhibitions from various artists.
For more information on the festival, go to www.backtothecityfestival.com
