Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The Love, Peace & Hip Hop Festival is coming soon to downtown Columbia.
The four-day event runs from April 11 to April 14.
The main event is World Famous Hip Hop Family Day, which takes place on April 14 at the corner of Main and Laurel Streets in Columbia. Among the many activities at the festival is a free concert headlined by MC Lyte.
This year's theme is "All Hail to the Queens," a nod to the women of hip-hop and the pioneers who've paved the way.
The headliner fits that bill. MC Lyte's debut album "Lyte as a Rock" was released in 1988. She is the first female solo rapper to be nominated for a Grammy and the first female solo rapper to have a gold single.
This year’s programming for Love, Peace & Hip-Hop will include Columbia partners like EdVenture Children’s Museum, Tapp’s Arts Center, and Indie Grits for innovative and exciting events that honor both hip-hop culture and the women who helped shape it.
Here's a full look at the events:
Wednesday, April 11
Hip-Hop Bounce House Party at EdVenture Children's Museum
Kick off the Love, Peace & Hip-Hop festival with an afternoon of family fun at EdVenture Children’s Museum. Using music and literacy to motivate and educate, award-winning musician and storyteller Kobie Da Wiz will be on stage for an afternoon filled with DJs, dancing, and bounce houses. 5:00 to 7:00 PM. FREE.
Thursday, April 12
Love, Grits & Hip-Hop: Opening Night Party at Tapp's
Love, Peace & Hip-Hop is partnering with Indie Grits for an Opening Night Party like no other. Deniro Farrar headlines in the Skyline Room at Tapp’s with openers NIKOS and FatRat Da Czar, while indie rock and dance pop is featured below in the two other venues. 7 PM – 12 AM. Advance $10, Door $12.
TAPP’S SKYLINE ROOM
7:00pm – DJs
9:00pm – NIKOS
10:00pm – Fat Rat Da Czar
11:00pm – Deniro Farrar
TAPP’S SPACE HALL
9:30pm – Blanko
10:30pm – Niecy Blues with ET Anderson
11:30pm – 2 Slices
12:30am – ET Anderson
TAPP’S FOUNTAIN ROOM
9:15pm – John Wesley Coleman lll with Spider Bags
10:15pm – Spider Bags
11:15pm – Zack Mexico
Friday, April 13
I Wanna Be Down: Women Claiming their Space as Entrepreneurs in the Marketplace
Love, Peace & Hip-Hop honors the entrepreneurial spirit of women on Friday evening at Tapp's. Featuring a panel of women making their way in the fields of fashion, art, tech, and literature, this event aims to educate and elevate as well as entertain. Enjoy music, art, fashion, and be inspired by speakers who have claimed their space in the marketplace. 5:30 to 7:30 PM.
Saturday, April 14
World Famous Hip-Hop Family Day
Hip-Hop Family Day is proud to present the legendary MC Lyte along with a full line-up of female artists and performers, including DJ Cocoa Chanelle, Honey Rockwell, LaLisa, Katera, Litty, and Selah the Poet. This year’s Love, Peace & Hip-Hop festival is themed All Hail the Queens, honoring the artists who paved the way, changed the game, and transformed the genre into an empowering outlet for women and girls around the globe.
One of the most prolific and well-respected hip-hop artists of all time, MC Lyte opened the door for future female artists through a series of firsts for solo female rappers: she was the first ever nominated for a Grammy; the first ever to perform at New York’s historic Carnegie Hall; the first to receive a gold single; and in 2006, MC Lyte became the first solo female rapper to be honored and inducted on VH-1’s HIP HOP HONORS. A pioneer in the industry, Lyte is also the first female to perform hip-hop in the White House and first African American female to serve as the President of the Los Angeles chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammy Organization).
Presented by Love, Peace & Hip-Hop, the City of Columbia, and WellCare Healthy Connections, Hip-Hop Family Day is an unforgettable FREE day of fun with the best and brightest live performers, DJs, dance crews, hip-hop visual artists, and craft and food vendors. 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. FREE.
Bonus Track:
Sunday, April 15
Indie Grits presents: Sunday Dinner
After the festival, come out to Monticello Road for Indie Grit’s Sunday Dinner. Hosted by Love, Peace & Hip-Hop founder FatRat Da Czar, this daytime block party closes out the Indie Grits Festival with the blues of Amythyst Kiah (headliner), as well as Grammy Award winning folk star and founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom Flemons; and the jazz and hip-hop stylings of The Beast out of Durham.
Come and enjoy a Sunday afternoon with friends, food trucks, and music. Location: Monticello Road next to Hyatt Park. 1:00-5:00 PM. FREE.
MUSIC LINE-UP
1:30pm – The Beast
2:30pm – Dom Flemons
4:00pm – Amythyst Kiah
In 2013, the festival kicked off its inaugural year with Kool Moe Dee as headliner and over 4,000 attendees. Now in its sixth year, the festival is expected to draw over 15,000.
For all the festival details, visit https://lovepeacehiphop.com/
If you’d like to support this free festival, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lovepeacehiphop/world-famous-hip-hop-family-day-2018
