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March 26, 2007 at 11:23:00 AM | more stories by this author
Nas to coheadline 15 dates with the Wu-Tang Clan; Public Enemy, The Roots, Cypress Hill, EPMD, Mos Def, a slew of others join three main dates.
If Rage Against the Machine and the Wu-Tang Clan weren't enough to make Rock the Bells one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, the event's organizers just added a hip-hop hall of fame's worth of performers to beef up the bill.
Public Enemy
Rock the Bells organizer Guerilla Union said today that it has added Nas, Public Enemy, The Roots, Cypress Hill, Mos Def, EPMD, and Pharoahe Monche to the lineup of the three-date concert event.
In conjunction with the Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Festival, which Guerilla Union also produces, Rock the Bells will have a second stage featuring the likes of the Coup, MF Doom Jedi Mind Trick, Slug, Murs, Sage Francis, Grouch and Eligh, Blueprint, Hanger 18, and Lucky I Am.
The events will be hosted by Supernatural, Rahzel, and Hi-Tek.
The full Rock the Bells lineup is slated to play July 28 at Randall's Island in New York City, August 11 in San Bernardino, and August 18 in McCovey's Parking Lot (near AT&T Park) in San Francisco. Nas and the Wu will coheadline 15 additional dates, which will be announced later this week, Guerilla Union said.
The lineup is noteworthy for a host of reasons, not the least of which is its girth. Public Enemy is on the eve of celebrating its 20th anniversary, Rage Against the Machine is reuniting for the first time in seven years, and the Wu-Tang Clan is set to release 8 Diagrams, its first new album since 2001's Iron Flag.
"It's a historic lineup," Guerilla Union founder Chang Weisberg told the Los Angeles Times. "To have Rage come back right now, where the country is politically, and be on the same bill with the Wu-Tang Clan, it's a moment that represents the possibilities of hip-hop."
