Summertime is still a few weeks away, but we’re in a sunny mood thanks to one of our favourite music festivals bringing some Hip-Hop stars to the party.
The 39th annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival will return to stages all over the city from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, July 2.
Coastal Jazz & Blues Society has revealed plenty for music lovers to get excited about this year’s fest, including headliner Killer Mike performing in concert on Saturday, June 29.
“The intersection of hip-hop with jazz and blues music runs deep, from iconic jazz samples popping up in hip-hop releases to covers, collaborations and conceptual projects between artists,” said Coastal Jazz in a statement. “In the 50 years since the MC was born, hip-hop has become an integral thread in our cultural fabric.
“Like jazz and blues before it, hip hop was born out of the black community to share a uniquely black experience in a way — and at a time when — it wasn’t otherwise being heard.”
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few (Matt Taylor/Coastal Jazz)
Killer Mike is a four-time Grammy winner renowned for his work onstage and his activism off of it. He received the inaugural Billboard Change Maker Award in 2020, the 2021 A2IM Humanitarian Award, and earned rave reviews for his 2023 album Michael.
One-half of hip-hop super-duo Run The Jewels, Killer Mike has also appeared onscreen in Idlewild, ATL, and Billions. He hosts the Emmy-winning PBS show Love & Respect with Killer Mike, Netflix’s Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, and has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Marquis Series concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on June 29 also features Juno Award winner and social activist DJ Shub.
@djshub/Instagram
Other hip-hop luminaries coming to the Vancouver International Jazz Festival include host of CBC Music’s Afterdark, Odario, and Grammy nominee Kassa Overall for the Downtown Jazz Series on the Georgia Street Stage.
There will be over 150 performances and events to see, including over 50 free shows of diverse programming, from Friday, June 21, to Sunday, June 30.
@coastaljazz/Instagram
“We have always aimed to showcase these voices in our Festival,” added Coastal Jazz. “In recent years, (The Festival has) featured Wu-Tang Clan, The Roots, Lauryn Hill, and Snotty Nose Rez Kids, to name a few.”
Full festival schedule and tickets are available at coastaljazz.ca.
When: June 21 to 30, 2024
Time: Various times
Where: Various venues across Vancouver
Tickets: Free and ticketed events. More information is available online