A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, Rakim and a reunited The Pharcyde lead the lineup for this year’s outing of traveling hip-hop festival Rock The Bells.
The 10-city trek launches July 19 at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre near Chicago and will hit sheds across the U.S. and Canada through the end of August. Other stops include The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto (July 20), Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, N.Y. (July 27), Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla. (August 2), Coors Amphitheatre in Denver (August 9), Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif. (August 16) and Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in San Bernadino, Calif. (August 23). A special Los Angeles presale will be held May 7-9 at GuerillaUnion.com, with general ticket sales beginning on May 10. Presale tickets for the remaining dates will be available May 14-16, with general ticket sales beginning May 17. 2008 marks the first year that Rock The Bells will go global, with four stops planned in Europe and one in Japan to be announced in the coming weeks. and hosts B-Real of Rounding out the roster for the event are Method Man & Redman, Raekwon & Ghostface (Cuban Linx), Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Murs and Kidz In The Hall, Spank Rock, Santogold, Kid Sister, Wale, Flosstradamus, Jay Electronica and The Cool KidsCypress Hill and Supernatural. The addition of a number of electro-hip-hop artists to the lineup plays into organizer Chang Weisberg’s vision of a festival designed to showcase the diversity of the genre. "This year’s lineup represents, respects and recognizes the diversity and inspirational possibilities often promised, but rarely delivered in a live hip-hop experience," Weisberg said. "We really feel that this year’s group of artists define our platform and further galvanize the legacy that Rock The Bells has earned through the years."
