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2011 Rock The Bells International
Festival Series Press Release #1
The line-up
for the Rock The Bells 2011 Festival Series
presented by Boost Mobile in association with GUERILLA UNION
and powered by BlackBerry, will feature an array of
seminal and up-and-coming hip-hop artists on three stages. Headliners
include Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Erykah Badu and Cypress Hill.
See the current line-up below and look for more performers to be
announced soon.
This year’s festival will head to four major North American markets.
Kicking off in the Los Angeles-area on August 20 at the San Manuel
Amphitheater, Rock The Bells
will then head to San Francisco on August 27 at
Shoreline Amphitheatre. The festival moves to the east coast for a show
in New York on September 3 at Governor’s Island (co-promoted with Bowery
Presents, Highline, Mad Dog Presents) before wrapping in Boston on
September 10.
Rock The Bells
featured a number of headliners performing
their most influential albums in their entirety for the first time in
the history of hip-hop entertainment last summer. The tradition
continues this year with Ms. Lauryn Hill performing her
landmark, multi-platinum selling, multi-GRAMMY winning album The
Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill and Nas performing his
breakthrough debut album Illmatic with special guests AZ, Pete Rock and
DJ Premier. Nas says about performing Illmatic this summer, "For
years people have been asking me to do Illmatic in so many ways, from
stage plays to movies to books, but the time wasn't right. Where music
is going now, the time is right. This will be my biggest production and
it only makes sense to do it on the best rap tour which also happens to
be a brand I've built and am a partner in. Can't wait to kill it with my
comrades AZ, Premo & Pete Rock!"
Full album sets can also be expected from: Cypress Hill
performing their 1993 multi-platinum album Black Sunday, featuring
modern rock radio mainstay “Insane In The Membrane”; Mos Def & Talib
Kweli Are Black Star performing their 1998 self-titled debut album;
Raekwon & Ghostface teaming up for critically acclaimed, platinum
selling Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and more.
"I am excited that this year's Rock The Bells will continue its rich
history and tradition by presenting the best and most ambitious festival
programming in Hip Hop,” says festival co-founder and Guerilla
Union head Chang Weisberg. “The bar has been set high and this
year's line-up will certainly stake its claim. With ten of the biggest
records in the history of the genre and the freshest new talent bubbling
from the underground, this summer's Rock The Bells is another dream come
true."
ROCK THE BELLS will feature three main stages this
year. The two returning stages are the ROCK THE BELLS STAGE
and the PAID DUES STAGE, which will feature independent
hip-hop acts that performed at the Paid Dues Festival
this past April in San Bernardino and new artists-on-the-rise. Paid Dues
Festival creator Murs says, "I am excited that I once again have the
privilege of hosting the Paid Dues Stage. We will have the honor of
showcasing some of the best talent in independent hip hop as part of the
worlds largest and longest running hip hop festival... the Paid Dues
stage is gonna be the one to watch this year."
The 36 CHAMBERS STAGE is a new addition to the festival
and will primarily feature members of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as
artists selected by stage curator and Wu-Tang Clan mainstay RZA. A
fourth stage that will also be added to most markets is the
GRINDTIME NOW STAGE, which will feature battle-style
performances.
Guerilla Union, the live events company behind world-class platforms
including Cypress Hill SmokeOut Festival and Paid Dues Independent
Hip-Hop Festival, has teamed up with a new title sponsor Boost Mobile
for the eighth annual instalment of Rock The Bells
.
“Boost Mobile has a strong history in the music community and being
part of such a well-established festival further enhances that
commitment,” said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Corporate
Marketing, Boost Mobile. “With our handset partner BlackBerry, we
look forward to bringing the sponsorship to life and giving festival
attendees an experience to remember.”
In addition to the festival dates, Guerilla Union has teamed with new
strategic partner House of Blues/Live Nation for an intimate
Rock The Bells club
tour featuring select Rock The Bells
artists on dates
surrounding the festival shows. Look for more information on the
confirmed artists and routing for the Rock The Bells
club tour shortly.
Venues, dates and the lineup for the Rock The Bells
tour were announced at the
ROCK THE BELLS 2010 LAUNCH PARTY on May 24 at the House of Blues Sunset
in West Hollywood, CA. For the fourth year in a row, freestyle champion
MC Supernatural freestyled the lineup to the media. Artists in
attendance at the press conference and launch party include co-host RZA,
Cypress Hill, Havoc (Mobb Deep), Souls of Mischief, Blu & Exile and
Evidence.
Artists confirmed for the ROCK THE BELLS 2011 FESTIVAL SERIES include
Ms. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill +
Nas – Illmatic +
Cypress Hill - Black Sunday +
Erykah Badu*
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star +
Raekwon & Ghostface - Only Built for Cuban Linx +
Mobb Deep - The Infamous +
The GZA - Liquid Swords +
Immortal Technique
Slaughterhouse
Mac Miller*
Curren$y*
Souls of Mischief - 93 ‘til Infinity +
Black Moon
Childish Gambino
Blu & Exile
Fashawn
Random Axe*
Masta Killah - No Said Date +
Evidence*
Macklemore*
Freddie Gibbs
Roc Marciano
+ notes full-album sets
* notes performance on select dates only
Hosted by: The RZA + MURS 3:16 + Supernatural
ROCK THE BELLS 2011 FESTIVAL SERIES Tour Dates
08.20 San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Amphitheater
08.27 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
09.03 New York, NY – Governor’s Island
09.10 Boston, MA
The Guerilla Union pre-sale for the Rock The Bells 2011
Festival Series will go
from June 3 at 10am PST - 10pm PST. The general on-sale starts on June
4. Fans are advised to visit www.rockthebells.net for the exact lineup
per city and are encouraged to sign up for the Guerilla Union newsletter
for important announcements and up-to-date information regarding the
tour.
For more information visit Guerilla Union or
Rock the
Bells.
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