Matthew Morgan, the founder and ex-head of Afropunk, has announced the inaugural LETSGETFR.EE Carnival.
Taking place on August 20 and 21 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, the festival has enlisted the likes of Missy Elliott, Kali Uchis, Jhené Aiko, Ozuna, and Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals.
It is described on the festival’s social media channels as “a radical movement designed for and by Black, Brown, Asian/Pacific Islander, and LGBTQIA+ free spirits, artists, and creators”.
Elsewhere on the line-up are Jorja Smith, Flatbush Zombies, Major Lazer Sound System, Wizkid and Jai Wolf.
The mission of the event (via Rolling Stone) is “to close the equity gap for Black, Brown, Asian, and other underrepresented people in the entertainment industry, with the aim of achieving a diversified workforce across all levels in the industry by 2030.”
Tickets are available now via Dice.
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“LETSGETFR.EE is more than just a music festival,” it reads on the festival website. “It’s a radically inclusive experience where you get to explore and engage with other cultures and other communities in a broad-minded, respectful, considerate, non-cliché, and non-exploitative way.
“A celebration of cross-cultural exploration (inspired by Brazilian Carnaval’s approach to extreme fun and radical self-expression) takes place in Queens—widely considered to be the most diverse county in America.
“LETSGETFR.EE’s line up celebrates a number of contemporary culture-crossing artists who we believe have followed in the footsteps of free-thinking change agents and artists-as-world-citizens like Nina Simone and Caetano Veloso.”
In December last year, Timbaland took to Twitter to tease a new studio album for Missy Elliott.
The album would be Elliott’s seventh, and first since 2005’s ‘The Cookbook’. In November 2021, she was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Hall of Fame, with a praise-filled speech by her ‘Tempo’ collaborator Lizzo.
In other news, Silk Sonic – the duo comprised of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak – shared their soulful, groove-laden take on Con Funk Shun’s 1892 hit ‘Love’s Train’ last month.
It marked Silk Sonic’s first release for 2022, riding on the heels of their debut album, ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’, which NME rated five-stars.