Dreamville, Raleigh’s highly-anticipated hip-hop and R&B music festival, is returning to Dorothea Dix Park April 6-7. Hosted by musician and Fayetteville native J. Cole, this year’s lineup promises to impress, uniting industry staples with up-and-coming artists in the festival of the year.
SZA is this year’s big-ticket headliner with over 70 million monthly Spotify listeners. Coming off the success of her SOS international tour, SZA is an obvious and exciting choice to join Dreamville’s legendary legacy of R&B and hip-hop performers. SZA’s discography is packed with radio hits and underground bops that promise a varied lineup. We’ll be sure to hear hits like “Kill Bill,” “The Weekend” and “Low,” but could also hear SZA’s slower, alternative ballads where she really shines, like “Drew Barrymore,” “Good Days” and “Go Gina.” Whatever SZA plays, you won’t want to miss it.
Nicki Minajis the other big name to take the Dreamville stage this year. Many of us grew up listening to hits like “Super Bass” and “Starships,” which will certainly be featured in her setlist, but listeners will be in for a treat with songs from her recent album “Pink Friday 2.” Having been on the rap scene for more than a decade, new songs like “FTCU” and “Super Freaky Girl” would be a more than welcome addition to her sure-to-impress setlist.
Relative newcomer Teezo Touchdownis one to watch at this year’s Dreamville. The Texas native has been rapping since the 2010s, but broke out with collaborations such as “Modern Jam” with Travis Scott and “Amen” with Drake. He’s likely to perform songs from his impressive retinue of features, but for all the gatekeepers out there who like to get ahead of the curve, Dreamville is an opportunity to listen to unknown bops like “Third Coast” and “First Night” before they become mainstream.
Chase Shakuris a sound in modern R&B like no other. The Atlanta native’s vision is to become “the new face of R&B,” and following the undisputed success of his albums “It’ll Be Fine” and “it’s not you, it’s me…” he very well may earn that title at Dreamville. Watch out for tracks like “honda civic ‘98,” “too far close” and songs from his new single, “THE STUNT MAN PACK,” then make your verdict.
50 Cent recently replaced Chris Brown as the day one secondary headliner. 50 Cent will provide a healthy dose of nostalgia to Dreamville’s modern lineup — enjoying the height of his fame in the early 2000s, he has no recent releases, so his setlist is sure to include familiar favorites like “Candy Shop” and “In Da Club.”
And what would Dreamville be without the cast of Dreamville Records themselves? Ari Lennox is notably missing, but Earthgang, which Technician covered last year; Bas; Omen; Cozz; J.I.D.; Lute; and J. Cole will all take the stage at various points. J. Cole is the highlight of the entire Dreamville festival — I hope he leans in to classic hits from older albums like “2014 Forest Hills Drive”as he did in previous years.
In addition to organizing the entire affair and performing his popular discography, J. Cole deserves credit for creating a cultural phenomenon like none other. Dreamville is an incredible opportunity to celebrate music, Black culture and the North Carolina community. Keep an eye out for future Technician coverage and get a taste of some of the featured music below.
