Comic Dave Chappelle has organized a block party that will feature seminal, like-minded artists like Kanye West, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, Common, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Dead Prez and The Roots, among others.
Currently, there has been one party announced to be held in Brooklyn, New York at a to-be-announced secret location and date.
Unlike other events of this magnitude, Chappelle intends to have the block party in the actual community, not a typical large capacity venue. According to reports, the stage will be on a normal Brooklyn Street and there will be another that will be on a nearby rooftop.
Chappelle, who paid for the block parties himself, will act as the host and master of ceremonies.
The affair is reportedly meant to evoke the feeling generated from the Wattstax show of 1972, where the great artists of the time performed a 7-hour long concert for the California community of Watts. Comic legend Richard Pryor was the MC of the event, which featured Isaac Hayes, the Dramatics, The Staple Singers and Rufus Thomas.
Chappelle’s entire extravaganza will be filmed and edited into a documentary.
The event is free to the public but all attendees must be bussed in and go through a rigorous security check. More information will be released at a later date.
