This year’s Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF) will showcase different vibes on the Hip-Hop soundscape with the addition of rappers Pharaohe Monch and Styles P.
The fifth annual event, which takes place from noon to 8 p.m. June 20 at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, marks the latest endeavor for Monch, who is best known for his classic hit “Simon Says” as well as his popular collaboration with Mos Def and Nate Dogg, “Oh No.”
In addition to the BHF, the Organized Konfusion co-founder is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming opus, W.A.R. (Let My People Go).
The album, which includes production from Black Milk, Mr. Porter, Lee Stone & M-Phazes, is slated to come out this year.
“Monch is a conscious rapper who is at equal ease on the bully pulpit as he is in the club. Some know him for Organized Konfusion’s ‘Releasing Hypnotical Gasses.’ Some know him for the anthem ‘Simon Says,’” BHF executive director Wes Jackson told AllHipHop.com in a statement.
For this year’s event, BHF organizers hope to unite Monch onstage with Styles P to perform the D-Block affiliate’s 2002 hit, “My Life.”
The pair, along with famed mixtape DJ J. Period, joins previously announced performers Smiff N Wesson as they take the stage for the BHF.
According to Jackson, the new additions represent an effort to give festival attendees more bang for their buck and a well-rounded dose of Hip-Hop in all its forms.
“We are more than pleased when we look at our lineup so far. Our goal has always been to unite the Hip-Hop audience under one banner,” Jackson said. “Monch, Styles and Smif N Wessun represent different branches of the Hip-Hop tree… And J Period is the glue that keeps us all connected. This lineup is diversity. This is Hip-Hop.”
Tickets the fifth annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival start at $10.