The annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy is just around the corner. And some local artists are taking inspiration from King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech to spearhead a series of events over the weekend leading up to his monumental day.
“I Have A DreamFest Weekend” is a three-day event that will feature some of the area’s most talented artists. DreamFest will begin Friday, January 17th and culminate Sunday, January 19th. City-based event company CLE Events in collaboration with hip-hop artist Tyke T’s Driven By Music imprint and Memphis Queens Hustle and Flow are presenting the weekend’s events.
“What we aim to do with the weekend is emphasize community, diversity, and unity,” said Shay Johnson of CLE Events. “Aside from the more obvious tie-ins to MLK weekend and Martin Luther King’s dream in respect to unity and diversity, the “Dream” aspect also refers to [the fact] that we are all pursuing our dreams. And hopefully, DreamFest weekend helps us all get that much closer to realizing them.”
On Friday, January 17th, the DreamFest concert will take place at 1524 Madison. The event will feature artists from various genres including rock, hip-hop, reggae, and R&B. Yung D, Keia Johnson, S.O.U.L., Omega Forte, Sleepy J, and the Nick Black Band are among the artists scheduled to perform.
Friday’s event will also feature a live rap battle between Young Herb and J.R. Juz Real, which is being presented by the Iron Mouth Battle League.
Memphis Hip-Hop Unplugged will take place on Saturday, January 18th at 1524 Madison as well. Over tunes provided by a live band, local hip-hop artists, such as Tyke T, Virghost, Da Ladie, Marco Pave, will lace the crowd with tracks from their archives.
The weekend will culminate with a finale party on Sunday, January 19th at the Rumba Room (303 S. Main). There will be a live performance by female collective Memphis Queens Hustle and Flow, along with drink and food specials for people to enjoy.
“People should expect phenomenal music presented in an upscale environment,” Johnson said. “ We hope that when people look back at the DreamFest concert each year that it’s a snapshot of what is/was developing on the local music scene for that year.”
Each event is $10 at the door. Weekend passes are available for $20. Tickets can be purchased in advance here.
Check out a promotional video for DreamFest Weekend below.
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