Rock the Bells added over a dozen names to its 2013 lineup during a press conference Monday night.
J. Cole, Action Bronson, Big Daddy Kane, Deltron 3030, Freeway, Girl Talk, KRS One, Rapsody and 9th Wonder, Wale, YG, Riff Raff and Slick Rick featuring Doug E. Fresh were all announced on a bill which already includes artists ranging from Wu-Tang Clan to Black Hippy and Jurassic 5.
With Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg moderating, artists such as Pretty Lights and the Flatbush Zombies took questions from the audience. Pretty Lights, known as an electronic artist, said he was looking forward to showcasing his music’s hip-hop side.
“I’m finally getting to expose my music to the crowd that I wanted to in the first place,” he said. “It is hip-hop, and it is able to be in both places.”
While past installments of the 10-year-old festival have focused on hip-hop’s legacy, this year’s lineup will lean more toward the present, with acts such as J. Cole, Kid Cudi and others touring behind new albums.
That’s not to say the festival won’t pay tribute to hip-hop’s past: it’s on track to include two virtual performances, with Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Eazy-E holograms to take the stage with Wu-Tang Clan and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, respectively.
Rock the Bells is set for events in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New York City this fall.