North Carolina’s own J. Cole and his Dreamville team successfully kicked off their third annual Dreamville Festival this past weekend in Raleigh, welcoming 100,000 festival attendees from around the globe to his home state – including all 50 U.S. states and 23 countries across four continents – during the two-day outdoor music festival.
Dreamville fans of all ages were once again treated to performances from some of today’s most sought-after music acts ranging from award-winning global festival headliners alongside exciting up-and-comers bound for stardom. Keeping with tradition, the lineup and festival experiences were curated by the festival founder himself, J. Cole.
To close out the event in spectacular fashion, J. Cole’s Sunday set featured a never-before-seen collaborative festival concert with special guest Drake, with additional unannounced surprise guest performances from Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, and Lil Uzi Vert - all of which collectively offered festival-goers the concert of a lifetime headlined by two of the most acclaimed and accomplished performers of this generation.
Dreamville Festival 2023 also featured performances from international superstars including USHER, whose energetic set included a first-ever live festival performance of his smash hit “Good Love” with female rap duo City Girls among a medley of hits from his 20+ year illustrious career; and Burna Boy’s larger-than-life Day 2 music performance. Additional notable highlights include Summer Walker’s live announcement of her new upcoming EP, Clear 2:Soft Life while inviting labelmate 6lack to perform alongside her; a guest appearance from Ayra Starr during Bas’ set and more.
The two-day celebration also marked a rare reunion for Dreamville Records as J. Cole brought together the entire music roster to perform at the fest including Ari Lennox, Bas, J.I.D, EarthGang, Cozz and Omen, plus Lute who hails from nearby Charlotte - nearly all of whom joined J. Cole onstage for Sunday’s grand finale.
The festival continues to offer an opportunity for J. Cole brings together Dreamville fans worldwide each spring, while also providing a cultural and multi-million economic impact that lasts long after the festival wraps each spring. Attendees were offered a taste of the good life in North Carolina this weekend with dozens of local vendors spread across the Dix Park festival grounds - most of whom were based in the greater Triangle area.
While roaming the grounds, fans were able to immerse themselves in site-wide art installations; learn more about local community organizations along Nonprofit Row; enjoy surprise impromptu marching band performances; and ride the sky-high Ferris wheel offering unparalleled views of the city of Raleigh.
Leading up to the festival on Friday night, Dreamville and Amazon Music co-hosted a day-long educational conference at the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh (CAM Raleigh) centered around music production, promotion and songwriting, while kicking off 50 & Forever, the celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary from Amazon Music. Presented by Rotation on Amazon Music and NC DNCR (The N.C. Department of Natural & Cultural Resources) with additional support from Beatclub, the all-ages event featured words from both executives and artists from Dreamville Records, as well as other award-winning producers, performers and industry experts like Timbaland, 9th Wonder, Brian "B.Dot" Miller, and more who shared insights into their journeys within the recording industry.
The festival team would also like to thank and show appreciation to all the 2023 partners and sponsors who helped make this year’s event possible including Rotation on Amazon and Amazon Music, who once again exclusively live-streamed the two-day event to fans throughout the world; as well as about-face, Bacardi, Everything Legendary, Google Pixel, Lemon Perfect, Monster Energy, Patron Tequila, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Starry, Smirnoff Ice, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Vistaprint, and Visit Raleigh. Proceeds from this year’s event will go on to support charity partners, the Dreamville Foundation and Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy.
Stay up-to-date on future Dreamville Festival news and announcements by visiting the following channels:
WEBSITE: www.DreamvilleFest.com
INSTAGRAM: @dreamvillefest
FACEBOOK: @dreamvillefest
TWITTER: @dreamvillefest
