Jay Electronica, Other Hip Hop Heavies Hit NYC’s SummerStage Concert Series

Rising hip hop star Jay Electronica will perform this summer for the New York City Parks annual SummerStage Concert Series, joining other hip hop luminaries such as Pharoahe Monch, Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, EPMD, Brand Nubian, Nice & Smooth, The Awesome 2, Kool Herc, The Force M.D.s, Roy Ayers and Gil Scott-Heron.

The yearly concert series will expand into other parks this summer, previously having been held mainly at the crown jewel of NYC parks, Central Park. A particular focus this year will be on reflecting New York as hip hop’s birthplace, according to press releases from the organization running the events, CityParks Foundation. (Now if only there was a website dedicated to New York-area hip hop that… Oh, wait. There is one. Ours!)

All silly self-plugging aside, you can’t beat free outdoor concerts in New York City in the summer, so we are very eager to see some of our hip hop veterans, as well as electric up-and-comers, hit these stages this year, and we are always supportive of organizations which, like us, recognize that the contribution New York City has made to hip hop continues to this day.

The series kicks off with Jay Electronica at Brooklyn’s Red Hook Park on June 1. Keep an eye on the SummerStage website for all the upcoming event information.