New York To Atlanta: The 2012 A3C Hip Hop Festival Preview

The A3C Hip Hop Festival returns to Atlanta this October, promising to deliver three days, six stages and more than 300 artists in what has become the premier hip hop event in the Southeast.

The 8^th annual event, taking place from October 11-13, continues with the mantra of the event, to be “the premier gathering place for MCs, DJs and producer that create hip hop music as well as participants and fans of the culture.”

Past years have lived up to this grand vision. More than 15,000 attendees descended on Atlanta in 2011, with similar numbers expected this time around.

Aside from artist appearances, the A3C festival boasts many additional activities during the two day, three night event. DJ and breakdance battles, producer showcases, informative panels, pro-audio demonstrations and workshops, film screenings and vendors galore will help fill out the event, providing a thorough smorgasbord of hip hop-related activities for the thousands expected.

Of course, the daunting multitude of artists on the bill is still the highlight, and this year, several heavyweights top the list, along with dozens of buzzworthy independent, underground and upcoming MCs and groups from across the country.

We are particularly looking forward to seeing our New York-area locals bring their brand of hip hop to The A. The big announcement recently was the addition of Raekwon, an iconic New York rap artist if there ever was one. Aside from the Chef, we see a smattering of tri-state artists in the initial announcements, including staff favorites like Skyzoo, Fred The Godson, Soul Khan and Torae.

Of course, we’ll be interested in discovering great talent from elsewhere, and eager to check out some of the other big names such as Twista, Tech N9ne, Slum Village and Killer Mike. After all, we’re fans too. But since our editorial focus shines solely on our hometown hip hop heroes, we have put together the following preview of select New York artists scheduled to appear during the 2012 A3C Hip Hop Festival.

Because these things tend to be fluid, the full lineup, and our preview, is subject to change, but will serve as a general guideline of what fans of New York-area hip hop can expect. We’ve also included some showcases and festival features of interest that are organized by NY-area entities.

Birthplace Magazine is a proud media sponsor of the 2012 A3C Hip Hop Festival and will be on hand to report from the scene. Heading down from the NY-area? Hit us up at a3c@birthplacemag.com and we’ll make sure we cross paths while we’re down there!

Without further ado, our NY@A3C primer:

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