The 8^th Annual A3C Hip-Hop festival took over downtown Atlanta and the Masquerade this past weekend as artists from all over the world gathered in one spot to celebrate their love of hip-hop. A3C, which stands for “All 3 Coasts”, did just as its title explains bringing together music lovers of all ages and from all walks of life to heart of the South in honor of hip-hop. The weekend’s schedule contained a line-up of several different events. With a plethora of more than 300 artists from all walks of life, there were performances going on at several different stages at several different times. DJ’s from all over had the opportunity to mix on several different occasions, including well known ones such as DJ Red Alert and DJ Holiday. Of all the DJ’s, the most memorable one would have to be DJ Face, an 8-year old little boy who has learned all the tricks of the trade from his father and can scratch and spin better than many of your favorite party DJs. Along with mixing and performances, guests could also attend several panel discussions, watch rappers battle against each other in cyphers and even watch crews battle against each other for cash prizes in an intense break-dancing competition.

“So what’s the difference between rap and hip hop? It’s simple. It’s like sayin’ you love somebody and bein’ in love with somebody. Rap is only a word.” Even if this is just a quote from the 2002 film Brown Sugar, it couldn’t be any truer. Hip-hop is more than just a genre of music, but instead a culture and a lifestyle. It’s about knowing and respecting who came before you in the game and acknowledging those who are grinding to make it today. Events like the A3C Hip-Hop Festival definitely reinstate this heritage by bringing together legends such as 9^th Wonder, Big Boi, Raekwon, Tech N9ne and Slum Village and combine them with new school artists such as Yelawolf, Ab-Soul, Smoke DZA, Chip Tha Ripper and Nipsey Hussle. Along with the unity of the hip-hop community that the festival brought, it also allowed many new listeners to get a taste of other upcoming artists they have never heard of from all across the country. Artists such as Philadelphia rappers Moosh & Twist of OCD, Nashville artist Chancellor Warhol and New York rapper Denzil Porter all had a chance to make some new fans in the city of Atlanta.

If you missed this year’s events, don’t worry. Although you did miss the opportunity to network, watch legendary performances and make memories that will last you a lifetime, you’ll always have another chance. The festival has been occurring in the month of October for the last 8 years and will be back in town next year. For those of you all who did attend however, see you next year! 🙂

Editor of Music, Giselle B.