Portrait of Nas. Courtesy of Sole DXB.
On Tuesday, Sole DXB orchestrated a slow roll-out of its hotly anticipated artist lineup on its official Instagram account, revealing the upcoming performers and headliners one upload at a time. After continuous hours spent refreshing our Instagram feeds in anticipation, it’s officially been confirmed that Nas will headline the 2018 edition of the region’s biggest urban and streetwear event. Now in its seventh year, the festival will take place from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District (d3). The iconic rapper, who is set to headline the main stage on Saturday, December 8, will take the baton from Pusha T, Goldlink, and Kano, who headlined last year’s Tokyo-themed festival. It will be Nasir Jones’s first time performing in the UAE.
The line-up for this year’s South Africa-inspired event is a melange of international and regional talent, with local musicians set to perform including Dubai-based artists Reem Ekay and Zenden Lavon, as well as part-Syrian rapper Chyno. They will take the stage alongside grime artist Giggs and DaniLeigh, a Los Angeles-based singer who was mentored by Prince.
Also on the bill across the weekend are South African rapper Sho Madjozi, one of the first female rappers Roxanne Shante, genre-bending Masego, R&B duo Lion Babe, and dancehall artist F1DEL. Meanwhile, up-and-coming Northampton MC Slowthai will also hit the main stage on Friday.
Lion Babe. Courtesy of Sole DXB.
In addition to the live concerts, sneakerheads can look forward to purchasing footwear and other attire from a slew of sought-after brands showcasing in bespoke booths and pop-ups in the micro-village of cool. Labels include Leaf Apparel, Unknown Union, Almost Gods, 5Pillars, Nor Black Nor White, Shabab International, Precious Trust, and Amongst Few, among others. Meanwhile, footwear brands such as Adidas and Puma will be dropping highly-covetable designs throughout the weekend. Expect interactive talks with influential names in design and fashion, free film screenings, and an open, winner-takes-all basketball tournament made up of 11 teams from the region.
Pre-sale tickets for the weekend-long event were announced last week, but have since sold out. However, remaining weekend (AED 295) and day passes (AED 195) are currently available for purchase on the official Sole DXB website, soledxb.com.
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