It’s the perfect way to celebrate Black History Month’s transition into Women’s History Month.
The Black Girls Rock Fest brings a series of pop-up events to D.C.’s Kennedy Center from Feb. 29 to March 9.
“Before we started BGR Fest … we were at the Kennedy Center for another hip-hop event and they needed to curate a women’s portion of the event, so I curated this incredible ‘Black Girls Rock’ moment with Lauryn Hill, Mumu Fresh, MC Lyte, Be’la Dona, Jean Grae,” founder Beverly Bond told WTOP. “It started five years ago and every year we have this incredible array of events and concerts and sometimes we have talks. … We love D.C.”
The lineup kicks off Thursday, Feb. 29, with the Vibes & Vinyl Party & Jam Session at the Studio K creative hub.
“I’m a DJ, so of course we have to bring that element to the table,” Bond said. “I got some of my really dope DJ friends. … We have DJ Miss H.E.R., who is D.C.’s own, she’s a fabulous DJ; we have DJ OP Miller, who is one of the dopest DJs that I know; then of course DJ Aktive, who is a superstar DJ, he DJs for everyone, he’s Janet Jackson’s regular tour DJ, but he also DJs for Nas, Kanye [West]. You name it, he’s done it, one of the best to ever do it.”
After that, you can jam out on Saturday, March 2, with “After Dark” at Studio K.
“We’ve got the lovely Elle Varner, who is an amazing artist, musician, writer,” Bond said. “I feel she’s a bit underrated because she does so much creatively. She’s a musician and an artist through and through and I’m so glad that we have her in this intimate setting where people can really vibe out with her. Then, we have a new artist out of Canada, ZADA, who’s making a lot of noise and is also a great up-and-coming ‘WHO ROCKS NEXT’ artist.”
Bond’s husband Bazaar Royale performs free on the Millennium Stage on Thursday, March 7.
“Bazaar Royale happens to be the love of my life, my husband, but he’s also a huge rock and soul artist,” Bond said. “He was signed to DMX for a number of years and Def Jam and now he’s an independent artist, but Bazaar is just an incredible sight and an incredible artist to witness. I’m not just saying that because he’s my husband; I’m saying that because he’s dope and he’s always been that way and has got his own ‘ghetto metal’ movement.”
The final event of this run is Nia Dinero free on Millennium Stage on Saturday, March 9.
“We always want to highlight what’s new and next,” Bond said. “We want to make sure that our platforms for Black Girls Rock and our BGR Fest always highlight artists that are coming up, so we thought Nia would be a great addition to our ‘WHO ROCKS NEXT’ stage for BGR Fest.”
It all culminates in June with the Black Girls Rock Awards in Atlanta, Georgia, to air at a later date on Lifetime.
“After a five-year hiatus, the Black Girls Rock Awards, which aired on BET for nine years, is now coming back to television on a new network, we have a new partner in Lifetime, and in a new city,” Bond said. “We’re doing something to expand and elevate the brand even more, so we’re really excited about it, people have missed it and the response is overwhelming seeing how many people are excited about this show coming back.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
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