1.31.2011

Paid Dues Hip Hop Festival

In the first of many festivals I would love to attend (but probably won't), Paid Dues Festival has made their full lineup official today. Below is the press release. I still have yet to see Black Star live and really need to...Someone needs to hire me to travel around and write about all of these festivals.


"MURS IN ASSOCIATION WITH GUERILLA UNION PRESENT
PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP FESTIVAL 2011
SATURDAY, APRIL 2 AT THE NOS EVENTS CENTER IN SAN BERNARDINO, CA
2011 HEADLINERS REVEALED, INCLUDING
MOS DEF AND TALIB KWELI AS ‘BLACK STAR’, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE AND MURS
FULL LINE-UP DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED JANUARY 2011
GUERILLA UNION PRE-SALE STARTS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10
GENERAL ON-SALE STARTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11
PAID DUES TEAMS UP WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
MURS (Living Legends) in association with Guerilla Union (Rock The Bells, Cypress Hill SmokeOut) have announced the date for the sixth installment of the PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP FESTIVAL. The annual festival will return on Saturday, April 2, 2011 to the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA. The premier independent festival showcases the best and brightest in independent hip hop. “From conscious to gangsta, freestyle to written, jazzy to grimy…”, URB.com described PAID DUES 2010 as a festival that “showed what hip-hop is like at its most influential, diverse, and creative.” PAID DUES 2011 will feature its most powerful headlining performances to date. MOS DEF and TALBI KWELI will come together to reprise their roles as BLACK STAR for a very special reunion show. Social and politically charged lyricist and activist, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE will also headline in addition to MURS, celebrated independent artist and festival creator. The complete 2011 line-up will be unveiled January 2011. Festival organizers encourage fans to check the PAID DUES website regularly and subscribe to the Guerilla Union newsletter for the latest festival news and updates.
PAID DUES will return as an all-day, all-ages event with multiple stages highlighting the most eminent and flourishing independent artists in hip hop. Chang Weisberg, of Guerilla Union states, “I’m excited to announce this year’s headliners for PAID DUES much earlier than expected. It’s like giving your friends an early Christmas gift. I’m thrilled that Mos Def and Talib Kweli recognize the importance of participating with an independent platform like PAID DUES. This will be Immortal Technique’s first appearance at PAID DUES. His performance not only brings immense independent credibility, but also accents the political importance of the Black Star / Immortal Technique marquee bookings”. MURS is also thrilled, “This year’s show is special because individually, Mos Def and Talib Kweli have done so much for true hip hop music, but as Black Star they are one of the most important acts in indie hip hop. It is a complete honor to finally have Immortal Technique at PAID DUES. He is an activist/ artist whose movement is respected and praised literally around the world.” MURS also shares news that his appearance on PAID DUES will be part of a new tour beginning this winter, “It felt so good last year to actually be part of PAID DUES as an artist that I had to do it one more time. I will be starting my ‘Road To Paid Dues’ Tour on February 18, spreading the good word all across our beautiful country and the last stop will be PAID DUES.” About what fans should expect when the complete festival details are unveiled, Weisberg adds, “MURS has been deep in the lab trying to bring together another unforgettable festival. A third stage is being added to this year’s edition of PAID DUES and we will announce the entire roster of performers right after the new year, but I’m still twisting MURS’ arm to let us leak some more news before”.
MURS and Guerilla Union have also teamed up with Habitat For Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) for the first ever Paid Dues Habitat Project. On February 12, 2011, 25 fans will have the opportunity to work alongside MURS, Guerilla Union staff and other PAID DUES artists to help make a difference for hardworking families and individuals in need of simple, sustainable and affordable housing, in the greater Los Angeles area. The Paid Dues Habitat Project will help HFH GLA continue to offer low-income families and individuals a hand up, not a hand out, by providing them with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build and own their own homes. MURS shares his excitement for this new philanthropic initiative, “With PAID DUES, I have been dreaming of taking our community spirit one step further, and this year it has finally happened. We will be working with one of my favorite non-profits, Habitat”. Details on how fans can pre-register and participate will be available soon. For details on the Paid Dues Habitat Project, fans can visit the PAID DUES website. To learn more about HFH GLA and how to get involved, please visit www.habitatla.org.
The Guerilla Union ticket pre-sale will begin on Friday, December 10 at 10:00am PST, exclusively on Ticketfly.com, for registered Guerilla Union newsletter members. Tickets will be available to the general public online via Ticketfly.com and at key retail locations starting Saturday, December 11.
PAID DUES celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2010 with a sold out show, where for the first time in its history, the landmark event expanded to multiple stages. The all ages show featured performances by Ice Cube, Murs and 9th Wonder, Tha Dogg Pound, Dilated Peoples and reunited special guests, Freestyle Fellowship. 2009 marked the festival’s largest show to date with over 7,000 attendees featuring artists such as Atmosphere, Tech N9ne, Living Legends, Eyedea and Abilities and Brother Ali. In 2008, the sold-out Southern California event featured artists such as Sage Francis, Little Brother, and Hieroglyphics. 2008 also saw the festival make stops in New York, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Denver, CO and San Francisco, CA. In 2006 the first PAID DUES festival–with a line-up featuring Felt, Aesop Rock, Living Legends, El-P, Hangar 18 and more–sold out with over 5,000 concert goers packing the Shrine Expo Center in Los Angeles. The following year MURS and Guerilla Union, along with performers Felt, Living Legends, Sage Francis, Brother Ali and others–teamed up again for the PAID DUES festival tour for over ten dates across the country.
www.paidduesfestival.com
www.myspace.com/paidduesfestival
www.facebook.com/paidduesfestival
www.twitter.com/paid_dues
The PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP FESTIVAL is produced by
MURS and GUERILLA UNION "

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