A festival that aims to celebrate both Juneteenth and Detroit’s hip-hop music scene is planned for Hart Plaza.
The inaugural “Hart of Detroit Summer Fest” is set to kick off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 19.
“We’re doing this event because Detroit does deserve the platform,” says festival organizer Chanel Domonique. “We see a Movement [Festival] come to town, we see all of these other festivals come to town, but we have an urban market here that really highlights urban culture, Black culture, hip-hop culture.”
The Hart of Detroit Summer Fest would join other music festivals of a variety of genres held throughout the summer at downtown Detroit’s riverside park including the Movement electronic music festival in May, African World in July, Ribs and R&B in August, and Detroit Jazz Festival in May.
It’s set to feature performances by Detroit rappers including Icewear Vezzo, Peezy, Baby Money, Payroll, Sada Baby, Babyface Ray, Veeve, 2100 Bagz, Pretty Brayah, DBCO, 1UpTee, Ghetto Baby Boom, Babyfxce E, Krispylife Kidd, Snap Dogg, Allstar JR, 22 Da Boat, GT, Samuel Shabazz, and Cash Kidd, plus a few surprises, Domonique says.
Prior to the concert there will be a free block party starting at noon curated and sponsored by the upcoming AfroFuture festival featuring music by afrobeats DJs Cookie, Blakito, and Yungo in addition to performances from Detroit artists Ain’t Afraid, Bruiser Wolf, and Drey Skonie. The experience is also set to include yard games, jit dance classes, vendors, prizes, and giveaways.
“[AfroFuture] has really done a great job tapping in with the city and working with us,” Domonique says of the international African music festival, set to make its U.S. debut in Detroit on Aug. 16-17 at the site of the former Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects. Nigerian singer Asake, Kaytranada, Brazilian singer-songwriter Ludmilla, and Congolese rapper Gims are also on the bill, in addition to local acts like rapper Tee Grizzley, among others.
Domonique is also the primary organizer for “313 Day,” a Detroit hip-hop concert series held in 2022 and 2023. After taking a year off, 313 Day was scheduled to be expanded into a multi-day festival at the Masonic Temple this past March but was canceled just hours before showtime due to a breakdown in the agreement between the organizers and the venue.
Domonique says she plans to reformat 313 Day into a different experience and says she will be more discerning about which venues and entities she partners with moving forward.
“I can’t be too quick to assume that a company is ready to really partner and bring 40 Detroit artists into the building,” she says. “And I’m not ready to eliminate slots to please a venue. And then you just gotta be completely truthful about why you don’t want this show to go on, so for me, yes, it’s made me move different.”
“Hart of Detroit Summer Fest” is also sponsored by Detroit vs. Everybody, Stock Platinum Professionals, and Financial Partners. Dominique says she is working with the Detroit Police Department, the Detroit Fire Department, and Detroit City Council on logistics.
“It is my goal to make sure we highlight our artists in the same manner, in the same light, with the same type of respect,” as others, Domonique says. “I hate to be FUBU about it, but it’s for us, by us.”
Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
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