Rap legends 8Ball & MJG, R&B group Dru Hill and zydeco artists Chris Ardoin and Nustep Zydeco are among acts scheduled to perform, June 20-22.
The live music line-up for the 28th annual Let the Good Times Roll Festival has been posted and, like always, this year’s festival boasts an eclectic line-up that includes legends of Southern rap, zydeco, gospel, soul and R&B. The festival, a presentation of Rho Omega and Friends, Inc., will be held, June 20-22, in downtown Shreveport’s Festival Plaza. Info appears to be in the process of being updated on the festival website. A few of the acts that I am personally most excited about include:
Chris Ardoin and Nustep Zydeco
Friday, June 20, 5:45 p.m.
Ardoin, who is the grandson of Creole accordionist and Zydeco pioneer Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin, playfully mixes styles like R&B, hip-hop and zydeco into a cultural brew all his own. If you’re interested in experiencing a true cultural mish-mash that could only be found in Louisiana (okay, and southeastern Texas), hearing this guy croon vocoder-laced R&B lyrics while playing the accordion is a pretty great experience. Here’s a good example of his style,“Girls, Girls, Girls.”
8Ball & MJG
Saturday, June 21, 10:30 p.m.
If you’re going to talk about the greatest rap duos of all time, you have to list 8Ball & MJG alongside names like Outkast, Mobb Deep and UGK. The Memphis, TN-based rappers created a big part of Southern rap’s identity on records like Comin’ Out Hard (1993) and On Top of the World (1995). While it may not suit everyone’s tastes, I always found their material to be rich with storytelling, drama and emotion.
DJ Jubilee
Sunday, June 22, 7:15 p.m.
Let’s just get this out of the way: DJ Jubilee probably invented “Twerking.” Beyond that, he’s a pioneer of New Orleans’ popular brand of hip-hop known as Bounce. Nola.com describes his music as “infectious party rap.”
Here’s the official Facebook event, if you’d like to RSVP or invite friends, and here’s a 20×49.com post from last year about a few of my favorite food items from the festival.
Photo Note: The featured photo at the top of this post is a promotional image of 8Ball & MJG, downloaded from their website for promotional purposes.
