Sole DXB announces a globally diverse heavyweight lineup for its 8th Edition

Sole DXB, with the support of its partner Cadillac and strategic partners Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Tourism, is proud to announce their 2019 stage line-up. The premiere cultural & lifestyle festival returns for December 5, 6 and 7 at d3, with tickets now on sale at www.soledxb.com/tickets.

Sole DXB welcomes a mix of legendary international and regional talent, offering attendees a chance to experience some of the biggest names from across the globe, spanning 40 years of hip hop, soul, reggae, and R&B, in one venue. Friday, December 6, PUMA will present Burna Boy for his headline show in Dubai.  New York legends Wu-Tang Clan will headline Saturday, December 7, celebrating the 25^th anniversary of groundbreaking album ‘36 Chambers’.  On stage on the same day, yasiin bey and Talib Kweli are Black Star, for the 20^th anniversary celebration of their monumental collaboration.  

Jamaican sensation Koffee will be on main stage for her first performance in the region, along with fellow Jamaican, Grammy-nominated artist, Protoje, who joins the lineup courtesy of British casual wear brand, Fred Perry.  PUMA will dive further into an exploration of the Islands’ talent by bringing Lila Ike and Sevana.  Maryland rapper and PUMA global brand ambassador, YBN Cordae, will also perform in the PUMA space on Friday with tracks from his freshly released and highly acclaimed debut studio album The Lost Boy.   

With the UK scene, always an essential element of the annual festival, adidas Originals will bring London’s ‘Godfather of Grime’ Wiley to the Main Stage on Friday, while Ocean Wisdom will join Sole DXB for his debut Middle East performance. 

Other explosive additions to this years’ lineup will Washington, D.C.-area rapper Rico Nasty will perform Saturday, weaving hip-hop with her self-described “sugar trap” aesthetic. 

And last year’s headliner Nas, will have a spiritual presence at the festival over the whole weekend, with Friday seeing his faultless apprentice Dave East take to the main stage, while Saturday will see his drummer and co-collaborator on Summer single Jarreau of Rap, Xharlie Black (the new alias of Eddie Cole) bring some jazz-inspired Hip Hop to the festival. The main stage on Saturday will also welcome home Montreal-based Iraqi Hip Hop artist, Narcy and on Friday, The Foreign Beggars will lend a taste of London Hip Hop and Dubstep to proceedings, as well as Dubai-based artist, TAC, who will make his Sole DXB debut. 

Acts confirmed: 

Wu-Tang Clan – One of the most influential hip hop groups of all time are having a revival that many peers could only dream of. Celebrating 25-years in the business with a sold-out tour, a headline slot at Glastonbury Festival and two incredible TV series’ they head to Sole DXB to perform the lyrics and beats that make up the soundtrack of so many rap fans’ lives. 

Black Star – yasiin bey and Talib Kweli are Black Star. The Brooklyn alumni are back working on new material, ready to be showcased at Sole DXB. Fans will be delighted to see yasiin bey return to the festival for the second year running, this time to see him in full-scale performance mode. 

Wiley – Presented by adidas Originals, The ‘Godfather of Grime’ will take to the main stage to smash out a back catalogue of epic tunes that span the last 15 years and culminate in the highly acclaimed 11th studio album: Godfather. The East London MC, rapper, songwriter, DJ and record producer has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to music, by everyone from the mainstream and alternative music press, to the British monarchy and empire: picking up an MBE in last year’s New Year’s honours. 

Burna Boy – Presented by PUMA, The Nigerian singer has been called the face of “Afro-fusion” because of his ability to masterfully blend the sounds of West Africa with elements of dancehall and Hip Hop. The talented songwriter has spent the year picking up awards for last year’s  Afrobeats and reggae-inspired album: Outside, before releasing his fourth studio album ‘African Giant’ to much acclaim this July. Find him headlining the main stage at Sole DXB on Friday.

Rico Nasty – This rap queen from New York City knows how to rock a live show: Will you get sweet and cute Rico? Or punk-rock Nasty? Whatever surprises are in store: seriously solid rhymes   (without an autotune in earshot) and heavy, jumping beats just asking for a mosh pit, are 100% guaranteed. 

Dave East – The Harlem rapper and actor is fire at the moment, with two singles from his recently released album Survival Pacc: Everyday featuring Gunna and Wanna Be G with Max B making serious noise. In addition to revealing a project with the late Nipsey Hussle, the Nas-prodigy is receiving rave reviews for playing Method Man in the Hulu mini-series: Wu-Tang: An American Saga based on the lives of his fellow Sole DXB performers. 

Koffee – The 19-year-old from Spanish Town, near Kingston might be young and slight in stature but she’s a total powerhouse when it comes to the impact she’s making on the reggae scene in Jamaica – and now at an international level. Winner of single of the year at the Jamaica Music Industry Association awards for the roots-influenced track Toast, which has amassed more than four million streams on Spotify, she heads to Sole DXB to bring a flavour of the Caribbean to proceedings. 

YBN Cordae – Presented by PUMA, the Maryland artist is one of the most exciting young rappers of the moment and anybody who is somebody knows it – and is queueing up for a collaboration. His track RNP featuring Anderson Paak (produced by J Cole) might just be the ‘feel-good’ track of the season, and adds to his long list of musical alliances with stars including Chance The Rapper, Logic and H.E.R.

Protoje – Presented by Fred Perry, The Grammy-nominated songwriter from Jamaica became an international name when single Who Knows featuring Chronixx topped global chart in 2014, and amassed over 70 million+ views on YouTube. His star has risen ever since and he has now been given the moniker of the ‘figurehead of The Reggae Revival’. Protoje, born Oje Ken Ollivierre, has sold out headline UK, US, and European tours, performed at Glastonbury, Coachella, Reading & Leeds, Boomtown, Summer Jam, Afro-Punk, Canada’s Pemberton Music Festival, and now adds Sole DXB to that prestigious list. 

Foreign Beggars- The London-based Foreign Beggars make hip-hop, grime, and dubstep. The band, formed in 2002, comprises MCs Orifice Vulgatron (Pavan Mukhi) and Metropolis (Ebow Graham), as well as producer Dag Nabbit and Dj NoNames. The group also regularly performs and records with beatboxes Schlomo, MC Zani, and THEePETEBOX, as well as rappers Dr.Syntax and Kyza. Almost all of the Foreign Beggars’ output is collaborative. This enables the group to cover a wide range of styles, including forays into drum’n’bass with Dutch act Noisia. 

Lila Ike – Presented by PUMA, The Jamaican songbird might be just 25-years-old and yet to release a full studio album, but is already being heralded as one of the most exciting new voices of the reggae revival. Leaving behind her freestyling days at school, Alecia Grey first showcased her smoother sound at open mic nights at the Northern Caribbean University in Kingston. She soon started mixing in the same circles as leading lights of the revival including Jah9, Kabaka Pyramid and fellow Sole DXB performer Protoje. With four critically-acclaimed singles and a summer of electrifying festival performances in the bag, she’s expected to bring some serious soul to Sole. 

Sevana – Presented by PUMA, The girl who can do it all: singer, actress and model, is adding her own touch of pop to the Jamaican reggae sound. With a voice that’s at times reminiscent of the legendary Lauren Hill and at other times of the beautifully eccentric Solange, her commercial success seems guaranteed. Born Anna-Sharé Blake in Jamaica’s, Westmoreland, Sevana coined her name after Savannah-La-Mar, the picturesque coastal town where she grew up. Singing from the age of eight, Sevena first tasted fame as part of fledgling girl group SLR, when she appeared on Jamaican TV talent competition Digicel Rising Stars. The group came third, but Sevana hasn’t stopped winning since – expect non-stop soulful vibes at the PUMA space. 

Narcy – Yassin ’Narcy’ Alsalman – The leading MC makes his return to Sole DXB, this time with a performance on the main stage. Narcy, formerly known as ‘The Narcicyst’ will bring his lyrics of Arab life in diaspora, and beyond, from his home in Montreal, Canada back to his birthplace of Dubai. The published author, celebrated actor, award-winning videographer, visual artist and musical champion has collaborated on projects with everyone from Dave Chapelle and Spike Lee to fellow Sole DXB main stage elite Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey. Expect fierce bars and crowd-pleasing beats.

Xharlie Black – Eddie Cole: the man with the legendary name of his great-uncle Nat King Cole and the renowned job of being Hip Hop royalty Nas’ musical director and drummer has gone underground, and returns to Sole DXB’s main stage under his new alias. This summer, Xharlie Black produced Jarreau of Rap the first single from Nas’ latest album The Lost Tapes 2, gaining notoriety for breaking the boundaries between Hip Hop, jazz and R&B. Expect more of the same eccentric fusion at this year’s festival.

Stay tuned to Sole DXB channels for more announcements in the coming weeks.