Wes Jackson, “Support the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival”

The 8th annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival returns to DUMBO on July 14th this year with a new and improved location and more artists and vendors than ever. The infamous Busta Rhymes will be headlining, a follow-up to what was a show-stopping cameo alongside Q-Tip last year.  With the Festival’s move to Pier 3 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the event capacity has increased by a whopping 40%! Not too shabby for an event that saw modest beginnings in a parking lot in 2005!

BHF producers, Brooklyn Bodega, have launched their first ever Kickstarter campaign to fund the Festival.  Organizers are looking to raise $15,000 by Monday, June 18th.  According to the Executive Director of BB, Wes Jackson, “The Hip-Hop community is who we are, who runs this organization and ultimately the ones who keep the lights on. Kickstarter is genius because it provides us a direct link to our consumers. It will re-democratize the financial landscape of Hip-Hop and art in general.”

The Festival identifies itself with the DIY, entrepreneurial spirit of the Hip Hop community. It’s staffed by 90% volunteers and is family-run. The goal of the Kickstarter campaign is to keep ticket prices affordable to keep the Festival accessible and to maintain the diversity of Brooklyn that the Festival represents.