NEWS
LETSGETFR.EE unveiled the lineup for its inaugural festival on Tuesday (March 1), and it includes Missy Elliott, Wizkid, Jhené Aiko and more.
The fest, which organizers are calling “a conscious carnaval,” will take place Aug. 20 and 21 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. Additional performers on the lineup include Jorja Smith, Major Lazer Sound System, Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, Ozuna, Kali Uchis, Flatbush Zombies, Beenie Man, Tiwa Savage and more, with additional artists to be announced soon.
“Carnaval is the world…And the world resides in Queens. Get ready for a real diverse lineup and show that breaks the mold,” LETSGETFR.EE captioned the post announcing the lineup and revealing the colorful poster on Instagram.
According to a press release, the mission of the event is to “close the equity gap for Black, Brown, Asian, and other underrepresented people in the entertainment industry, with the aim of achieving a diversified workforce across all levels in the industry by 2030,” as well as to “drastically shift and empower the advancement of the next generation of…thinkers, artists, activists, and innovators.”
Tickets for the two-day festival go on sale to the general public March 9 at 10 a.m. ET via ticketing platform DICE. Meanwhile, local residents of Queens can register for an exclusive pre-sale beginning March 1 through the event’s official website.
Back in December, Timbaland teased that he was working with Elliott on a new album, which would serve as the artist’s first full-length studio set since 2005’s The Cookbook. Wizkid, meanwhile, is also set to take part in the in-person return of The Roots Picnic this June with Mary J. Blige, Kirk Franklin and more.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
