Chance the Rapper meets with US Embassy to discuss Jamaica’s Black Star Line Festival
This year, Chance the Rapper is bringing his Black Star Line Festival to Jamaica. The initial festival, scheduled to take place in Ghana, was first announced by Vic Mensa and Chance last year. At the time, Chance and Mensa traveled to Ghana with eight Chicago students in an effort to teach them about their ancestry. It was their second trip to the nation that year. At the Free The Youth headquarters in July, the Chicago-born artists unveiled their plans for the Black Star Line Festival. There were 50,000 people in attendance at the festival in Ghana to see artists like Erykah Badu, Jeremih, and T-Pain.
According to HotNewHipHop, Chance and Mensa artists shared their thoughts on the festival’s meaning and naming in a press release regarding the festival. They explained that the “Black Star Line,” which was “founded in 1919 and operated by Black people,” would connect “America, the Caribbean, and Africa to global shipping and tourism opportunities.”
“The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call. After nearly 40 years, the Ghanian government launched their fleet with the same name, in homage to Marcus Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag,” they added.
Chance the Rapper discussed the festival’s future in a segment during The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon back in March, reports Travel Noire. During the interview, he mentioned that Kingston, Jamaica was a possible location for the next event.
“We’re actually thinking about hosting the next one in Kingston, Jamaica,” he said. “We’re still working it out in our heads, and we love the city of Accra and Ghana and West Africa as a whole. We just want to continue to, like, create community in other spaces.”
The United States Embassy in Jamaica’s official Twitter account shared a photo from Chance’s visit. In the picture, the ambassador is seen smiling as he shakes the rapper’s hand.
“Ambassador Perry met with @ChanceTheRapper as part of his birthday trip to Jamaica,” read the caption on Twitter. “The two discussed the rapper’s upcoming plans to host the Black Star Line Festival in Jamaica.”
Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of any developments within it. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all.