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This year’s headliners include American rapper 50 Cent on Friday, Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro on Saturday, and rock band Snow Patrol on Sunday. Other notable acts performing on the main stage this weekend are Wet Leg, Fontaines D.C., Jade, Alessi Rose, James Bay, Gracie Abrams, The Kooks, and Twin Atlantic.   

The King Tut’s Stage includes artists Tanner Adell, Underworld, Jake Bugg, Shed Seven, Good Neighbours, Arthur Hill, and Brooke Combe. BBC Introducing stages features The Rooks, Matilda Mann, Ben Ellis, Bemz, and Vlure. The BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage includes Nimino, Jaguar, Jazzy, Charlie Hedges, Arielle Free, and Marianne.  

The TRNSMT festival started back in 2017 with around 120,000 people attending. They expanded the event over two weekends in 2018 but have since brought it back to one weekend. The festival now attracts around 150,000 attendees, with an estimated 50,000 people each day. It has become a major event in the UK music festival scene. 

The TRNSMT festival features four different stages: The Main Stage, hosting the biggest names and headliners, King Tut’s Stage with a mix of established and new talent, BBC Introducing Stage, and BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage, which includes local and international DJs.   

The festival’s headline partner is Rockstar Energy Drink, along with other partnerships including Pepsi, Smirnoff, Jägermeister, and BBC Radio 1. You can download the TRNSMT app to see stage times for all artists, the site map, real-time updates throughout the weekend, and your tickets. 

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The festival offers easily accessible parking, entrances, and viewing platforms for the stages, providing a place for wheelchair users. TRNSMT is also a signatory of the Green Nation Sustainability Charter, showing importance and dedication to environmental responsibility while holding the event in a public park. They include sustainable food options and promote sustainable fashion through a pop-up shop featured at the festival. 

Check out TRNSMT’s full festival lineup here.   

Joining Charli as a headliner is hip-hop legend 50 Cent – the American rap star previously headlined Parklife in 2022, in a grand performance that saw him backed by a live band and DJ, revisiting hits such as “What Up, Gangsta?” and “Candy Shop”.

Also high up on the bill is Jorja Smith. The MOBO-nominated soul singer will be making her Parklife debut. Adding some more R&B flavours will be ‘Messy’ singer Lola Young and British girl-group FLO.

50 Cent, who will also be headlining Dublin festival Longitude this year, recently completed a residency in Vegas at PH Live in Planet Hollywood. The NY rappers shows received mixed reviews. The Daily Mail reports that one Vegas blogger, Jennifer Gay, labelled it one of the “worst” performances she’s ever seen.

After criticizing the sound quality, as well as lack of enthusiasm from 50, Jennifer wrote, “I understand that he’s successful and doesn’t need a residency, so why do it if he doesn’t want to put any effort into it?” Let’s hope 50’s Parklife performance can do more to please the crowd.

Meanwhile, Jorja Smith has tour dates scheduled this year in support of her 2023 album ‘Falling Or Flying’. She has gigs booked in the UK, US, Europe and South America. She’ll be performing in Manchester and Wolverhampton in May, and Dublin and London in June.

Fans of dance music will feel surely satisfied with some of the names on the line-up – South Korean house hitmaker Peggy Gou will grace the stage as she did in 2021. Multi-genre musician Joy Orbison will also bring his eclectic electronic sounds to the festival. Legendary dubstep duo Skream & Benga will perform a set, as will drum ‘n’ bass group Rudimental.

There will be stage takeovers from various outfits, curating a range of different sounds. XXL will be providing hard techno sounds, Worried About Henry will give some high-energy DnB, Ghosts of Garage will bring UKG, and Manchester venue YES will also cover a stage.

There will be some new changes brought to this year’s festival. A brand-new stage, Matinée, will open featuring a 360° DJ booth. There’ll also be a new location for VIP & Backstage areas, to be centred within the heart of the park itself.

There were some mix-ups last year with the lineup, with two massive headliners J Hus and Fisher both dropping out. Hopefully it’s a full house this year.

The prices for this year’s Parklife will start from £85 day tickets, before booking fees. Weekend tickets will begin from £135. Tickets will be available from Ticketmaster and Skiddle. You can see the full line-up below.

For 50 Cent, this show marks the first of two UK appearances in 2025; the New York rap icon will also headline TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow from July 11-13 alongside Fontaines D.C, Snow Patrol, and Gracie Abrams. 

Scotland, you don’t wanna miss this! I’ll be headlining @trnsmtfest this July. Tickets on sale Friday pic.twitter.com/ZtAp1fP84F

— 50cent (@50cent) December 3, 2024

Widely regarded as one of Hip-Hop’s most influential figures, 50 Cent continues to make waves in the industry. Recently, he made headlines for declining a $3m offer to perform at a Donald Trump rally in New York during the US Presidential Election, a decision that aligns with Hip-Hop’s political roots.  

The Tottenham show marks 10 years since his most recent, and first independent, album ‘Animal Ambition’. Despite debuting at No.4 on the US Billboard 200 with 47,000 sales in its first week – modest figures compared to the multi-platinum success of ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and ‘The Massacre’ – ‘Animal Ambition’ represented a significant milestone in independent artistry.

His departure from Interscope Records reflects a movement among artists to embrace independence, utilising streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube to distribute music globally and engage directly with fans through social media. Independent releases not only provide artists with creative freedom but also a greater share of revenue, reshaping the music industry and the role of record labels. 

For Mary J. Blige, the one-off gig follows her North American headline tour in early 2025 and November release of her 15th studio album, ‘Gratitude’. The record blends soulful R&B with Hip-Hop elements and marks a return to her roots. Fans can expect to hear live performances of tracks from this album at the Tottenham show, as well as her earlier hits including songs from the monumental ‘What’s the 411?’ album, released in 1992.

Although ‘Gratitude’ did not achieve huge commercial success, the album reinforces Bilge’s musical journey throughout her 3-decade long career. This year, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, alongside legends like Cher and Ozzy Osbourne, a title which the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul undoubtedly deserves. 

The music of #RockHall2024 Inductee @maryjblige mirrors universal experiences in love and life, providing a soundtrack to our triumphs as well as our heartache. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul pours her whole heart into these anthems, with encouraging notes of hope… pic.twitter.com/8H41WkJSn3

— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) November 10, 2024

Joining Hip-Hop and R&B stars, Davido will grace the Tottenham Hotspur stage ahead of his upcoming album ‘5ive’ dropping early next year. This follows his highly anticipated ‘Timeless’ record, released in 2023, which fused Afrobeats with global pop elements.

Known for hits like ‘Dami Duro’ and ‘Fall’ – the latter of which become one of the longest-charting Nigerian pop songs in Billboard history – Davido has been a pioneer in elevating Afrobeats on the world stage and July 2023 will see him bring his signature style to the UK. 

 

 

 

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Consequently, the July 2025 show promises to be a monumental event for fans, uniting three trailblazing artists whose legacies have defined Hip-Hop, R&B, and Afrobeats. As a result, be sure to set your alarms for 10am Friday and secure your spot at this once-in-a-lifetime experience hosted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

If successful with their filing, Festival Republic would host a new three-day event in Luton’s Stockwood Park. The proposed dates for the new event would fall on the spring bank holiday, Saturday, May 25th to Monday, May 27th. As well as performances, Benn’s application has been reported to propose “a funfair and sponsor activations”. Mirroring the format of the company’s other festivals, the proposed event will likely include the all the bells and whistles associated with their mainline stage shows.

Although Luton Council has already discussed this application, their decision has not yet been made public. For many, festivals can be seen as great economic boost to an area, especially if the event does not provide camping facilities. Large numbers of festivalgoers need accommodation and food which can be provided by local businesses after the day’s shows have come to a close. However, this benefit can often come at the cost of residents, as noise levels will be elevated by both the event itself and by its sometimes-rowdy participants. It doesn’t seem likely that the proposed festival will be a camping affair as the documentation filed does not imply nor mention overnight accommodation.

Other factors to be considered in the council’s decision are the effects that a large-scale event, like this one, would have on Luton’s public transport infrastructure. This is especially relevant, as Stockwood Park is only 1.5 miles from the town’s centre. Either way, the final decision from Luton Council will likely be announced within the week.

This year is looking promising for Festival Republic, as Finsbury Park’s Wireless is set to announce its 2024 line up next week, and Reading/Leeds has already teased the first ten acts for this year’s extravaganza. Among those performing at Reading’s and Leeds’ 2024 incarnation, are DJ and producer Fred Again.., Lana Del Rey, and Liam Gallagher.

Update: As of January 22nd, Luton Council said that Melvin Benn’s “application was granted with minor amendments“. Due to residents’ concerns of increased noise, congestion, and anti-social behaviour, Luton Council has arranged for noise to be monitored during the event as well as a noise hotline that would allow locals to complain about disruption in residential areas.

The team’s manager Richie Brown has explained that a parent of one of the AFC Rumney players had worked with 50 Cent on a recent tour, and was urged by some other keen parents to “see if you can get some sponsorship out of him for us”.

Brown commented on the matter, “He said he would ask the question – worst case scenario was [50 Cent] would have just said no. Thankfully he didn’t, he agreed to it. He sponsored our away kit first of all, and then we were a little bit cheeky. We asked for a little bit more, and he sponsored us again for our tracksuits.”

 The team plan to debut their new kits next week for their first away game of the season. Richie Brown said the team are also “going to get a few photos taken and sent over to him, then hopefully he can give us a good luck video or something to acknowledge it all. We’re massively appreciative of everything he’s doing for us right now. We love the support.”

We feel absolutely over the moon that our u14s Girls have been sponsored by World Known Superstar Actor / Music Producer @50cent @gunitbrand

He has provided our girls with a brand new, top quality tracksuits & away kit which we look forward to wearing this season

Thank You pic.twitter.com/l957VejqJx

— Cardiff BluebellesFC (@CBluebellesFC) October 5, 2023

After being discovered by rapper Eminem, New York born 50 Cent shot to fame back in 2003 with his smash hit “In Da Club”. Additionally, G-Unit was an American Hip-Hop group that included 50 Cent, alongside Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks.

Due to the rapper’s mid-naughties fame, team manager Brown seems to think that despite the players being excited, the sponsorship is an even bigger hit with the parents. “I’m sure more of them know who he is than the players because of their ages, but the buzz around the team and the whole club really is amazing and its all down to him.”

This year’s Wireless Festival will run on the Friday 7th July until Sunday 9th July with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and D-Block Europe as the headlining performers. 50 Cent is also set to perform as a special guest. It will take place at Finsbury Park in London bringing the rap and urban community back together.

On Wireless Festival’s official Instagram, it was announced that tickets had “OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT” as seen below:

Although not all names on the lineup has been revealed, musicians including Lil Uzi Vert, Metro Boomin, FLO, Mariah The Scientist, Lil Durk, and Lil Tjay will be performing across the weekend.

BBC 1XTRA is this year’s official broadcast partner for Wireless Festival 2023. They will be broadcasting live from Finsbury Park allowing fans to follow along on BBC Sounds, and BBC iPlayer.

The following BBC Radio 1XTRA hosts are confirmed to appear across the weekend: Kenny Allstar, Seani B, DJ Target, Tiffany Calver, Nadia Jae, and Remi Burgz.

See the announcement video for the lineup names below:

2023 Names are here

@nellarose @yungfilly1 @Darkestman_1 @HenrieVIII @itsNadiaJae @KennyAllstar pic.twitter.com/rJSTCgkQIp

— Wireless Festival (@WirelessFest) January 25, 2023

Last year, Wireless took place over at Crystal Palace, Birmingham, as well as Finsbury Park. However, it will only be held at Finsbury Park this year for the entire three-day event. Headlining artists for Wireless Festival 2022 included the likes of Cardi B, SZA, Nicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Dave, and Tyler, The Creator.

The music festival has been running since 2005 with headlining artists including Jay-Z, P!nk, The Black Eyed Peas, Pulp, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Stormzy.

Those who do not want to miss out are encouraged to quickly purchase tickets to avoid disappointment while limited VIP packages are still available.

Remember to be aware of ticket scams and only purchase tickets via the official Gopuff delivers Wireless and their official ticket partners.

Here is the list of artists announced to perform so far:

Friday 7th July

• Playboi Carti
• Yeat
• Lil Uzi Vert
• Metro Boomin
• Lancey Foux
• Ice Spice
• Kenny All Star
• Ken Carson
• Latto
• Destroy Lonely
• Homixide Gang
• Lola Brooke

and more…

Saturday 8th July

• Travis Scott
• Lil Yachty
• Headie One
• Bryson Tiller
• FLO
• Joey Bada$$
• Lucki
• Mariah The Scientist
• Clavish
• NLE Choppa

and more…

Sunday 9th July

• D-Block Europe
• 50 Cent
• Lil Durk
• Popcaan
• Lil Tjay
• Dexta Daps
• DJ Target
• K-Trap
• GloRilla
• Black Sherif
• Dréya Mac

and more…

Buy tickets here

Fans of the rapper were left speculating when he posted a countdown with the caption “20 years later” on his Instagram on the 3^rd May. 50 Cent announced the tour on the next day relieving the suspense with the caption, “You’ve waited long enough!”. He added, “I’m hittin’ the globe on this one, making stops across North America and Europe including Toronto, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Houston, Amsterdam, Oslo, Paris, and many more”.

The Final Lap Tour will kick off in July this summer in Salt Lake City with 50 Cent playing across the United States and Canada until mid-September. The rapper will then resume his tour 11 days in Amsterdam and play throughout Europe before finishing the tour in the UK in November.

Supporting 50 Cent across all dates will be his long-time friend Busta Rhymes and on all North American dates will be Chicago-based hip hop artist Jeremih. More guests are to be announced.

Tickets for Europe and UK dates will be available on local presale at 10 am local time on Wednesday 10^th May. Tickets will be on sale to the general public at 10 am local time on Friday 12^th May. For more information and tickets see here.

The best-selling album of 2003, 50 Cent put gangsta rap back in style with his effortless charm and heaps of swagger on his debut. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was released on the 6^th February 2003 via Interscope, Dr Dre’s Aftermath, Eminem’s Shady, and 50’s own label G-Unit. The record was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 46^th Grammys, won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2003 American Music Awards, and Top Billboard 200 Album at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards. Numerous publications have listed it as one of the best records of the noughties with Rolling Stone placing it at number 280 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List.

Watch the video for “In Da Club” below:

It’s been a year since 50 Cent performed in the UK. Last June, the rapper played in Manchester, Edinburgh, and London as part of his Green Light Gang World Tour.

Last year, 50 collaborated with Lil Durk and Jermih on the single “Power Powder Respect”. The Rapper has not released an album since his fifth LP, 2014’s Animal Ambition. Fans are speculating that the title of his tour indicates this may be 50’s final tour before he steps back from music.

See below for the full list of 50 Cent’s Europe and UK dates:

28/09/23 – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam
29/09 – Barclays Arena – Hamburg
30/09 – Royal Arena – Copenhagen
04/10 – Spektrum – Oslo
05/10 – Spektrum – Trondheim
07/10 – Avicii Arena – Stockholm
09/10 – Arena Riga – Riga
11/10 – Atlas Arena – Lodz
14/10 – Mercedes-Benz Arena – Berlin
15/10 – Rudolf-Weber-Arena – Oberhausen
20/10 – Hallenstadion – Zurich
21/10 – Palais Nikaia – Nice
22/10 – Mediolanum Forum – Milan
24/10 – Olympiahalle – Munich
25/10 – SAP Arena – Mannheim
26/10 – Forest National – Brussels
28/10 – O2 Arena – Prague
31/10 – Zenith – Strasbourg
02/11 – Zenith – Nantes
03/11 – La Defense Arena – Paris
06/11 – 3Arena – Dublin
09/11 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
10/11 – AO Arena – Manchester
11/11 – The O2 – London
12/11 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham

LONDON! It’s going down Friday June 10th at the SSE Arena, Wembley. We’re going to have a good time! Don’t Miss Out • https://t.co/HDHrnuGB3Z pic.twitter.com/VXU44Ljl1p

— 50cent (@50cent) January 26, 2022

The hitmaker is set to play London’s The SSE Arena on 10th June 2022; the upcoming arena show will be the artist’s first performance in the capital since his 2018 show at The O2 arena. After his appearance at the Manchester festival, the “Candy Shop” rapper will perform at Dublin’s 3Arena on 12th June 2022. 50 Cent also shared information concerning the upcoming show on Twitter.

Dublin, Ireland! It’s going down Sunday June 12th at 3Arena! We’re going to have a good time! Don’t Miss Out • https://t.co/6zoKoANax4 pic.twitter.com/J7pbfneWYr

— 50cent (@50cent) January 26, 2022

In other news, the American artist is set to star in the upcoming fourth instalment of The Expendables franchise. The hotly anticipated sequel will mark the rapper’s twenty-eighth feature film. The action film is scheduled to be released this year and features a cast full of the genre’s most sought-after actors including Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. Otherwise known as Curtis James Jackson, the artist appeared in the second and third instalments of the series. Last December the actor-musician shared an Instagram post announcing the forthcoming motion picture.

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The “21 Questions” performer was first seen on the silver screen in the film Get Rich or Die Tryin’, released on 9th November 2005 the film was the rapper’s acting debut. The feature was advertised as a loose biopic of the artist’s life, despite receiving somewhat negative critical reception Jackson’s performance was praised and he was heralded as a multi-talented artist.

50 Cent burst into the charts with his debut solo album Get Rich or Die Tryin, the album was released on 6th February 2003 and catapulted the American rapper into stardom. The album sired five singles including the top-five hit “In Da Club”, the track was era-defining and received many nominations and awards including a Grammy Award nomination for best rap song.

Jackson is well known for his industry-wide talent; the artist has found success in all avenues of the entrainment industry including TV. Last December the rapper expressed interest in creating a modernised version of The Cosby Show. In an Instagram post, Jackson wrote, “I have had a crush on @phyliciarashad for forever. I don’t know, she can talk with her eyes. she was just it, I think it was The Cosby Show it was the only representation of Black love on TV. I gotta make us a new one.”

Tickets for 50 Cent’s headlining appearance at Parklife Festival went on sale this morning, ticket sales for the artist’s London show open on Friday 28th January at 9:30 am.

Click here to purchase tickets.

The teaser created a significant amount of hype, spawning its own memes and reaction videos. The track samples G-Units “Stunt 101″ for which the track is named in homage to. Digga even interpolates the flow of 50 Cent from the track, borrowing his signature gansta rap flow in a departure from his usual drill style.

‘Pump 101′ is unique for a track that borrows so much from another, as it is a playful departure from what we have come to expect from Digga and the drill scene at large. Perhaps this will start a trend of drill artists looking back to older styles of rap for inspiration, within a genre that many long-term fans believe to be growing stale.

The track was announced after a minor controversy where many thought that Digga D had been arrested by Emirati authorities. He was trending on Twitter for a number of days as reports suggested he was facing life imprisonment for stabbing someone while on holiday there. Amongst the confusion, Digga cleared up the matter, saying that while he did get arrested, he was not involved in any criminal activity and released without charge.

Many suspected this to be a publicity stunt, with some pointing fingers at Digga’s management who they suspected ran false stories and circulated rumours of a possible sentence in order to generate hype around his name on the eve of this tracks announcement. These suspicions come without much evidence, however, as it was true that Digga was in fact arrested. It is more likely that rumours of life imprisonment spawned from the original fact of his arrest, given Dubai’s reputation in the West of having harsh sentencing laws.

“Pump 101″ is available to stream and can be listened to below: