While we have created a new sense of normal in our COVID-19-stricken world, the threat of the virus is still present. In some unfortunate news, Twitter users learned that Run The Jewels will no longer be able to perform at Something In The Water this weekend because El-P tested positive. He sent out a public notes app apology coupled with the humorous caption, “looks like i picked the wrong month to stop sniffing glue” (a reference to the 1980 movie Airplane!).
Something In The Water is a three-day festival founded in 2019, and this is the first year it is going to be held in Washington DC. The lineup includes names like Tyler The Creator, Lil Baby, Lucky Daye, Usher, Ashanti and Ja Rule, J Balvin, Pharrell, Clipse, Justin Timberlake, SZA, NORE, and many more.
With it being nearly a full year since Run The Jewels releasedRTJ4(Deluxe Edition), fans will now have to a little longer for a big festival set from the group. There are over four decades of history between El-P and Killer Mike both as individuals and together, yet they are still in high demand evident in the many well wishes shared with El-P.
Pharrell Williams‘ Something In The Water festival will relocate from his hometown Virginia Beach, Virginia to Washington DC this June. This year will mark the second iteration of the festival, following its inaugural festival in 2019.
The festival takes place along Independence Avenue in DC on June 17-19, coinciding with Juneteenth. On the lineup is an eclectic selection of acts, including Lil Baby, Pusha T, Chloe x Halle, Tyler The Creator, Run The Jewels, Omar Apollo, Snoh Allegra, Ozuna, Dave Matthews Band, and more.
Williams opted not to return to Virginia Beach last year, due to “toxic energy” from the city’s mayor and local government. The fallout is a result of inaction following the shooting of Williams’ cousin, Donovon Lynch, by Virginia Beach police.
Williams said in a statement:
“Something in the Water is a Black solution (LOVE) for a systemic issue, and this year we are taking our celebration to a higher platform—the nation’s Capital during Juneteenth Weekend. We want to show the world that there is Something in the Water across the whole DMV and I want to continue to bring awareness to the greatness within these communities and invite large corporations to show up for the people. DC has always been a deep inspiration to me as a person and a musician. It is the land where Go-Go Music was birthed which has provided so much for our people. Our sponsors continue to go the extra mile to show that Something in the Water is so much more than a festival. The goodwill we generate is a defining trait of who we are. We will always have the hottest artists, but to pair that energy with these brands showing up for the community is what makes this festival a vehicle for change.”
General on-sale for the festival begins this Saturday, April 30. Past festival-goers will have access to an exclusive pre-sale beginning Wednesday. Virginia residents will have access to a “Virginia Locals Only” presale taking place Friday, April 29 beginning at 10 a.m. ET through 5 p.m. ET.
“If you’re celebrating music, if you’re celebrating Black excellence, if you’re drawing attention to the people who have dedicated their lives to knocking down barriers and uplifting our communities — then there is no better place to do that than in Washington, DC,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser in a statement “We are proud to be working with Pharrell to bring Something In The Water to DC for Juneteenth weekend. DC is open and we are ready to celebrate.”
Check out the full line-up below.
Courtesy of Live Nation
Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
In 2019, Pharrell invited some of today’s top stars to take the stage in his Virginia Beach hometown for his Something In The Water festival. The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022, things will be a little different. The musician has decided to move the festival away from Virginia Beach, citing the city’s “toxic environment” in a letter to officials.
Pharrell’s letter comes as a response to Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney’s memo to the musician dated September 26, which detailed his “immense disappointment” in learning Something In The Water would be moved from the city. In Pharrell’s response to Duhaney, the musician explained that much of his decision to move the festival is due to the city’s response to his cousin’s murder by a police officer who did not have their body camera turned on:
“I love the city of Virginia Beach. I’ve always loved the city of Virginia Beach and most importantly our people. It’s a part of my beloved 757.
When we did the festival, it was to ease racial tension, to unify the region, bring about economic development opportunities and broaden the horizons of the local business community. We achieved those things! I wish the same energy I’ve felt from Virginia Beach leadership upon losing the festival would have been similarly channeled following the loss of my relative’s life.
I love my city, but for far too long it has been run by — and with toxic energy. The toxic energy that changed the narrative several times around the homicide of my cousin, Donovan Lynch, a citizen of Virginia, is the same toxic energy that changed the narrative around the mass murder and senseless loss of life at Building Number 2.
I sang about a room without a roof, but I am tired of kindly and politely being shown the door.
Until gatekeepers and the powers-that-be consider the citizens and the consumer base, and no longer view the idea of human rights for all as a controversial idea… I don’t have any problems with the city, but I realize the city hasn’t valued my proposed solutions, either.”
