Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa‘s Black Star Line Festival drew a crowd of 50,000 in Ghana over the weekend. T-Pain, Erykah Badu, Jeremih, Tobe Nwigwe, and Talib Kweli were among the performers.
Mensa, whose father is from Ghana, referred to the festival appearance as a homecoming.
“I had a dream about connecting the African people of the globe – to unify us as one people,” Mensa said on stage.
August 12, 2022 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Rune Hellestad- Corbis/ Corbis via Getty Images)
On stage, Mensa and Chance also performed their classic track, “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” together, among other hits. Prior to the festival, the two spent a week in Ghana with eight students from Chicago.
“When Vic and I started our careers and started touring, we did shows all over the US,” Chance said at the time. “Eventually we started touring in Europe. We did shows in Asia, South America, Central America, but we never had a chance to play our music for the people who support us the most.”
The festival also featured performances from several local artists, including Sarkodie, Manifest, and The Asakaa Boys.
“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities,” a press release previously explained. “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 Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.”
Check out clips from Chance and Mensa‘s inaugural music festival below.
[Via]