Common, De La Soul, and Talib Kweli are among the rap and hip-hop artists skated to appear at the first UrbanFest L.A., an outdoor music festival being held on the University of Southern California campus in June 24-25.
Other artists confirmed for the fest include Ideal, Spragga Benz, Dwayne Wiggins, Spooks, Avant, Mary Mary, and Yolanda Adams, with more acts expected to be added to the concert line-up in the next few weeks. Several movies will also be screened as part of the UrbanFest, including Laurence Fishburne's directorial debut with "Once In The Life," after which the Spooks will perform its "Things I've Seen" single from the film's soundtrack. The inaugural UrbanFest L.A. is being presented in conjunction with the university's 4th annual Urban Focus Music Conference, as well as the L.A. Music 2000 conference, a West Coast music industry convention slated for June 23-29. The L.A. Music 2000 conference will culminate on June 29 with the presentation "L.A. Weekly" Music Awards at the Henry Fonda Theater with Ice-T hosting (see "Ice-T To Host 'L.A. Weekly' Music Awards"). Tickets to UrbanFest 2000 go on sale May 13 via TicketMaster, and proceeds from the two day concert event will be donated to several non-profit groups, including the Urban Focus Music Foundation, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and Music & Kids, Inc.
