Busta Rhymes is playing a free concert at Civic Center park this summer
Hip-hop veteran and 12-time Grammy-nominated artist Busta Rhymes will headline a free concert at downtown Denver’s Civic Center park this summer, radio sponsor The Drop announced last week.
The June 10, outdoor event — 104.7 FM The Drop’s second largescale, free summer concert in a row — is scheduled to take place at the park’s Greek Amphitheatre. The iconic stone rotunda sits on the south end of the Capitol-adjacent park, where it has also hosted Pridefest’s main stage and free music and dance performances, as well as April 20’s annual cannabisthemed gathering.
June’s “2nd Annual Block Party” starts at 7 p.m., according to a press statement from the Denverbased hip-hop and R&B station. It follows the public radio station’s free, 2021 concert at Levitt Pavilion that featured acclaimed rapper Wale, as well as Jakob Campbell and Old Man Saxon.
“Last year we enjoyed the opportunity to offer a live music experience for (free) to our dynamic and resilient Colorado community,” wrote Nikki Swarn, general manager and program director for The Drop, which has been billed as an alt-urban format. “It was something that was so needed and it felt so rewarding.”
The Drop, celebrating its third birthday this year, made a splash on the Denver radio and music scene when it began streaming in June 2019 as “The People’s Radio,” eventually securing an on-air broadcast signal early last year.
“This is a long game for (the Corporation for Public Broadcasting),” Mike Henry, who helped shape the urban alternative format, told The Denver Post in February 2021. “I started talking to Rocky Mountain Public Media as soon as CPB announced its second round of grants. (KUVO’S) Tina Cartagena was the original inspiration to latch onto it. Once she got Amanda Mountain’s ear, Amanda really grabbed onto it. Got the grant. Hired Nikki, and the rest is history.”
Visit thedrop303.com for more information.