Chance the Rapper to bring free concert, festival to Ghana
LOS ANGELES » When Chance the Rapper visited West Africa earlier this year, he initially thought his trip with fellow Chicago hip-hop artist Vic Mensa would be just another vacation getaway.
Instead, the Grammy winner connected with Mensa’s father’s family in Ghana and other natives from the Motherland on a deeper level. He saw Ghana’s beautiful ocean coastline and waterfalls, engulfed himself in the musical culture and art scene and learned more about the country’s rich history of being the first sub-Saharan African country to free itself from colonialism.
After a couple of more trips to Ghana, Chance decided to create a free concert series and visual arts show so others could experience the country’s vibrant culture just like he did. During the summer, Chance and Mensa brought eight students from Chicago to Ghana to learn more about Africa.
“I felt so free in Ghana. .. and I want others to feel the same way,” said Chance, who along with Mensa will host the inaugural Black Line Star festival in Accra, Ghana, in 2023.
The weeklong festival will feature events, panel discussions and a free concert on Jan. 6 with performances by Chance, Mensa, Erykah Badu, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys and M.anifest.
The event will be held in Accra’s Black Star Square, a monument to the political freedom that was won by Ghanaians in 1957. The festival’s title was inspired by civil rights leader Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line, which was founded in 1919 and operated by Black people who helped link global shipping and tourism opportunities between America, the Caribbean and Africa.