The ultimate outdoor music event, Funk Fest, featuring classic R&B and hip hop returns to the Wolfcreek Ampitheater in Atlanta on August 10-11. Funk Festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary comes through Atlanta for two days after successful stops earlier this year in Orlando, Florida and Louisville, Kentucky.
The lineup for the Atlanta edition features headliners like the Isley Brothers, Erykah Badu, Big Boi, Stokley, and Goodie Mob and many others.
Boss XL Magazine covered last year's Funk Fest featuring Jeezy, Keith Sweat and many more performers, check out the article here
We chat in advance with the promoter of the Funk Fest, Leo Bennett about his start in the concert business and this year's lineup.
Leo Bennett gives credit to his Alma Mater. While a freshman at Florida A&M University (FAMU), he was tapped to oversee the Homecoming concerts and gained all the tools he needed to bring together a star-studded event that would have people talking for weeks. Nothing has changed about his shows; unless you count that they now draw crowds of around 18,000, they are on their way to an international platform, radio stations across the nation are tugging at his coattail to get them into their markets, and they have a household name: Funk Fest.
Boss XL Mag - What was the inspiration behind creating the Funk Fest?
Leo Bennett - I wanted to put together a festival in my hometown of Mobile, Ala., that would incorporate different types of music—Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, R&B—into one event. That was really my inspiration. There really wasn’t a lot of this type of entertainment coming through the Deep South. So, I wanted to make this big outdoor picnic-in-the-park, family reunion type of atmosphere come to light. We started 25 years ago in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, but Atlanta is always a special place for us.
Boss XL Mag - How do you come up with the lineup for the Funk Fest?
Leo Bennett - We try to get artists from different genres that can appeal to any age of the audience. Your grandma can come see the Isley's to your younger family members can come see Goodie Mob. We try to get all generations involved and mix it in like a big pot of gumbo.
You can purchase tickets for Funk Fest here Atlanta | Funk Fest Tour
Comments