Snoop Dogg, Kid Cudi, Jhené Aiko top 2017 BET Experience lineup
Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, Bryson Tiller, ASAP Rocky and Jhené Aiko will headline the 2017 BET Experience, festival organizers unveiled Wednesday.
Migos, ScHoolboy Q, Gucci Mane, Desiigner, Jidenna, Young Thug, Rae Sremmurd, Keyshia Cole, Pusha T, THEY., H.E.R. and Khalid also top the bill for the four-day festival, slated for June 22-25 at multiple venues at downtown’s L.A. Live.
Now in its fifth year, the weekend of concerts, seminars, celebrity panels and an expo is capped off by the network’s annual awards show.
After the last two years have seen comedy acts kick off the weekend on the mainstage at Staples Center, this year’s festival has doubled down on music headliners.
Night one opens with Kid Cudi, a joint showing from perennial favorite Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, Pusha T, Desiigner and Playboi Carti.
An evening focused entirely on R&B will see sets from alternative soul singers Tiller, Aiko and H.E.R., R&B songstress Cole, Jidenna and young buzzy genre outliers Khalid and THEY.
ASAP Rocky, ScHoolboy Q, Gucci Mane, Rae Sremmurd, Migos and Young Thug top a night geared towards youthful hip-hop.
Late-night shows at the Novo (formerly Club Nokia) will be announced shortly, as will details on the free fan fest expo, which is anchored at the Los Angeles Convention Center and features a myriad of performances.
In 2012, the network partnered with Anschutz Entertainment Group to transform BET’s highly rated awards show into a multi-day event that would serve as an alternative to the long-running and popular Essence Festival in Los Angeles.
AEG and promoter Goldenvoice — responsible for Coachella, Stagecoach, FYF Fest, Desert Trip and the newly announced Arroyo Seco Weekend — helped curate a bill of R&B, soul and hip-hop artists.
Centered at L.A. Live’s multiple downtown venues, the BET Experience’s inaugural year in 2013 featured performances by Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop, R. Kelly and more.
Last year’s festival featured Usher, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz. In 2015 BET and AEG renewed their deal to continue the multiday festival through 2018.
Here is the lineup so far:
June 22: Kid Cudi, Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa, Pusha T, Desiigner, Playboi Carti
June 23: Bryson Tiller, Jhené Aiko, Keyshia Cole, Jidenna, Khalid, THEY., H.E.R.
June 24: A$AP Rocky, ScHoolboy Q, Gucci Mane, Rae Sremmurd, Migos, Young Thug
General tickets — single-day tickets to Staples Center shows as well as three-day packages -- go on sale March 23 at 10 a.m. PST through axs.com/betexperience.
VIP packages, which include a ticket to the awards show, are currently on sale. Packages range from $1,095 to $4,500.
More information can be found on the festival’s website.
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