UPDATE: This event has been moved to the Seaport in Boston, and will take place over one day, Saturday, September 16, with the OG Saturday lineup in tact. Hit commonwealthfest.com for tickets and information.
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Cousin Stizz may be rapping “Solo” this summer, but when he rolls up to Commonwealth Fest next month, he’ll be performing alongside some of the best hip-hop artists in the state.
The Dorchester-raised rapper has plotted a new two-day music festival, scheduled for the weekend of September 16 and September 17 at Bellforge Arts Center in Medfield. Aptly titled Commonwealth Fest, the weekend-long festival comes to the center’s 87-acre campus — once home to the Medfield State Hospital — with the boom of Greater Boston’s thriving music scene.
Michael Christmas, BoriRock, Jiles (of Van Buren), Avenue, kei, Clark D, Nay $peaks, Tyler Loyal, and Providence’s Nino Francis are scheduled to perform on Saturday, as well as prominent area DJs Alondrugs, Jenno, SuperSmashBroz, and SNAX. As festival curator, Cousin Stizz will headline Saturday night, following performances from national acts Buddy, Kenny Mason, and Tony Shhnow.
“Since we started this journey almost a decade ago we’ve always wanted to pave the way for the next generation, to show the kids what’s possible with vision and hard work – it was never just about me or about us,” says Stizz. “We’ve done everything from basement shows and The Middle East, to The Paradise and House of Blues, and over the last few years we’ve recognized that the time has come to build something that we’ve never had here before: A festival that we can call our own.”
As one of the Boston’s key breakout acts from the recent past, Stizz understands the value of nurturing budding talent on his home turf, and Commonwealth Fest demonstrates perhaps his most ardent support for the local scene to date. His outreach even extends to Providence’s creative community, who will be on full display for Sunday’s SPEAD LOVE FUNCTION, a variety of performances and DJ sets hosted by local arts organization stay silent.
“Commonwealth Fest is a representation of not just the city and its culture, but the region as a whole,” Stizz adds. “We’re bringing together some of the best and brightest hometown talents, brands and experiences, plus some friends from outside New England, too. A big topic we’ve always discussed is how we bring Boston to the world and simultaneously let the world into Boston, to have outsiders see the city and the region for what it really is, not just what they think they know. Commonwealth Fest is that – it’s us at its core, but it’s also a bridge that will connect our
home base to the rest of the world for years to come. This is our way of saying thank you for everything.”
Two-day passes and individual tickets for Saturday and Sunday go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. Check out all the deets on the flyer below.
