Blue Note Jazz Festival 2023 Lineup Celebrates Hip-Hop’s 50th Year

Jazz begat funk begat hip-hop. That’s an easy rubric that dramatically over-simplifies the situation, but there is a kernel of truth there. Jazz’s genes course through the veins of rap artists, the immediacy and improvisation of the former building the foundation of the latter.

In celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, the Blue Note Jazz Festival at Napa, California’s Silverado Resort July 28-30 will feature headline performances from hip-hop royalty Nas and Chance the Rapper, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, funk icons Parliament Funkadelic, blues fusion alchemist Gary Clark Jr., along NxWorries, Ari Lennox and Cordae. This year’s artist in residence is pianist Robert Glasper. Comedian Dave Chappelle will host the event.

The full line-up includes artists who’ve explored the definition of hip-hop and pushed its boundaries, including Digable Planets, Talib Kweli, Rakim and New Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia.

Each night of the festival will conclude with after parties featuring DJ sets from 9th Wonder, DJ Trauma, DJ Jazzy Jeff, J. Period and DJ Pee Wee.

Presale begins April 5 at 9 a.m. Pacific with the code SHINE23 and ends 10 p.m. Pacific April 6. General on-sale begins April 7 at 9 a.m. Three-day general admission passes start at $550.