Hip-hop and visual art fest Art, Beats, + Lyrics is coming to Detroit

The traveling pop-up Art, Beats, + Lyrics has been celebrating hip-hop and urban art in cities around the country for 17 years, but has yet to make it to Detroit. That will all change next week when the cultural celebration comes to the Eastern Market on Friday, April 8.

Art, Beats, + Lyrics is a one-day festival featuring work from more than 50 visual artists, music performances, and lots of booze. The first Detroit installment will feature a performance from Southern rapper Bun B, and art by ArrrtAddict (AKA Lisette Correa) and Charly Palmer, who recently did a cover for Time magazine.

The festival is presented by Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey (hence the booze) and is curated by the art organization Cult Creative. It started out in 2004 as just a local art show in Atlanta and has since grown into a national festival featuring acts like Kendrick Lamar and Snarky Puppy over the years.

“Art, Beats + Lyrics merges together two things that have the unique ability to connect people of all cultures, ages, and ethnicities — music and art,” says Fabricia da Silva, multicultural marketing manager at Brown-Forman (the owners of Jack Daniel's). “And, after such an unpredictable year, we all deserve a celebration that highlights strength, inspiration, and that moves the culture forward. This is the very essence of Art, Beats + Lyrics, and we are thrilled to bring that celebration back this year.”

This year’s tour, which kicked off in Dec. of 2021 in Miami, includes stops in Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles, Cleveland, New York City, and Philadelphia, in addition to Detroit.

The event is free to attend, but you must RSVP for a ticket in advance. More information including ticket registration can be found at artbeatsandlyrics.com.

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