Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa team up to organize the Black Star Line Music Festival
The Black Star Line Music Festival in Ghana has been officially announced by Chicago rappers Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. The two recently traveled to Africa for educational purposes and felt the need to perform for the Ghanaian fans.
On January 6, 2023, the Black Star Line Music Festival will take place at the Black Star Square in Accra, the capital of Ghana. At a public announcement at the Free The Youth flagship store in Accra, Chance the Rapper stated the significance of the Black Star Line Festival from his point of view.
“When Vic and I started our careers and started touring, we did shows all over the U.S.” said Chancelor “Chance” Bennett. “Eventually we started touring in Europe, we did shows in Asia, South America, Central America, but we never had a chance to play our music for the people who support us the most.”
The major goal of the Black Star Line Music Festival, according to Vic Mensa, is to create a bridge between black people in the diaspora, those in the continent, and the global community as well as some of the biggest artists around the world. Its name is derived from a shipping enterprise founded by political activist and journalist Marcus Garvey, who linked Africa’s global economy. Ghana’s government fleet has the same name as the Black Star, and the symbol is also on the nation’s flag.
The press release from the Black Star Line Music Festival in Ghana states the following:
“Founded in 1919, and operated by Black people, the [Black Star Line] would link America, the Caribbean and Africa, to global shipping and tourism opportunities. The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride, not only for Africans, but also for Black people in all ports of call.”
In a later statement regarding the music festival in Ghana, Mensa added, “Everything we’re doing is with the goal of uniting and building a bridge between black people of the diaspora and the globe, with the continent. And Ghana is the gateway to all of that.”