Nothing says “Made In America” like a self-made, billionaire rapper.
Jay-Z, arguably the most popular hip hop artist in the country, graced the Philadelphia Art Museum yesterday to announce “Budweiser Made in America,” a two-day music festival that he will headline here on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 The event will feature nearly 30 artists — the lineup will be revealed May 21 – who will perform across three stages on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
“We could not be more excited,” said Mayor Michael Nutter in a press conference yesterday, where he shared the stage with Jay-Z. “Philadelphia is a great music town, everybody knows that.”
Jay-Z was greeted with high-pitched cheers from his adoring fans who crowded the famed Rocky Steps, hoping for a picture and maybe a hand slap. One fan yelled out that Jay-Z was the greatest, to which the rapper replied, “I agree.”
Jay-Z didn’t say exactly why he chose Philadelphia as the host city. However, he did praise the city’s spirit and cited his relationship with Overbrook Entertainment, a joint venture with Will Smith to develop and produce movies. Philadelphia-born rapper Freeway also joined Jay-Z on stage.
“Everybody knows my love affair with Philly from the great artists I’ve signed from here,” Jay-Z said. “It’s going to be a great day in Philly.”
Nutter said the rapper “embodied the rags-to-riches American dream.”
Tickets for the concert will go on sale May 23 through Ticketmaster.com and Livenation.com. There is a limited number of two-day tickets available for $99. Budweiser Facebook fans will have access to a pre-sale beginning May 22.
