A3C (All 3 Coasts) Festival and Conference, which was founded in 2005 and takes place annually in Atlanta in just one week (October 4-8) , isn’t your typical hip hop gathering. It is an innovative and interactive experience that has grown from a local showcase to one of rap’s biggest events that brings together artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to learn, connect, and create. Not only does A3C give a platform to upcoming and unsigned artists to display their talents, they are bestowing highly coveted tools of the trade onto attendees. Below are 4 reasons why A3C is the number one destination for urban artists.
Some of hip hop’s most notable trailblazers will be offering invaluable words of wisdom to aspiring artists.
A3C’S 3 day conference portion boasts a slew of workshops, mentor sessions, networking events, and summits to help aspiring artists learn the ropes from industry experts. Speakers include: radio and television personalities Angela Yee and Karen Civil, Reggie “Combat Jack” Osse, producer and songwriter Dallas Austin, and record producer and rapper Bangladesh. They, along with countless other conference guests, will be providing crucial insight into how to make an impact–and a career–with hip hop music and culture.
Several conference workshops focus on helping you build your brand from the ground up.
Some A3C attendees don’t necessarily have the access to certain resources or strategies when it comes to cultivating their creative identity. It only made sense to have a few workshops about artists who need help starting from scratch–literally. Topics range from how to sell beats online to building relationships with press to developing brand partnerships to artist merchandising. When it comes to building your brand, A3C has got you covered.
A3C emphasizes how hip hop culture is instrumental in social change and encourages young people to get involved.
Hip hop’s influence goes way beyond setting fashion trends and possessing a notable lexicon; it also reflects the turbulent times we live in today. Social consciousness strongly resonates throughout the conference as political commentator and analyst Angela Rye is scheduled to do a live podcast at A3C. There is also a panel on police brutality and racial profiling, sessions on how to use photography and hip hop performance to incite changes in communities, a discussion on becoming a hip hop advocate and even a youth activism mixer.
The festival lineup–and some of its after parties–boast some of the most legendary and promising artists in the game.
Nas, Ghostface Killah, Project Pat and Kool Keith are some of the featured headliners for this year’s festival. Even though A3C selected some of hip hop’s most renowned performers to grace this year’s stage, they still managed to shine a light on some lesser known talents through an array of post-festival events. Comedy Nights, Discovery Stages, WorldStar Events and even a space dedicated to Carefree Black Girls are part of its after dark lineup. There is no way you’ll leave A3C without finding your next favorite hip hop artist.