Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival starts today

By Alex Rush

Make sure to clean out your ears for the headliner at this year’s Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival.

Q-Tip, the leader of influential hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, is the main act at the borough’s seventh annual rap revelry. The veteran emcee also dabbles in jazz, funk and soul, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see him rocking with a live band at the Brooklyn Bridge Park stage on July 16.

The opening artists on the festival’s bill are a mix of old-school and new-school underground rappers. For instance, the East New York duo M.O.P has been rhyming in its signature screaming style since the early 1990s, while Eternia is a Canadian MC who’s set to break through in the states.

But the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is more than just a concert — it’s a full week of events. Concert-organizer Brooklyn Bodega will also host an art exhibition, DJ competition, panel discussion on music-related issues and a block party at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO. So follow the Q-Tip lyric and “check the rhyme.”

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival at Brooklyn Bridge Plaza and Tobacco Warehouse (26 New Dock St. at Water Street in DUMBO, no phone), July 11-16. Ticket prices vary. For info, visit www.bkhiphopfestival.com.