By Ah, this sucks. Dubai’s favourite urban festival will not go ahead this year. Sole DXB 2021 is cancelled. It’s the second year in a row the festival has been cancelled due to Covid-19 and we’re gutted for the Sole DXB team.
“Despite our best efforts, we won’t be able to make the festival happen this year,” reads a statement from the Sole DXB team. “We’d like nothing more than to bring the community back together but current circumstances don’t allow us to build the show we want.”
Core
With hip-hop at its core, Sole DXB celebrates the music, sneaker culture, streetwear, sports, art and film intrinsic to the scene. The three-day event, held in December, pulls big crowds along to Dubai Design District (d3).
The last Sole DXB festival at d3 in 2019 attracted over 36,000 people from more than 60 countries. The Wu-Tang Clan, Wiley and Foreign Beggars featured on the line-up. The legendary Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Subatomic Sound also performed. Reggae giant and dub pioneer Perry passed away late last month.
A magnet for sneaker freaks, Sole DXB’s pop-up shops allow trainer aficionados to get their hands on kicks from hot independent brands, as well as more established brands like adidas, Nike, New Balance and Puma. Another key aspect of the festival is the many panels and discussions that take place over the event.
Return
Sole DXB will return, though. The statement continues: “Sole DXB will be back, and when it is, we will make it count. Meanwhile, we continue to work on what we love and look forward to sharing what we’ve been up to.”
The Sole team has received words of support and encouragement since announcing the festival’s cancellation via social media. DJ and producer Aeli insisted it was the “right decision”. Aeli, who has performed numerous times at Sole DXB, added: “Next year we need a week of Sole.” DJ and hip-hop ambassador Lobito Brigante commented: “The juice will be worth the squeeze in the end.”
Contact High
We have the Sole DXB team to thank for bringing ‘Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop’ to Abu Dhabi – the exhibition’s first showing outside the US. Opening late last year at Manarat Al Saadiyat arts hub, the highly acclaimed exhibition ran through until the end of June. It featured photographs, albums, magazine covers and memorabilia documenting hip-hop culture over four decades. The exhibition captured the scene’s biggest stars, including Kanye West, Cardi B, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Aaliyah, the Notorious B.I.G and many more.
As part of the Contact High exhibition, local MC Big Hass moderated a talk on cypher culture and the future of the UAE’s blossoming rap scene with Adamillion, Freek, SG and Vikyath Poojary. Watch that below.
Also read: These New Dubai Nightlife Venues Are Coming Very Soon
