Pittsburgh Black Music Festival kicks off
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Pittsburgh Black Music Festival kicked off Thursday.
This year, the festival is all about paying homage to Pittsburgh's past musical legends.
From Rakim to the Ohio Players, some pretty recognizable performers will be on stage for the next few days.
Organizers say this year's Black music festival is a tribute to Pittsburgh greats and an opportunity to share Black culture.
From hip hop to jazz, blues and rock and roll, the Pittsburgh Black Music Festival is paying homage to artists like Art Blakey, Mary Lou Williams and George Benson, pioneers of Black music in the city, dating back to the 1920s.
"It's nice to see events like this visible and give everybody of color a chance to band together and celebrate our culture," said Sharell Johnson of Diva on Fleek Boutique.
The festival of sound isn't just about celebrating one culture. According to its founder B. Marshall, it's about connecting everybody through music.
"We do these events to make sure we have harmony and community within our community. We try to make sure it's multi-generational, multi-ethical," Marshall said.
"I think diversity is something that's definitely important," said Johnson. "I think the more cultures here, the merrier, and I think it's nice to have that visibility for different cultures. Diversity is definitely a must."
Each day the festival will highlight a different genre. Thursday is all about jazz, Friday is gospel day, Saturday is R&B and Sunday is funk and soul.
