Is Lovers & Friends Festival the new Fyre Fest? Maybe, but probably not. The music festival, a one-day event of throwback hip-hop and R&B, revealed its inaugural lineup, and the artists billed were split about whether or not it’s a real event.
Lovers & Friends takes place Saturday, May 9th at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, California. The lineup lists an impressive list of ’90s and ’00s acts like Ms. Lauryn Hill, TLC, Usher, Ludacris, Lil Jon, Megan Thee Stallion, Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker, Nelly, Sean Paul, T-Pain, Lil Kim, and more. Plus there’s the artists whose hits you love to sing at karaoke like Amerie, Ginuwine, Eve, and Brandy. Ticket costs range from $145 to $450.
Naturally, the Lovers & Friends poster was circulated rapidly amongst fans and musicians alike, each eager for a chance to see these people in one space. Usher, Ginuwine, Amerie, and others shared the festival lineup on their social media accounts expressing excitement to perform. The whole thing is organized by Goldenvoice, the company behind Coachella, Stagecoach, Camp Flog Gnaw, and other extremely reputable festivals. But that hasn’t stopped several artists from claiming Lovers & Friends is fake.
Lil Kim posted an Instagram story claiming she isn’t part of the lineup and called it “SO FAKE!” Trina’s team said they were never contacted about the festival. Mase followed suit, stating that he’s not a part of the bill. Twista chimed in too, adding, “AINT NO DEPOSIT HIT MY ACCOUNT FOR THIS SHOW.” Plus, T-Pain and Megan Thee Stallion are scheduled to play Rolling Loud Miami and Broccoli City Festival respectively on the same day as Lovers & Friends, notes HipHopDX.
It’s bizarre to see a festival with marquee names be labeled fraudulent, especially when Goldenvoice is behind it. Several artists have since walked back their words, like Twista, but others have seemingly detached themselves from the event for real. When reached for comment by Complex, a representative for Goldenvoice said, “Our festival is 100% confirmed. Lineups are always subject to change.” So, in a way, both sides are right?
Time will tell if Lovers & Friends goes as originally planned. Until then, check out the original Lovers & Friends poster and screenshots of the aforementioned artist reactions below.
So far Twista and Mase have said that they’re not a part of this festival.
pic.twitter.com/9nsmAI74du
— DJ Heat (@DJHeatDC) February 18, 2020
Lil Kim says FOH
… pic.twitter.com/MHmeWFft1K
— DJ Heat (@DJHeatDC) February 18, 2020
Trina’s team says they were not contacted, and have reached out to festival organizers. pic.twitter.com/p9EdRfq2UC
— DJ Heat (@DJHeatDC) February 19, 2020
Twista’s deposit has cleared lol … pic.twitter.com/lcheAoQkTM
— DJ Heat (@DJHeatDC) February 18, 2020
Lovers & Friends Festival is a 90’s R&B Dream If All the Booked Acts Actually Show Up
Nina Corcoran
