Pharrell Announces His Star-Studded ‘Something In The Water’ Festival
Brigitte Inverary: March 16th, 2023
Artists Lil Uzi Vert, Latto, and NLE Choppa, to name a few, will perform at superstar singer/producer Pharrell’s ‘Something In The Water’ 2023 festival. According to HipHopDX, from April 28th through the 30th, the festival will arrive back in Virginia Beach after briefly relocating in 2022 to Washington DC. Other acts include Summer Walker, Kid Cudi, Kehlani, Wu-Tang Clan, Clipse, Machine Gun Kelly, and more. The Festival marks a follow-up to 2022’s star-studded roster with performances from Ashanti, Tyler The Creator, Lil Baby, Roddy Rich, Tierra Whack, and others.
The change of location occurred due to Pharrel’s notion that his hometown was inadequate in conveying the injustice of his cousin’s murder, Donovon Lynch, back in 2021. The 49-year-old artist canceled the festival that same year voicing a letter to Patrick Duhaney, the Virginia Beach city manager. In the letter, the ‘Beautiful’ singer voiced, “I love my city, but for far too long it has been run by – and with toxic energy. The toxic energy that changed the narrative several times around the homicide of my cousin, Donovon Lynch, a citizen of Virginia, is the same toxic energy that changed the narrative around the mass murder and senseless loss of life at Building number 2.”
“I wish the same energy I’ve felt from Virginia Beach leadership upon losing the festival would have been similarly channeled following the loss of my relative’s life” the singer wrote. Since its debut in 2019, this marks the comeback of the ‘Something In The Water’ festival to Virginia Beach. “The demand for the festival in Virginia Beach and The 757– among the people – has never wavered. If anything it has only intensified,” stated Pharrell. The singer wants everyone including small businesses and HBCU students to be pleased stating, “The environment is finally optimized for return and the announcement will delight everyone- from HBCU students across the eastern USA to the hundreds of small businesses who will play a role in the festivals to the cities within the region and neighborhoods that will serve as hosts.”
