"A Lot" rapper 21 Savage is set to perform at a free, end-of-summer music festival in Brooklyn, media platform Genius announced Monday.
The third annual IQ/BBQ — described as a "block party-meets-festival" by the lyric website — will be headlined by the Grammy-nominated artist. It will also feature performances by nearly a dozen rising rappers and DJs, including Los Angeles’ Doja Cat, whose vocals fill out Tyga’s "Juicy," and Bronx-born rapper Lil Tjay, known best for his single, "Pop Out."
The IQ/BBQ returns Sept. 7, after last year’s event (fronted by 2 Chainz) brought more than 1,500 concertgoers to the music platform’s Gowanus headquarters, at 92 Third St.
But the music festival/block party hybrid isn’t just about the performances.
The media platform, which teamed up with Spotify in 2016 to provide in-app lyrics and exclusive interviews with top artists, looks to create a vibe that’s far more casual than that of your typical NYC music festival.
With the capacity to allow in only a fraction of the number of fans you would expect to find at a large-scale festival like Global Citizen, organizers use the time between musical sets to encourage audience interaction through games.
A real-time version of Genius’ YouTube video series "The Genius Test," which quizzes celebrities on their favorite music genre, will be brought to life at the event.
A trivia contest between artists and fans will take place all day, so music geniuses may want to brush up on their knowledge of rap history before attending.
Stretching across the building’s interior and rooftop, IQ/BBQ is designed to encourage an "intimacy and deep engagement" between fans and their favorite artists, Genius’ content director Elizabeth Milch said in a statement.
On-site food offerings from local restaurants will fuel concertgoers throughout the daylong event. A food lineup has not yet been announced, though previous vendors have included Bareburger and Astoria-based Salt & Bone Smokehouse.
Genius IQ/BBQ is open to fans who RSVP at iqbbq.genius.com, starting on Aug. 21. Attendees must be over the age of 18.
IF YOU GO: The third annual Genius IQ/BBQ is set for Sept. 7, from 2-10 p.m. The full-day event takes place at Genius’ headquarters, at 92 Third St.
