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Virtual star Ironmouse, along with a host of other VTuber virtual talent, will perform at an IRL event in Los Angeles in July.
Fantastic Reality will feature a performance from Ironmouse, a massive virtual streaming and Twitch star, along with performances from virtual talent including Japanese virtual singer KAF and Jakarta’s virtual pop artist JKT48v. Together, these acts have a combined global following of almost 10 million.
But while the talent is virtual, the event will be very real. Fantastic Reality happens at The Vermont Hollywood on July 3 beginning at 7 p.m. For several of the performances, VTuber composer Daryl Vanessa Barnes will direct a live band, with performer and event co-producer Mariya serving as MC for the night, which will also feature music from both virtual and non-virtual DJs.
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Fantastic Reality is part of the VTuber (or “virtual YouTuber”) phenomenon happening in online spaces and featuring virtual artists of all shapes and sounds. These performers, who are not AI, create often anonymous content using real-time motion capture technology. The field typically fuses aesthetics of anime, video games, animation and the internet.
To wit, South Korean virtual boy band PLAVE, whose members’ real-life identities are hidden behind digital avatars but whose commercial performance and ambitions rival K-pop’s biggest human acts, recently became the first entirely virtual Korean act to surpass 1 million units sold, according to Circle Chart.
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Fantastic Reality is pushing the boundaries even further by bringing such virtual acts into an IRL space. The event is being presented by VTuber streaming app IRIAM, with co-producers Kou Mariya, Daryl Vanessa Barnes, ETC, Bulldog DM and Rust.
“Fantastic Reality is doing something that has always been impossible,” Mariya says in a statement. “We’re uniting our community in an intimate IRL space with a cutting-edge live show featuring international luminaries Ironmouse, KAF, JKT48v and more with a live band.”
See the full lineup below:
Courtesy of Fantastic Reality
After a 28-city international leg that included London’s O2 and Dublin’s 3Arena, stand-up comedian, actor and writer Shane Gillis announced the extension of his Shane Gillis Live tour to 10 additional U.S. cities on Tuesday (May 13).
The new dates — which have been scheduled in July, August and September — will take Gillis to arenas in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Milwaukee; Houston; Hollywood, Fla.; and Orlando, Fla.
Representatives for Gillis said in an announcement that the added performances, which will be promoted by Outback Presents, come in response to “a staggering demand for tickets across the U.S., Canada and European dates,” adding that Gillis has “set the all-time ticket sales record at six arenas,” including Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and achieved historic sellouts at 11 more, including Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., marking each of the venue’s largest comedy shows ever.
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Gillis, who hails from Mechanicsburg, Pa., and is lifelong avid Notre Dame University football fan — his grandfather and cousin played for the team, and he appeared in an Under Armour commercial for the blue and gold — is slated to co-headline the stadium there with Zach Bryan and Dermot Kennedy on Sept. 6. If that show sells out, it will surpass the world record for the largest single-show attendance for a comedian in history. (Gillis does not report box-office results to Billboard Boxscore.1
Gillis has emerged as a comedy phenomenon over the last five years, despite being hired as a Saturday Night Live cast member in 2019 and then dismissed before the season began after examples of him using racist language on podcasts. He has since become a touring behemoth, the Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast he hosts with comedian Matt McCusker consistently ranks in the top 15 of Spotify’s U.S. Comedy charts, and on June 5, the second season of his series, Tires, will debut on Netflix. He has also hosted SNL twice — in 2024 and 2025.
Artist presale sign-up and tickets are available on Shane Gillis’ website.
Patreon presale will begin Tuesday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. CT
Artist presale will begin Wednesday, May 14, at 10 a.m. local
General on sale begins Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m. local
Shane Gillis
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05/12/2025
Top Fortnite players & content creators competed in L.A., where D4vd provided commentary, and ZHU performed at Fortnite and Billboard’s afterparty.
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When Donald Trump finally visits the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center next month to attend his first-ever show at the beloved Washington, D.C. cultural institution he will be treated to a performance of the musical Les Misérables that will be missing a number of key players. According to CNN, at least 10-12 of the show’s performers are expected to skip the June 11 performance Trump will reportedly attend on the same night as a high-dollar fundraiser at the Center.
CNN reported that the cast was given the option to not be on stage the night Trump is in the house, with both unnamed “major cast members and members of the ensemble” opting to take a night off in the midst of the Trump administration’s aggressive makeover of the venue. As part of his government-wide slash-and-burn effort to remake Washington his image, Trump installed himself as the chairman of the Kennedy Center with the help of a rebooted board made up entirely of his hand-picked appointees at the institution that has traditionally had a bipartisan mix of board members.
The Les Miz performance will coincide with the fundraiser featuring sponsorship levels selling for as much as $2 million according to ABC News, with the invitation noting that Trump will appear that night as “a special guest and friend of the Kennedy Center”; at press time it was not clear what the funds were being raised for as Trump is constitutionally barred from running for a third term. Trump played songs from the musical about the plight of the impoverished underclass during the French Revolution on stops of his 2016 presidential campaign, upsetting the co-creators of the stage musical, who requested that he stop blasting “Do You Hear the People Sing?” at his rallies.
In a statement to EW, Trump confidant and the Center’s new director, Richard Grenell, said of the reported boycott, “We haven’t heard this rumor. But the Kennedy Center will no longer fund intolerance. Any performer who isn’t professional enough to perform for patrons of all backgrounds, regardless of political affiliation, won’t be welcomed. In fact, we think it would be important to out those vapid and intolerant artists to ensure producers know who they shouldn’t hire — and that the public knows which shows have political litmus tests to sit in the audience.”
The cast boycott is the latest in an unfolding culture war between the Trump administration and some artists who were slated to perform at the Kennedy Center, a number of whom canceled shows in the wake of the Trump takeover. Among those who pulled gigs or resigned from their leadership roles at the Kennedy Center in protest were: Ben Folds, Renee Fleming, Shonda Rhimes, Low Cut Connie, Rhiannon Giddens, Issa Rae, as well as a performance of the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Hamilton, the lauded show Trump subsequently criticized, saying “I never liked Hamilton very much.”
Trump raged against the programming at the Center in February in a Truth Social post in which he wrote, “No more drag show, or other anti-American propaganda — Only the best.” In another post, Trump said he wanted to make sure the Kennedy Center “runs properly. We don’t need woke at the Kennedy Center. Some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace that they were even put on.”
Dillo Day, one of the nation’s largest student-run festivals, will return May 17 with a headlining performance from Natasha Bedingfield. This year’s festival will mark the 53rd annual event at Northwestern University’s lakefront campus in Evanston, Illinois.
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Bedingfield – known for hits like “Unwritten,” “Pocketful of Sunshine” and “These Words” – will close out the daylong celebration after sets from genre-defying Chicago artist Ravyn Lenae and rising hip-hop artist and Texas native BigXthaPlug.
This year’s festival also marks a meaningful return to Dillo Day’s origins: Armadillo World Headquarters, the legendary Austin, Texas, music venue-turned-mission-driven cultural brand, will serve as an official partner of Dillo Day 2025. The festival’s moniker, “Dillo Day,” was originally coined by Northwestern students from Texas who were inspired by the vibrant Austin music scene and the Armadillo — a beloved symbol of their home state. The Armadillo partnership will featre various activations, including a classic Armadillo photo booth and merchandise giveaways.
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Additional artists performing at Dillo Day include indie rock stars Slow Pulp and U.K.-based electronic success nimino. Past Dillo Day performers include Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Steve Aoki, Black Eyed Peas, Wiz Khalifa and The Ramones. The breadth of talent showcases the festival’s reputation for attracting both breakout and classic talent.
“Dillo Day is truly unlike any other college concert or festival in the world. We bring two stages of world-class talent to our students for free, as well as an entire festival ground outfitted with brand activations, food trucks and activities,” said Mayfest Productions co-chair Alex Kahn in a release. “The Mayfest Productions team works tirelessly all year to bring Dillo Day to life.”
Now in its 53rd year, the festival draws over 10,000 attendees, the majority of whom are Northwestern students. Organized entirely by undergraduate students through Mayfest Productions, Dillo Day is fully student-run — from artist booking and corporate sponsorship to marketing, operations and production.
Tickets for guests of undergraduates are $30, and $35 for graduate students, alumni and Evanston residents.
For most of the world, the extent to which we get to see what goes on at the annual Met Gala starts and ends with the red carpet. There, the biggest stars of music, television, film and sports walk the red carpet in avant-garde looks designed by some of fashion’s biggest visionaries and legacy brands, all coinciding with a different theme. This year, the dress code was “Tailored for You” in honor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new costume institute exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” focusing on “the role of sartorial style in forming Black identities” and “the emergence, significance and proliferation of the Black dandy.” Under those guidelines, co-chairs A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton and Colman Domingo, plus superstar guests Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter, ROSÉ, LISA, JENNIE and many more, showed up and showed out in elaborate looks marked by structured jackets, neutral colors and poignant head- and neckpieces.
But what happens after all those stars brave the camera flashes and red-carpet interviews and head inside? That’s the part we don’t get to see as much of, not to mention the various afterparties that go down once the dining and mingling of the actual gala conclude.
Luckily, anyone wanting a peek at the most exclusive parts of fashion’s biggest night needn’t look any further. Below, Billboard has rounded up all of the best photos of everything that happened after the carpet, both from inside the Met and amongst parties held by the likes of Pharrell, Public’s, Boom at the Standard, the Brooklyn Chop House and more.
Featuring cool outfit changes and fun celebrity link-ups, keep scrolling to check them out.
Sabrina Carpenter & Usher
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Sabrina Carpenter reacts as Usher performs during the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Doja Cat
Image Credit: Stephanie Augello
Doja Cat at the Richie Akiva’s “The After” hosted by Tyla, Colman Domingo, Doja Cat, Edward Enninful Met Gala after party held at Casa Cipriani on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Zendaya & Dua Lipa
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Zendaya and Dua Lipa attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Maluma
Image Credit: Lexie Moreland
Maluma at the Willy Chavarria Met Gala after party co-hosted with Wayman and Micah held at the Mark Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
S.Coups, Jennie & Lisa
Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/MG25/Getty Images
S.Coups, Jennie, and Lisa attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Janelle Monáe
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Janelle Monáe at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Pharrell Williams
Image Credit: Zach Hilty/BFA.com
Pharrell Williams attends Pharrell Williams’ After Hours Uno Tournament at Crane Club on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Megan Thee Stallion & Angel Reese
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Megan Thee Stallion and Angel Reese attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Stevie Wonder & Usher
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Stevie Wonder and Usher perform onstage during the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Mary J. Blige
Image Credit: Joy Malone/Getty Images
Mary J. Blige attends the Brooklyn Chop House Met Gala After Party on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
PinkPantheress, Halle Bailey & Keke Palmer
Image Credit: Zach Hilty/BFA.com
PinkPantheress, Halle Bailey and Keke Palmer attend Pharrell Williams’ After Hours Uno Tournament at Crane Club on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Burna Boy
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Burna Boy at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Darren Criss, Adam Lambert, Oliver Gliese & Mia Criss
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Darren Criss, Adam Lambert, Oliver Gliese and Mia Criss at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Rihanna & A$AP Rocky
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Jenna Ortega & Sabrina Carpenter
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Jenna Ortega and Sabrina Carpenter attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Lisa & Future
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Lisa and Future attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett & Lizzo
Image Credit: Cindy Ord/MG25/Getty Images
Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett and Lizzo attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Burna Boy & Shaboozy
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Burna Boy and Shaboozy at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Jennie & Gigi Hadid
Image Credit: Mike Coppola/MG25/Getty Images
Jennie and Gigi Hadid attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Kaytranada
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Kaytranada at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Usher
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG25/Getty Images
Usher performs onstage during the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
A$AP Rocky
Image Credit: Steve Eichner
A$AP Rocky at A$AP Rocky Met Gala After Party Inside on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Yara Shahidi & Halle Bailey
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Yara Shahidi and Halle Bailey at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Andra Day
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Andra Day at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Lupita Nyong’o, Burna Boy & Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Lupita Nyong’o, Burna Boy and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Pusha T
Image Credit: Zach Hilty/BFA.com
Pusha T attends Pharrell Williams’ After Hours Uno Tournament at Crane Club on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Ciara & Rihanna
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Ciara and Rihanna attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Bebe Rexha, Coco Rocha & Christian Siriano
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Bebe Rexha, Coco Rocha and Christian Siriano at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Kelela
Image Credit: Bre Johnson
Kelela at the Apres Met after party for the Met Gala held at WSA on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Chance The Rapper
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Chance The Rapper at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Halle Bailey, Sydney Sweeney & Lisa
Image Credit: Arturo Holmes/MG25/Getty Images
Halle Bailey, Sydney Sweeney, and Lisa attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Leon Bridges
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Leon Bridges at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Busta Rhymes
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Busta Rhymes at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Image Credit: Alyssa Greenberg
Nicks Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jona at the Boom at the Standard Met Gala after party held at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Maggie Rogers
Image Credit: Zach Hilty/BFA.com
Maggie Rogers attends Pharrell Williams’ After Hours Uno Tournament at Crane Club on May 5, 2025 in New York City.
Questlove
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Questlove at the PUBLIC’s Met Gala after party with Doechii and Janelle Monae held at the PUBLIC Hotel on May 5, 2025 in New York, New York.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does stand-up comedy superstar Michelle Wolf. In the wake of the White House Correspondents’ Association’s March decision to hold its annual dinner without a traditional speech by a comedian, Wolf is set to release a 15-minute clip in which she dishes on her unflinching and controversial 2018 set at the event and even throws in a few more jokes.
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The clip, titled Dinner Time, will premiere at 8 pm Eastern / 5 pm Pacific time tonight on Punchup.live, a digital platform for live comedy where Wolf’s weekly podcast Thought Box resides. Although the podcast requires a $5 monthly subscription, Dinner Time will be free.
“There might not be a comedian at the Correspondents’ Dinner this year, but the good news is: I have some leftovers!” Wolf says. “I’ve been holding onto this set since 2022, and with everything going on, now felt like the right moment to share it exclusively on Punchup, a platform where comedians can release their own uncensored material without the constraints of any network or streamer.”
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Wolf’s routine sparked a media firestorm after she roasted a number of the political powers who were in the room — including then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is currently the governor of Arkansas, adviser to President Trump Kellyanne Conway and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie – President Trump (who skipped the event) and such talking heads as Fox News’ Sean Hannity and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Zeroing in on Conway, Wolf, addressing the media, said, “You guys gotta stop putting Kellyanne on your shows. All she does is lie.” She then added, “It’s like that old saying: If a tree falls in the woods, how do we get Kellyanne under that tree? I’m not suggesting she get hurt, just stuck.”
She also pulled no punches with Sanders, who sat just two seats away from the podium where Wolf delivered her jokes. “I think she’s very resourceful,” the comic said of the press secretary before referencing her make-up style. ” Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye.”
The barbs stuck with Sanders, who recounted the incident in her 2020 memoir, Speaking for Myself: Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House. “I debated walking out or perhaps even throwing my wineglass at her,” she wrote. “But ultimately I stayed in my seat and held my head high.”
Clips of the media furor that resulted can be seen in the trailer for Dinner Time, and in the actual clip, Wolf remains unrepentant — a point of pride for ride-or-die stand-up comics. She explains to the receptive crowd that she is a non-partisan comic. “I hate Republicans. I hate Democrats. I hate the media. It’s all bad,” she says. “It’s all a big circle jerk.”
She also says that she hadn’t planned to talk about the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ever again, until Sanders wrote about it in her book. “And I was like, if you’re gonna talk about it…”
Wolf then proceeds to tell more jokes about Sanders, Conway and President Trump.
Check out the official trailer for Wolf’s Dinner Time below:
Billboard, Amazon Pharmacy and Amazon One Medical teamed up with comedian/musical improviser Reggie Watts to hit the roads of Palm Springs with the sickest show seen in the desert, “MuSick: Live from Reggie Watts’ Couch.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Saturday afternoon, April 12, amid […]
All Things Go festival will return to the Washington, D.C. area this fall with headliners Noah Kahan, Lucy Dacus and Doechii, who will be performing her first-ever festival headlining slot. The three-day festival will also feature performances from Clairo, Kesha, The Marías, MARINA, DJO, Julien Baker & Torres, and Lola Young.
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Set for Sept. 26-28, the festival returns to its iconic venue Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md. The 11th edition of the festival promises another year of incredible performances from established and emerging artists across a myriad of genres, with the majority of artists identifying as women or non-binary. With a welcoming and diverse environment, the festival has been dubbed “Gay-chella,” “All Things Gay” and “Lesbopalooza” over the years.
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Additional performers include The Last Dinner Party, Faye Webster, Role Model, Wallows, Griff, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, Lucius, The Beaches, Joy Oladokun, G Flip, The Backseat Lovers, Hippo Campus, Orion Sun, Bartees Strange, Gigi Perez, Ashe, Rachel Chinouriri, MICHELLE and Molly Grace.
In 2023, the festival expanded from one to two days with performances from Lana Del Rey, Maggie Rogers, boygenius and Carly Rae Jepsen. In 2024, All Things Go added a simultaneous weekend in New York. The lineup announcement for ATG Festival 2025 in New York at Forest Hills Stadium will be announced soon.
Tickets for the Merriweather Post Pavilion edition of the festival will go on sale Thursday at 10am ET. Public on sale will begin on Friday. Head here for tickets and the full DC-area lineup.
The reports of Dreamville Fest‘s death have been greatly exaggerated. Many fans were disappointed when they heard this was going to be the last year of J. Cole’s annual music festival, which has become a fan favorite over the course of the last five years. However, during a press conference on Thursday (Apr. 3), Raleigh […]