The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present Hip Hop &, a new annual season focus highlighting Hip-Hop's intersections with other genres, and will explore the evolutionary and multitude of ways that Hip-Hop impacts culture.

The inaugural festival, Hip Hop & Jazz, celebrates the dynamic relationship between the two distinctly American-forged art forms.

On March 30, Robert Glasper; two-time Grammy Award–winning composer, conductor, arranger, musical director, and bassist Derrick Hodge; and the Black Radio Orchestra celebrate the 125th and 50th birthdays, respectively, of music icons Duke Ellingtonand J Dilla with a special one-night-only event in the Concert Hall.

Not to be outdone, on April 19 in the Concert Hall, three legendary musicians — Rakim; two-time Grammy Award winner DJ Jazzy Jeff; and Grammy–nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Ravi Coltrane — come together The Rakim & DJ Jazzy Jeff & Ravi Coltrane Project.

“We are so excited to launch our Hip Hop & Festival celebrating the deeply interconnected and symbiotic relationship between Hip Hop and Jazz. As two of America's greatest art forms and vital genres within the Black Music Continuum, they have transformed global culture,” says Simone Eccleston, Director of Hip-Hop Culture & Contemporary Music. “We are elated to have incredible musical vanguards such as Rakim, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ravi Coltrane, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, and Igmar Thomas's Revive Big Band, performing as part of this year's festival uplifting the artistic contributions of icons such as Duke Ellington, J Dilla, and John Coltrane. It is also extremely humbling to dedicate it to our dear friend Meghan Stabile, a creative genius whose legacy lives on through all of us.”

Tickets can be purchased here.