For 22 years, Urbanworld has been curating some of the best theatrical offerings one can find at any festival. This year is no different. Kicking off tonight with a star studded premiere of the comedy “Night School” starring Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart, Urbanworld 18 will dazzle for sure. The festival runs through Sunday, September 23.
Since there are dozens of outstanding offerings, we put together a list of the events that we know our music loving audience will appreciate. There is really something for everyone: music themed films, music videos, DJs, parties, concerts, panels and much more.
Check out our daily guide below:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2018
Films
- 8 Million Miles from Hintahood (Shorts Program 2) – In the midst of an existential crisis, a Hip Hop visionary drops out of grad school and moves to the OG necropolis known as Hintahood– where he hopes to uncover the mysterious roots of its revolutionary cultural energy. 5:00 pm, Theater 13. BUY TICKETS
- Scandal – Featuring Bashton and Maya Azucena (Shorts Program 1) – “Scandal” is a reflection on The City versus Man, Pop Culture, Love, and Death. This is a tale of a man who becomes a powerless witness of his own fall, just like a bee trapped in a spiderweb. This story is told in 2500 surrealistic paintings in 4 minutes. 5:15 pm, Theater 12. BUY TICKETS
- Panic featuring Pablo Nouvelle and Fiona Daniel (Shorts Program 2) – It has never been easier to fall in love with someone from a different culture than it is today in our globalized world. The early sentiments one feels towards someone who has been socialized differently are filled with curiosity and social pressure causing the irritation of knowing ones own true feelings of love. The music video Panic offers a close insight behind the scenes of a marriage between a western man and an eastern woman showing a broad diversity of emotions. 5:00 pm, Theater 13. BUY TICKETS
- Don’t Be Nice – The upstart Bowery Slam Poetry Team, made up of five young African-American, Afro-Hispanic and queer poets, prepares for the national championships. Mentored by a demanding coach who pushes them past their personal boundaries to write from a painfully honest place, the poets break down, break through, and compose their best work ever. Will their soul-searching pieces about police violence and the whitewashing of Black culture be able to compete against choreographed crowd-pleasers for the title? 8:45 pm, Theater 12. BUY TICKETS
- Respeto – Hendrix dreams of hip-hop greatness, but he’s spiraling down a rabbit-hole of crime and poverty until he meets Doc, an old poet still haunted by his martial law past. Can they turn each other’s lives around before they’re swallowed by their circumstance? The film celebrates the power of verses. This movie is charged with music, rap and poetry expressing the era of violence in the Philippines today. 10:00 pm, Theater 10. BUY TICKETS
- Run This – Featuring Vinida + DJ Mustard – Music Video for the most popular female rapper in China, Vinida. Produced by DJ Mustard. 10:00 pm, Theater 10. BUY TICKETS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
Films
- United Skates – At a time when our country feels painfully divided, and fly-over states are often overlooked, the story of a community crisscrossing our nation to celebrate what unites them, is more important than ever. Few are aware that roller rinks remain a segregated space in America. “Black nights,” referred to as “Adult Nights,” can be found in nearly every major city in the country, boasting vibrant music and skate scenes. From Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa and Naughty by Nature in New York/New Jersey to Dr. Dre in Los Angeles, roller rinks have and continue to be, a mecca for music and creativity. 5:15 pm, Theater 13. BUY TICKETS
- Mr. Soul – From 1968 to 1973, the public-television variety show SOUL!, guided by the enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of black literature, poetry, music, and politics—voices that had few other options for national exposure, and, as a result, found the program an improbable place to call home. With participants’ recollections and a bevy of great archival clips, Mr. SOUL! captures a critical moment in culture whose impact continues to resonate. 7:15 pm, Theater 10. BUY TICKETS
- It’s a Party – Successful Atlanta rap artist Cory Masters is late for his own surprise birthday party. While his friends anxiously await his arrival, each one individually addresses their own existential crisis. As the night drags on, hilarity ensues amongst the party-goers as they ponder life, careers, and relationships with Cory. Get yo’ a** to the party. 10:15 pm, Theater 12. BUY TICKETS
Digital
- Urbanworld Digital & Industry Reception – 12:30 pm – 7:30 pm. HBO Theater, 100 6th Avenue. RSVP Here
Music
- Urbanworld Music After Party – 11:00 pm – 3:30 am @ Harlem Nights @ Ginny’s Supper Club (Red Rooster) 310 Lenox Ave. (@126th Street)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018
Films
- I Used to Love Her – Caleb Jackson is a 28 year old hip-hop journalist, who lives in present day Los Angeles. He works at “Mighty Menace” – the online bible of all things hip hop, fashionable, and urban. Unfortunately, as a writer, his salary does not afford him the ability to pay his bills or rent in a timely manner. A friend tells him about an opportunity as a part time dating columnist at The LA Chronicles; which he ultimately takes. -Under an alias, he writes about his personal love life and his closest friends’ romantic experiences as well; which create juicy details for his column. 12:00 pm, Theater 9. BUY TICKETS
- New Phone, Who Dis? Featuring Cyanka (Shorts Program 4) – A regular guy named Flosslaraunt, bumps into a tree. A stack of money falls from the tree and hits his head, turns out it was a money tree. He shakes the tree, money rains on him and he becomes rich. With his new found wealth, he splurges, until a shady painter takes advantage of Floss’s arrogance. When Floss realizes his money is gone, he goes back to the tree, but there is no more money. 12:30 pm, Theater 13. BUY TICKETS
- Woke – A man and a woman meet on a hot day in the park in the city of Atlanta. Sunny is a Pakistani-American wannabe rapper. Rebecca is an African-American political activist. He lends her a hand escaping a pissed-off security guard, and the two quickly find themselves caught up in a furious debate over the intersection of art and identity. Do you owe anybody your music? Your time? Your love? 2:45 pm – Theater 12. BUY TICKETS
- Smallfoot – An animated adventure for all ages, with original music and an all-star cast, “Smallfoot” turns a myth upside down when a bright young yeti finds something he thought didn’t exist—a human. News of this “smallfoot” throws the simple yeti community into an uproar over what else might be out there in the big world beyond their snowy village, in an all new story about friendship, courage and the joy of discovery. 3:00 pm, Theater 10. BUY TICKETS
Music
- Bilal + Ayo Concert– 7:30 pm @ Sony Hall 235 W. 46th Street. BUY TICKETS
- Urbanworld Music After Party – 10:00 pm – 3:00 am @ Louis & Chan (LES), 303 Broome St. (at Forsyth St.)