Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage  Returns to Staten Island August 12 and 13

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage 

Returns to Staten Island

Free Shows at Stapleton Waterfront Park August 12-13

Featuring Frankie Cutlass, Black Sheep Dres, The Original Cover Girls, Las Cafeteras, Natu Camara and more

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Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Returns to Staten Island Line Up Announced for Staten Island Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop: Free Show on August 11 – National Hip-Hop 

Celebration Day – hosted by Raekwon The Chef & Friends / Tyrone Briggs with The Jazztronauts / Shyheim & More

City Parks Foundation is thrilled to announce that Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is returning to Stapleton Waterfront Park in Staten Island for three free shows the weekend of August 11-13.

On Friday August 11, which is National Hip-Hop Celebration Day, SummerStage and Staten Island Council Member Kamillah Hanks will present a special free show in Stapleton Waterfront Park, Staten Island Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop: Hosted by Raekwon The Chef & Friends, featuring Tyrone Briggs with The Jazztronauts, Shyheim and more in association with Maker Park Radio, a nonprofit community internet radio station in Staten Island’s Stapleton neighborhood.  Raekwon is a founding member of the iconic Staten Island hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and has received critical acclaim for his solo career, ranking him among one of the leading rappers of the genre. The concert will also include performances by artists Holy Moe, Eddy 1, Frank Nitti, Starda and WholsBravy, and DJ sets by DJ Xcel, DJ Smoove and DJ Shame. The event’s emcees will include Dyverse The 1st, Juthy and Jenn Baez, and there will also be a rap battle hosted by iBattle TV.

When it comes to hip-hop on Staten Island, no group looms larger than the Wu-Tang Clan, who took their underground Kung Fu-flick aesthetic around the world many times over, and changed both the sound and business of hip-hop indelibly. Among its members, Raekwon the Chef is known for his innovative and distinctive flow, showcased on his classic solo LP Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and all of the Wu-Tang albums, including Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Wu-Tang Forever. His recent memoir From Staircase to Stage: The Story of Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan recounts his journey from the staircases of Staten Island’s Park Hill to sold-out stadiums around the world. For this celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Raekwon honors that legacy with a few friends, including Staten Island native Tyrone Briggs, performing with the borough’s funkiest fusion band the Jazztronauts, and Shyheim, the Wu-Tang-affiliated MC who broke out at 14 years old with his 1994 LP AKA The Rugged Child.

In addition to musical performances, the event will highlight some of the other elements of hip-hop culture.  There will be a dance demonstration by J.B. from the NY Arts Cypher and .  one of the founding members of the world renowned dance group “The Amountboyz”,a live Graffiti demonstration by Projectivity and guest artists in partnership with Thrive Collective and courtesy of JM Custom Art Studio, and streetwear style inspired vendors.

“I am excited to be able to partner with City Parks Foundation and Maker Park Radio to present free SummerStage concerts at the Stapleton Waterfront Park this summer!  There will be a diverse group of performers for everyone to enjoy,” said Council Member Kamillah Hanks. “The concerts are a great way to bring the community together to enjoy the beauty of our Stapleton waterfront and take advantage of all that Stapleton has to offer.”

On Saturday August 12, fans will be treated to a free freestyle throwback jam featuring several of the genre’s stars at Stapleton Waterfront Park. In the ’80s and early ’90s, freestyle music took over dance clubs in New York, Miami, and Philadelphia, bringing together Puerto Rican and Italian-American communities under the banner of infectious electronic dance music powered by thumping syncopated beats and space-age synthesizers. The Original Cover Girls, best known for hits like “Show Me” and “Because of You,” and Cynthia, who charted with “Dreamboy / Dreamgirl” and “Break Up to Make Up” will perform their trademark hits.  A pair of hip-hop acts responsible for some of the genre’s most enduring recordings will also take the stage: Frankie Cutlass, who is the Puerto Rican DJ responsible for importing the Miami Bass group Poison Clan’s iconic hook from “Shake Whatcha’ Mama Gave Ya” for a new hit by Stik E & the Hoodz, as well as the iconic chant from his 1993 track “Puerto Rico,” and Black Sheep Dres, whose group was a part of the Native Tongues crew and first appeared on De La Soul’s classic sophomore album ‘De La Soul is Dead,’ but are perhaps best known for their 1991 hit “The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)” and its callback to the now defunct number 9 subway train.

This show will feature a special performance in collaboration with Works & Process. As part of this partnership, this season at SummerStage Ladies of Hip-Hop will perform at various shows. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in hip-hop. This show is supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation.  For more information visit: https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/frankie-cutlass-2/?date=20230812

On Sunday August 13, a diverse lineup of women-led groups spanning the country- and globe -will perform a free show at Stapleton Waterfront Park in association with Maker Park Radio and La Isla Bonita.  Las Cafeteras is a Chicano band from East LA that fuses spoken word and folk music with traditional son jarocho and zapateado dancing. They see their music—an energetic mix of Afro-Mexican rhythms, electronic beats and powerful rhymes—as a tool for enacting and inspiring positive social change. Natu Camara was a founding member of Ideal Black Girls, Guinea’s first all-woman hip-hop collective; since moving to Harlem she’s honed a unique blend of West African rock and soul, with rhythms from Guinea and an edge that’s distinctly New York. On her 2018 debut solo “LP Dimedi,” she sings in English, French, and her native Susu. Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-raised Justy has been writing music since the age of 12; with influences ranging from J Dilla, Amy Winehouse, NoName, Anderson .Paak, and Lauryn Hill, the indie singer-songwriter incorporates traditional jazz elements into the songs on her 2021 debut album “Pain With Benefits.” Kitty the Disc Jockey will handle the DJ duties; the old school all-vinyl selector spins decades of soul, funk, world, and pop cuts exclusively with 45 rpm records. This show is supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation. More information at: https://cityparksfoundation.org/events/las-cafeteras-2/?date=20230813

“We are excited to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and return to Staten Island this summer,” said SummerStage Executive Artistic Director Erika Elliot. “We are thrilled to present this series of free shows that spotlight the many diverse cultures of our city and grateful to Council Member Hanks for her support in bringing a truly one-of-a-kind experience to Staten Island for music fans to enjoy.”

The SummerStage in Staten Island schedule follows below. For the most up-to-date scheduling and lineup for all SummerStage programming, visit www.SummerStage.org  for all festival information.

Capital One is the festival’s title sponsor (Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage) and its official bank and credit card. A presenting sponsor since 2015, Capital One has helped SummerStage bring hundreds of artists to nearly a million audience members in parks all around New York City.

Generous private support for SummerStage is provided by The Thompson Family Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Jaharis Family Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Shubert Organization, J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, and the NYU Community Fund. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; NY Music Month (an initiative of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media + Entertainment); and the Consulate General of Brazil in New York. Capital One is the title sponsor of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage. Supporting Sponsors are Safehold, Subaru, Poppi, Bloomberg Philanthropies, National Grid, TF Cornerstone, Sixpoint, Fiddlehead, Wolffer Cider, Sunboy, Archer Roose, The Dermatology Specialists, United Airlines. Public support is also provided by the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Adams, including Council Member Gale Brewer, Council Member Kamillah Hanks, Council Member Chi Ossé, Council Member Keith Powers, and Council Member Carlina Rivera.  Media partner support for the season is provided by iHeartMedia including Z100 New York, 106.7 Lite FM, Power 105.1, KTU, and Q104.3, Zoom Media | GymTV, ALL ARTS and The WNET Group, Telemundo, WBGO, WFUV, Relix, DoNYC, and Big Screen Plaza. Live Nation is the exclusive provider of benefit concerts.

In all of its programming and activities, City Parks Foundation partners with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to improve neighborhood parks and the communities they serve.

About City Parks Foundation

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and

education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs — located in more than 300 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City — reach over 275,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

About SummerStage 

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is one of New York’s most beloved, broadly accessible, free outdoor performing arts festivals. SummerStage annually presents nearly 80 free and benefit performances in Central Park and neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs to 217,000 fans. With performances in genres that represent the cultural fabric of New York City ranging from jazz, hip-hop, Latin, global, indie and contemporary dance, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City’s summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage.

SummerStage 2023 Staten Island Schedule