2025 Heart of America Hot Dog Festival

There will be grilling and grooving at the 2025 Heart of America Hot Dog Festival presented by Hy-Vee on Saturday, August 9th, at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. Attendees will be treated to live entertainment, ballpark foods, local food trucks and more.

Created by the NLBM (Negro Leagues Baseball Museum) in 2013, the Hotdog Festival celebrates the historical connection between Black Americans national pastime and the all-American hotdog, with proceeds benefitting the NLBM.

The sizzling musical lineup includes Silk, Eric Benét, Rose Royce, Larry Dodson (legendary voice of the Bar-Kays), the dynamic duo of Jeanette Harris & Tom Browne, and The Bloodstone Review. Click here for tickets.

The National Hip-Hop Honors & Concert 2025

This year’s National Hip-Hop Honors & Concert will take place on August 18-23 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. During the week, from Monday through Friday, the event will be free and open to all ages. There will be a pop-up exhibit of rare artifacts from The National Hip-Hop Museum collection. It will include the Hip-Hop Declaration of Peace, RIAA Gold Awards, stage-worn apparel, vintage posters, and much more.

Starting at 12 noon on Saturday, August 23rd, the main event will feature The National Hip-Hop Honors, a podcast, an induction ceremony, and a live concert. Hosted by Master Gee and Grandmaster Caz, the 2025 inductees are Kid ‘n Play, Jungle Brothers, DJ Red Alert, Dana Dane, Kwamé, Sweet Tee, Antoinette, DJ Hollywood, and DJ Wiz. For additional information, visit The National Hip-Hop Museum’s official website.

R&B Summer Jam Food Festival Postponed To August 31st

The 2025 Summer Jam Food Festival, which was to take place on Saturday, June 28th, and Sunday, June 29th, at SeatGeek Stadium (7000 S Harlem Avenue) in Bridgeview, Illinois, has been postponed to Sunday, August 31st. The organizers shared the following statement on their blog:

“We regret to inform you that this event has been postponed to August 31st. We appreciate your understanding and will share updates once details are confirmed. Thank you for your continued support. – R&B Summer Jam Food Fest Team.”

For additional information, visit: rnbsummerjam.com

Stevie Wonder’s “Love, Light & Song” UK Tour

Legendary singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer Stevie Wonder, who is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, will be taking his “Love, Light & Song” tour to the United Kingdom in July.

As of this writing, he and his team have confirmed five dates in the UK; these include two arena shows and three festivals. See below.

July 3: Lytham, Lytham Festival
July 5: Manchester, Co-op Live
July 7: Birmingham, Utilita Arena
July 9: Cardiff, Blackweir Fields
July 12: London, BST Hyde Park

Brandy & Monica Announce “The Boy Is Mine” Tour

R&B legends Brandy and Monica, who collaborated on the mega hit song “The Boy Is Mine” in 1998, will embark on a co-headlining tour across the U.S.A. this fall. They will be joined by Kelly Rowland, Muni Long, and the 2025 American Idol winner, Jamal Roberts.

“The Boy Is Mine” tour will commence in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 16 and will run through December 7th, ending in Houston, Texas. See below all confirmed dates and locations as of this writing.

Oct 16
8:00pm
Heritage Bank Center
Cincinnati, OH

Oct 17
8:00pm
Fiserv Forum
Milwaukee, WI

Oct 18
8:00pm
United Center
Chicago, IL

Oct 19
8:00pm
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, IN

Oct 30
8:00pm
FedExForum
Memphis, TN

Oct 31
8:00pm
State Farm Arena
Atlanta, GA

Nov 1
8:00pm
First Horizon Coliseum at Greensboro Complex
Greensboro, NC

Nov 2
7:00pm
CFG Bank Arena
Baltimore, MD

Nov 7
8:00pm
T-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, NV

Nov 8
8:00pm
Oakland Arena
Oakland, CA

Nov 9
7:00pm
Kia Forum
Inglewood, CA

Nov 13
8:00pm
Spectrum Center
Charlotte, NC

Nov 14
8:00pm
Colonial Life Arena
Columbia, SC

Nov 15
8:00pm
Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Birmingham, AL

Nov 16
7:00pm
Enterprise Center
St. Louis, MO

Nov 20
8:00pm
Barclays Center
Brooklyn, NY

Nov 21
8:00pm
Prudential Center
Newark, NJ

Nov 22
8:00pm
Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, NJ

Nov 23
7:00pm
Hampton Coliseum
Hampton, VA

Nov 29
8:00pm
Little Caesars Arena
Detroit, MI

Nov 30
7:00pm
Capital One Arena
Washington, DC

Dec 5
8:00pm
Smoothie King Center
New Orleans, LA

Dec 6
8:00pm
Dickies Arena
Fort Worth, TX

Dec 7
8:00pm
Toyota Center – TX
Houston, TX

Brian McKnight & Dru Hill Will Be In Jamaica For ‘Live & Direc’ On June 28th

Jamaica, the island of reggae music, will welcome R&B giants Brian McKnight and Dru Hill, with their lead singer Sisqó—who is also an accomplished solo act—on Saturday, June 28th. They will headline Live & Direct, a concert series that’s known for featuring top-tier rhythm-and-blues performers.

The men—Brian McKnight and Dru Hill—along with local entertainers Joby Jay, Christopher Ellis, and Mozein Sutherland, will perform at the Constant Spring Golf Club (152 Constant Spring Road) in Kingston.

Physical tickets can be purchased locally at SVL Flagship Stores, Fontana Island Wide, Kingston Jerk, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Gibson’s Gas Station (May Pen), Zaynx (Park Plaza), Signature Styles (Central Plaza), and, of course, at the event’s location, the Constant Spring Golf Club. Tickets are also available online via caribtix.com.

R&B Summer Jam Food Festival 2025

Below is the official schedule for the 2025 Summer Jam Food Festival, which will take place on Saturday, June 28th, and Sunday, June 29th, at SeatGeek Stadium (7000 S Harlem Avenue) in Bridgeview, Illinois.

On Saturday, there will be performances by Tank, Silk, Lyfe Jennings, Koffee Brown, Carl Thomas, comedian Lil Rel, Korporate, Homie Lover Friends, Mike Samp, and Reko OsoFunny. The following day, on Sunday, attendees will be treated to sets by the Isley Brothers, Keke Wyatt, Tyrese, Ann Marie, Lil Rel, Damon Williams, Unk Nem, Just Nesh, Homie Lover Friends, and Marlon Mitchell.

On both days the event will commence at 2pm local time. For additional information and links to tickets, visit rnbsummerjam.com.