The live show for Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will include a 50-minute tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary to celebrate the genre over the decades, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today. Music City Hip-Hop 50 will conclude with a guest DJ set by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who has a music degree and did a DJ set at Grimey’s record store during his campaign.
The segment will be curated by Eric Holt, managing partner of The Lovenoise Group and assistant professor of Music Business at Belmont University, and Nashville artist Jason Eskridge, along with guest appearances by artists Tim Gent and Daisha McBride. Eskridge will DJ the segment. Kenny Smoov of 92Q will emcee.
“For five decades, hip-hop has not only been a cultural force around the world but has grown and flourished in Music City,” said Deana Ivey, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “As we celebrate the history of hip-hop and Nashville’s own vibrant hip-hop scene, we honor the roots, the rhymes, the creators and the collaborations that have found inspiration in Music City.”
Mayor O’Connell said, “I am excited that this event will highlight the diversity of Nashville’s music scene. Our relationship with country music is historic, but we have such a diverse group of creatives that deserve our celebration. It’s a tough assignment to DJ a set surrounded by truly terrific artists like Jason Eskridge, Daisha McBride and Tim Gent, but I look forward to the challenge.”
The family-friendly hip-hop segment will kick off at 5:15 p.m. and will conclude with remarks from Mayor O’Connell, as well as a 10-minute DJ set that he will play and mix. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., and the program is free and open to the public. The early-evening segment gives families a way to celebrate the free Big Bash event with children of all ages.
The tribute will also help mark the 20th anniversary of The Lovenoise Group, an urban promoter that provides performance platforms for local urban artists and a community hub where black music lovers can come together to experience the power of culture.
Nashville’s Big Bash will feature GRAMMY Award-nominated Thomas Rhett, newly crowned CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd as headliners. The concert is free and open to the public. The five-hour CBS special will air live on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 pm CT on the CBS Television Network, Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).
This will be the 15th annual concert and seventh year at Bicentennial Park. The event will include the famed red Music Note, which will be dropped on a 138-foot tower at midnight to ring in the new year. As a live event, the Big Bash generates as much as $38 million in direct visitor spending and attendance of 200,000, with more than half being local residents.
Big Bash is partnering with the HERO (Homeless Education Resource Office) Program of Metro Nashville Public Schools to support students and their families who are experiencing homelessness.
Music City Hip-Hop 50 is produced by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. As a TV special, NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE: NASHVILLE’S BIG BASH is executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington in partnership with Music City Inc., the foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. The special will be directed by Sandra Restrepo. The annual event is returning to CBS in a new multi-year deal.
Keep up with new details: visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve. #NashvilleNYE
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