Sunday, June 11 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

 QUEENS, NY – Borough President Melinda Katz, in partnership with City Comptroller Scott Stringer, NYC Parks, City Parks Foundation, NYC & Company Foundation, Delta Air Lines and Resorts World Casino New York City, today announced details of the 2017 “Only in Queens Summer Festival” which will take place on Sunday, June 11, 2017 from 2:00 – 8:00 PM in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Festival will feature a SummerStage outdoor concert beginning at 5:00 PM headlined by funk music legend GEORGE CLINTON and his band PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC. Hosted by hip-hop artist and Queens native ROXANNE SHANTÉ, the Summerstage concert line-up includes young R&B sisters duo CHLOE x HALLE, the hip-hop group MAIN SOURCE and Queens native DJ MARLEY MARL.

The Festival will also offer a wide range of activities for people of all ages, including:

Media sponsors for the 2017 Only in Queens Summer Festival include the New York Daily News, Gothamist and Time Out NewYork. For more information, go to www.queensbp.org/onlyinqueens.

“We are pleased to continue the tradition of the annual Only in Queens Summer Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, entirely free to the public,” said Borough President KATZ. “Music, food and fun in the park are what New York summers are made of, especially here in the borough of families.”

“What a terrific tradition, and what a wonderful event for families. This event demonstrates what Queens — and all of New York City — is all about,” said City Comptroller SCOTT STRINGER.

“Only in Queens can you enjoy world-class musical acts and explore the grounds of the historic World’s Fair — all in the same park!” said NYC Parks Commissioner MITCHELL J. SILVER, FAICP. “NYC Parks is proud to partner with Borough President Katz once again to bring this great cultural and community event to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.”

Parks Foundation’s SummerStage is thrilled to be a partner of this year’s Only In Queens Festival,” said HEATHER LUBOV, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. “Showcasing such a dynamic set of artists in Flushing Meadows Corona Park brings our mission to life and helps create vibrant and accessible cultural experiences in Queens parks.”

“Only in Queens Summer Festival has been a fantastic addition to Queens’ rich cultural landscape, giving locals and visitors yet another reason to enjoy the world’s borough,” said FRED DIXON, President of NYC & Company Foundation. “NYC & Company Foundation is proud to partner with Borough President Katz in celebrating Queens and sharing this summer’s exciting line-up with visitors from around the world.”

“Delta is proud to give back to the community it serves by supporting this year’s ‘Only In Queens Summer Festival,’” said HENRY KUYKENDALL, Vice President-New York, Delta Air Lines. “We are honored to partner with Borough President Katz, Comptroller Stringer, and others on this annual event that brings families and friends together.”

 “Resorts World Casino New York City has been a proud sponsor of the Only in Queens Summer Festival Summer Stage Concert since 2014. We are always looking for ways to support community programs and this summer event is great to be part of,” said MICHELLE STODDART, Director of PR and Community Development at Resorts World Casino New York City. “We would like to thank Queens Borough President Katz for the exciting programming she has put together for Queens families this year for what is sure to be a fantastic event.”

“As Queens’ #1 daily newspaper, the New York Daily News proud to be a media sponsor for the ‘Only in Queens’ summer festival,” said RUDY ZACCAGNO, Senior Vice President of Advertising at the New York Daily News.

The Festival will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the official designation of Flushing Meadows Corona Park as a New York City park. The park previously served as the site of the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World’s Fairs.

About George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic

The granddaddy of funk! Rock and Roll Hall of Famer George Clinton, along with James Brown and Sly Stone, is credited as one of the principal engineers of funk, a groovy mix of soul, R&B, disco and rock elements. Clinton started off his prolific career as a staff songwriter at Motown Records in the 1960’s. He later orchestrated the construction of two of the earliest bands in the funk classification, Parliament and Funkadelic, which would eventually merge under the name P-Funk (which later morphed into the P-Funk All-Stars). Their sound was a magnificent union of influencers Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Brown (The Godfather of Soul), and would earn them over 40 R&B smash singles (with three #1’s) and an impressive three platinum albums. The 80’s saw Clinton’s solo career launch (still performing with numerous members of P-Funk), as well as a delving into producing, for hot acts Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bootsy Collins and more. With wildly named tracks like “Loopzilla,” “Atomic Dog,” and “Do Fries Go with That Shake?” (that perfectly mirrored his kaleidoscopic sound), Clinton continued to top the charts. Clinton delighted as rap artists sampled his music, enjoying the compensation. As he put it, “Aint a better time to get paid than when you’re my age.” With sixteen albums to his name, Clinton continues to tour and set the stage afire with original funk.

About Chloe x Halle

R&B soul sisters, a charming pop duo and protégés of Queen Bey. Born in Atlanta, singers Chloe and Halle Bailey moved to Los Angeles while still in their teens to pursue careers in music. This was undoubtedly the right decision for these two precocious and soulful vocalists. In 2013 their cover of the song “Pretty Hurts” went viral, racking up nearly 12 million views. This caught the eye and ear of Beyoncé, who promptly signed them to her management company, Parkwood Entertainment. Chalking up critical acclaim and further fan admiration, they also won Disney’s Next Big Thing competition, in its fifth season. Their debut EP, Sugar Symphony, was released in 2016, featuring the lead single “Drop.” The boisterous video for this track has over three million views on YouTube, and the song “Fall” that followed also performed remarkably well. The two sisters are exceptionally camera-friendly too, with numerous TV and film appearances, and perhaps most notable, a cameo in Beyoncé’s Lemonade visual album. Recently they served as Beyoncé’s opening act for the European leg of The Formation World Tour, and participated in Michelle Obama’s “Let Girls Learn” initiative. They currently stun audiences all over with their pure, combined talent and energy.

About Main Source

One of the only hip hop groups in history to unite artists from New York City and Canada, Main Source’s diversified sound is due in no small part to their border-crossing origins. The original lineup included two Toronto-based DJ/producers, Sir Scratch and K-Cut, and one Queens-native MC/producer, Large Professor. The aforementioned Professor would eventually vacate the group and be replaced by New York local MC Mikey D, keeping the Queens contingency intact. The unit’s first album, 1991’s Breaking Atoms, was well received, with thought-provoking singles “Looking at the Front Door,” “A Friendly Game of Baseball,” and “Watch Roger Do His Thing” getting the most traction. A brief derailment for the group followed, but with Mikey D supplanted into the reformed trio, they were able to release 1994’s (Expletive) What You Think. The group was propelled to an even wider audience as Madonna sampled the bassline track from “What You Need” for her hit “Human Nature.” All of the group’s members (past and present) continued to enjoy success in the industry, with K-Cut breaking out and producing music for the likes of Big Pun, Maestro Fresh-Wes, Fu-Schnickens, Queen Latifah, and Shaquille O’Neal. 

About DJ Marley Marl

Marlon Williams came out swinging in the hip hop world, establishing himself as one of the first ever mega-producers. Known as Marley Marl, this DJ/MC was an architect in sampling, utilizing new-found techniques that would shock and galvanize the collective sound of hip hop. A master prognosticator for new talent, Williams created the Cold Chillin’ label, and put together a cadre of NYC’s rising stars, namely MC Shan, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Roxanne Shanté, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, and Masta Ace. With his dexterous fingers at the control board in the engineering both, Marley Marl brought out the best in each of these performers. Adding his signature, lifted samples and bountifully catchy beats to their words, Williams made their compositions more accessible to the entire music sphere. With his James Brown-esque simulated grooves and original drum loop fabrication, Marl’s sound was undeniably current. His initial foray into group assembling saw the creation of the famed Juice Flow. Williams would release records under his own name as well, including an eponymous LP in 1988. His first true mainstream success came as the producer for LL Cool J’s ubiquitous played Mama Said Knock You Out in 1990. Over the years, as the form evolved, he would work with hip hop and R&B heavyweights TLC, Rakim, Capone-N-Noreaga, Fat Joe and even longtime rival KRS-One.

About Roxanne Shanté

Queens-native MC, virtuosa queen of ‘80s rap, one of the first female battlers ever. Reared in Queens, the unconquerable Lolita Shanté Gooden is one of the first female rappers to carve out an indelible name for herself. An intrepid and precocious youth, she began rapping when she was only thirteen, as a member of the Juice Crew. The adoption of the stage sobriquet Roxanne was a calculated move to draw attention from KRS-One’s Bronx-based group (to start a lyrical feud with her Queens crew). In a battle for district supremacy in hip hop, the “Roxanne Wars” had begun, and Shanté’s fiery career took off. As an authentic rap battler, the sweet-voiced, silver-tongued Shanté squared off against the biggest names in the game. Her first album was a collaboration with fellow femme MC Sparky D, 1985’s Round One, Roxanne Shanté vs Sparky Dee, which featured the now-classics “Roxanne’s Revenge,” “Roxanne’s Profile” and a pure battle blowout where Shanté and Sparky went head to head on the mic. Other empowered Shanté hits of this time were the scratch-heavy, braggadocious “Have a Nice Day” and lyrically agile “Go on Girl.” Her solo albums include 1989’s Bad Sister, the 1992 comeback The Bitch is Back, and a Greatest Hits compilation released in 1995. Roxanne Shanté would go on to tutor young female rap artists, and came back to hip hop in 2008 with a fresh re-recording of “Roxanne’s Revenge” (which had just been ranked #42 all-time on VH1’s 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs).

Follow Borough President Katz via @melindakatz or www.facebook.com/queensbpkatz

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