Furious Five Added to Cincinnati Music Festival's Thursday Lineup

A historic night just got even bigger. Organizers of the Cincinnati Music Festival have announced that hip-hop pioneers The Furious Five will join Sugarhill Gang as surprise guests during Thursday’s “A Celebration of Hip Hop” kickoff show.

This is a rare and legendary link-up. Two of the earliest forces in rap history are sharing the stage in Cincinnati for one night only. The performance goes down Thursday, July 24th at The Andrew J. Brady Music Center, and it officially opens the 2025 CMF weekend.

RELATED: 2025 Cincinnati Music Festival Lineup Announced

Thursday’s lineup now includes:

• Scarface
• Goodie Mob
• Young MC
• Sugarhill Gang with special guests The Furious Five

The news comes three months after festival organizers announced LL Cool J and Toni Braxton will now headline Saturday’s show, stepping in for Janet Jackson, who is no longer performing due to personal reasons.

Presented by P&G, this year’s Cincinnati Music Festival runs July 24–26 across two of the city’s top venues. Here’s how the full weekend lineup breaks down:

Thursday, July 24 – Andrew J. Brady Music Center
A Celebration of Hip Hop
Scarface, Goodie Mob, Young MC, Sugarhill Gang with special guests The Furious Five

Friday, July 25 – Paycor Stadium
Earth, Wind & Fire, Anthony Hamilton, Jazmine Sullivan, PJ Morton, The Zapp Band
Tribute to the King Records Legacy featuring Dreion

Saturday, July 26 – Paycor Stadium
LL Cool J, Toni Braxton, Lucky Daye, 112, The Bar-Kays
Special tribute to Frankie Beverly featuring Jubu
With guests: Ronald Isley, Joe, After 7, Dave Hollister, and Raheem DeVaughn

Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.com. This is one of the biggest weekends in Black music and culture, and it’s all starting with a hip-hop history lesson live on stage.

• Plainclothes ICE Agents Attempt To Arrest Migrant At Las Vegas Airport
• Sybil Wilkes Covers Today’s What We Need to Know: Election Claims, Deadly Floods, and a Studio Attack
• Spain vs. Argentina: A Grown Man's Guide To The 2026 World Cup Final
• Trump to Attend Argentina Vs. Spain World Cup Final & Present Trophy, Social Media Upset At Tradition
• NBA Won't Punish Bam Adebayo For Tyler Herro Fight As Pat Riley Makes Knock Out Joke
• Kris Jenkins Jr. can help transform the Bengals defense
• Netflix To Ramp Up Live Events Programming
• Dionne Warwick, A Love Letter — Thank You For Showing Black Women That Grace Never Goes Out Of Style
• Attorney Cynthia Hawes Breaks Down Family Law Rights
• Fine AF Fridays Vol 35 — Lord… Who Told Lenny Kravitz, Gunna & Shaboozey To Take Their Shirts Off? We Just Wanna Say Thanks.

Furious Five Added to Cincinnati Music Festival’s Thursday Lineup was originally published on wiznation.com