Furious Five Added to Cincinnati Music Festival's Thursday Lineup

The Art Of Rap Festival 2015 — Source: Scott Dudelson / Getty

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.

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.