Busta Rhymes and Big Daddy Kane will perform at Sole DXB in December.
Joining the US hip-hop stalwarts at the music and street culture festival is revered New York rapper Jadakiss, pioneering producer DJ Shadow and Zambian star Sampa the Great.
Rhymes will return to the UAE after winning the Lifetime Achievement award at the BET Awards this year.
The award celebrated his near-four-decade career, during which he's earned 12 Grammy nominations and several hits including Break Ya Neck, Touch It and Dangerous.
Taking place at the Dubai Design District from December 8 to 10, the festival also features a line up of regional artists including Sudanese rapper and singer Oddisee and Nadine El Roubi alongside seasoned names from the UAE hip-hop scene such as The Recipe, Tac and Moh Flow.
Also to be revealed soon will be a number of brands curating their own unique spaces and showcasing exclusive product drops and Sole DXB-branded releases and collaborations.
One can also expect panel discussions surrounding this year's 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
What is Sole DXB?
The first Sole DXB was held in 2011 at thejamjar, a warehouse art gallery in Al Quoz. Marketed as a “sneaker summit”, the event went on to galvanise the city's nascent hip-hop scene by bringing rappers, DJs, street artists and designers together under one roof.
That event attracted about 1,000 visitors and in the following years it grew in size and scope.
In 2015, Sole DXB found its permanent home in Dubai Design District and has welcomed international hip-hop artists, film screenings and panel sessions to its programme.
Last year's festival returned after a two-year hiatus and featured a stellar line up showcasing hip-hop's diversity and influences.
Taking the stage were British rapper Central Cee, American RnB star Ari Lennox and Jorja Smith, as well as solo artist Rapsody and collective Coast Contra from the US.
“We have always been going forward and trying new things and sounds that people may not expect from us,” festival co-founder Rajat Malhotra told The National in a previous interview.
“Fundamentally, when it comes to the music and things that come with the festival, we do it based purely on the things we like.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
