New Australian Music Festival ‘Jumanji’ Criticised For All-Male Lineup

February 26, 2018

UPDATE: The festival’s organisers have now issued a statement apologising for the all-male lineup.

Hip hop festival Jumanji has been criticised by music fans (and even an artist who’s playing the festival) for its all-male debut lineup, which is set to hit Melbourne and Sydney next month.

Headlined by the likes of Lil Wayne and Tyga, Jumanji’s inaugural lineup also features international acts like Metro Boomin and DJ Mustard. However, all 13 artists on the roster (including the six local acts announced today) are male.

Seattle-born and Brisbane-raised artist Midas.Gold, who is scheduled to perform at Jumanji in March, has taken to Facebook to call out the festival’s all-male lineup, saying:

“While I’m super stoked that I’m on a bill with one of my idols, I do recognise the lack of female talent on this bill, I want y’all to know that I accepted this gig with no prior knowledge of who else was being booked (besides the first round of announcements) and while I’m stupid grateful that they reached out to me I do feel the need to say something.

“Silence is compliance, I don’t think this is a fair representation of our scene & rap music globally something I do feel strongly about on different levels & I hope the people at Jumanji Festival festival can see this & what it might imply intended or not intended.”

Music fans have also been criticising the festival on social media, and have called into question some homophobic comments made by Melbourne-based hip hop act MLBRN, who was added to the lineup today:

jumanji festival won’t book a non male but will book people who say dumb shit like this? go figure pic.twitter.com/gbrvIulG6g

— jackson langford (@jacksonlangford) February 26, 2018

You can read one of MLBRN’s other controversial Facebook posts below. Music Feeds has contacted Jumanji Festival organisers for comment.

The festival, which is being promoted by Noque Touring, will take place in Melbourne on Friday, 9th March and Sydney on Saturday, 10th March.

Peep the full lineup and festival dates, below.

UPDATE: In a further statement to Music Feeds, Midas.Gold says:

“Playing with Lil Wayne is a dream come true for me, I’m appreciative of the opportunity, I just felt the need to share my thoughts on the lack of female representation. We have incredible female hip-hop talent in Australia and across the world who have earned their spot on line-ups like this. But, in saying that, I think there is a clear difference between being honest and calling someone out.

“I would like to see more gender diversity in line-ups, yes. However, I do not want to spear head a movement against the festival. Absolutely not. This festival is monumental for the culture here in Australia, however I would love them to recognise and work towards a more inclusive and representative event.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5XPtYOrJkI