Multi-Grammy award-winning Chance the Rapper will be speaking at this year’s inaugural Sydney SXSW this October. He joins a stacked program of over 1,000 ground-breaking events and sessions on Tech and Innovation, Games, Music, Screen and Culture.
Chance has won the respect of both his industry peers and former President Barack Obama, who described him as “an outstanding role model.” It is with this background that Chance has paid his success forward, empowering creative leaders for the next 50 years through his SocialWorks foundation.
Chance The Rapper says, “As we celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop in 2023, I’m reminded of the transformative power this culture has had, not just on the world stage, but on the streets of Chicago’s South Side. Hip Hop has provided a rhythm to our stories and a canvas for our creativity. I’m really looking forward to joining SXSW Sydney as a speaker to expound upon Hip Hop’s transcendent legacy.”
Both Colin Daniels, the Managing Director of SXSW, Sydney and the Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Minister for the Arts and Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham have nothing but praise and enthusiasm for this announcement.
“His genre-blurring sounds reverberate across generations, making him a powerful voice to reflect on the past 50 Years of Hip Hop.”
Chance will be appearing alongside previously announced headline speakers making their way to Sydney, Asia-Pacific’s creative industry capital, including Slack Co-Founder Cal Henderson, futurist and AI expert Amy Webb, Coachella festival CEO Paul Tollett and AEG Presents SVP Global Touring Michael Harrison, plus many more.
There are over 700 industry speakers including:
De-extinction entrepreneur Ben Lamm, Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin, Google Australia MD Mel Silva, Netflix ANZ Director of Content Que Minh Luu, broadcaster Osher Günsberg, World Surfing Champion Layne Beachley, Reddit CMO Roxy Young, Expedia CTO Rathi Murthy and many more.
There are over 300 panels and sessions on the latest trends and questions, including the ethics of lab grown meat, First Nations knowledge in design, venture capital in 2050, the role of AI in music videos and much more.
On top of this will be over 300 music performances hosted by Young Henrys, from artists as diverse as Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver, NZ’s genre-bending Will Swinton and Indonesian triple threat Isyana Sarasvati.
Accessing SXSW Sydney – Badges and Wristbands:
Badges are your master key for SXSW Sydney – they open the doors to all activity across the week-long event, from its Conference and Tech & Innovation Expo to its Music, Screen and Games Festivals. As he is a conference speaker, it is only possible to see Chance The Rapper with a badge.
Wristbands give access to SXSW Sydney’s Music, Screen or Games festivals, for performances, screenings and showcases.
- Music Festival: 300 performances in 25 venues over 4 nights.
- Screen Festival: unlimited screenings over one week.
- Games Festival: 150 new indie games and parties over 6 nights.
SXSW Sydney 2023 Key Dates
15-22 Oct 2023: SXSW Sydney
16-21 Oct 2023: Conference
18-21 Oct 2023: SXSW Sydney 2023 Music Festival
18-21 Oct 2023: Industry networking events and parties
Current pricing for both Badges and Wristbands is available until Midnight on Wednesday 13 September. For more information, head to sxswsydney.com.
