Sydney, Australia – Monday 11 September – This October, multiple GRAMMY Award winner Chance The Rapper will be speaking at South by Southwest Sydney® 2023, a week-long festival in the heart of Sydney. He joins a stacked program of over 1,000 ground-breaking events and sessions on Tech and Innovation, Games, Music, Screen and Culture as the city becomes the worldwide epicentre for the creative industries.
Chance is joining a global community of artists raising their remarkable voices to celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop, reflecting on its indelible impact on both his beloved Chicago South Side and a world of fans. Once aptly described by President Barack Obama as “an outstanding role model,” the rapper, singer-songwriter, producer and humanitarian continues to pay his incredible success forward, empowering creative leaders for the next 50 years through his SocialWorks foundation and roving international Black Star Line Festival.
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.”
Colin Daniels, Managing Director, SXSW Sydney says: “Chance The Rapper is renowned for both his chart topping and community advocacy. There’s few out there like him, who take what they’ve made and use it to build the dreams of others. His genre-blurring sounds reverberate across generations, making him a powerful voice to reflect on the past 50 Years of Hip Hop. His unique perspective bridges the gap between the genre’s rich history and its dynamic future.”
Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Minister for the Arts and Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham says: “Chance The Rapper is another excellent addition to the list of creative industry voices at the inaugural SXSW Sydney. Hip hop is part of the creative fabric that makes up the music community here in NSW. We have some incredibly talented hip hop artists in our community. As the state’s first Minister for Music, I am excited to hear the conversation on the future of music and hip hop as we celebrate 50 years.”
This October, Sydney will shine as a leading city for nurturing creative industries, hosting a week-long festival program that serves as a hotbed of innovation and artistic expression. Drawing inspiration from visionary thinkers worldwide, SXSW Sydney 2023 will feature an impressive line-up of over 1,000 groundbreaking events and networking sessions across the pillars of Tech & Innovation, Music, Screen, Games and Culture.
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.
Over 700 industry-leading speakers already announced including:
De-extinction entrepreneur Ben Lamm, Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin, advertising icon David Droga, Google Australia MD Mel Silva, Netflix ANZ Director of Content Que Minh Luu, broadcaster Osher Günsberg, World Surfing Champion Layne Beachley, tech entrepreneur Paul Bassat, Reddit CMO Roxy Young, artistic director Wesley Enoch, Expedia CTO Rathi Murthy and many more.
More than 300 panels and sessions to keep you at the forefront, covering topics including:
Brain-computer interfaces, the future of lab-grown meat, First Nations knowledge in design, ethical living with robots, AI fluency, Big Tech transparency, re-imagining news media, how recruitment will become more like online dating, venture capital in 2050, when music videos meet AI, the future of love and more.
Over 300 music performances:
Your new favourite artist is playing SXSW Sydney 2023. Check out a line-up of the best new faces from around the world featuring TikTok stars Flyana Boss, Indonesian triple threat Isyana Sarasvati, Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver, rising Blak hip-hop powerhouse Miss Kannina and NZ’s genre-bending Will Swinton, presented by SXSW Sydney Official Music Partners Young Henrys.
Brands participating include:
Super Sponsors CommBank and Qantas, Major Sponsors Young Henrys and Telstra, Education Partner UTS, Accommodation Partner Accor, Event Partners Accenture, Amex and Universal Music Australia, Defender, Dr. Martens, Handsome Tours, Laneway Festival, Prime Video, Seven, The Orchard, Vans and YEG, International House Canada House, SXSW Sydney Pitch presenter VentureCrowd and Conference Track Sponsors CSIRO and Main Sequence, WPP, Culture Amp, Kingfisher and Remote.
SXSW Sydney Screen Festival includes:
Red carpet premieres at the ICC’s Darling Theatre and cinemas across the inner city; an XR showcase, conference sessions, activations, parties, meet-ups and ‘Minimart’, a SXSW Sydney-flavoured Screen market for investors, buyers, producers, creatives and industry. Announced films include: Opening Night film (and Australian premiere) of Aussie Outback thriller The Royal Hotel, Anita (US), about Rolling Stones Muse Anita Pallenberg; Cypher (US), a fictional pseudo- music documentary about the artist Tierra Whack; Jamojaya (US), Indonesian rap star Brian Imanuel (Rich Brian) stars as an up-and-coming musician; Plastic (JP), teenagers Juna and Ibuki set out to find the psychedelic rock band Exne Kedy; The Last Year of Darkness (US/CN) Bass-heavy and neon-coloured portrait of alternative Chinese youth. Finally, the festival will feature the world premiere of the Wiggles documentary, Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles.
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, plus our Tabletop Expo.
