GloRilla, Metro Boomin & More To Perform At HBCU Benefit Festival

GloRilla, Metro Boomin and John Legend are just some of the many iconic acts who will perform to raise funds for HBCUs across the country.

On Monday, November 17, Live Nation Urban and the Student Freedom Initiative announced the lineup for the inaugural HBCU Awarefest. The largest HBCU fundraiser in history will take place on March 26, 2026, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. HBCU Awarefest will feature performances by Adam Blackstone, Common, Coco Jones, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Jeezy, Jill Scott, Kirk Franklin, Tems, Yolanda Adams and more. There will also be special appearances from Chris Paul, Angel Reese, Ryan Clark and other prominent sports figures.

“At Student Freedom Initiative, we are incredibly excited about the coalition and movement that we are building to end the student loan debt crisis for our nation’s HBCU students,” Keith Shoates, President and CEO of SFI, said in a statement. “In addition to these amazing performers, we have enlisted AWAREFEST Ambassadors, showing the breadth of our ecosystem of mission-aligned partners. These individuals will help to spread the word and share the urgency of our mission to tackle the racial wealth gap through the lens of education.”

HBCU Awarefest was originally announced in August. The festival is a fresh joint partnership between Live Nation Urban and Student Freedom Initiative, along with the City of Atlanta and Mayor Andre Dickens. The goal is to address the student loan debt crisis by raising funds to support SFI’s Student Freedom Loan Agreement, which is an affordable, income-contingent funding alternative to Parent PLUS Loans.

Presale tickets are available now, while general ticket sales begin on Friday, November 21st at 10AM ET at awarefest.org.