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September 30, 2025 13 mins
Tens of thousands of people will be coming to Atlanta for the iconic ONE Musicfest. The  founder and creato, J. Carter, stops by the studio to tell what people can expect. Tickets are on sale now at onemusicfest.com. It'll be October 25 and 26 in Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

Host: @alexandriaikomoni
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, guys? Is a girl Alexandria Ikamoni in the
studio with Jay Carter, the founder of One Music Fest.
How you doing today?

Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm doing well? Thank you?

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (00:10):
How you doing how?

Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm doing well? Thank you? Happy to have you in studio.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, it's a blessing. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Yes, I mean, so much to talk about. So many
great people are coming this year for One Music Fest.
I mean, let's just start off and say, who does
not know One Music Fest? But if you could simplify
for those who haven't been a part of it, since
we are national here, what is One Music Fest and
what does it bring to the Southeast, specifically Atlanta.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
One Music Fest is the It is a multi generational
outdoor music festival that embraces all aspects of black culture,
from music to food, to fashion to art. So yeah,

(00:54):
you'll see some of your biggest names in music on stage,
but all throughout the grounds, I mean you'll see incredible
activations from great brands.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
You'll see.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Art installations. You'll have chefs and food vendors from across
the nation. So I mean from.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Vegan Caribbean food to a king crab, you know what
I mean?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
So it is everything about our culture that we love
in one safe place to enjoy.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Absolutely, And I just want to also point out really quickly,
this is the nation's largest black owned, open air, multi
stage music festival. We have to put it out there
and it's been going on for sixteen years, which is
a huge accomplishment. So we appreciate that happening right here
in the city of Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
So let's talk about the headliners. I mean, well, the
performers in general. There's so many great performers coming out
this year. What I guess, like which artists would be
which artists would have the biggest response. I would say
that people are most anticipated to see this year.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
You'll be surprised, You'll be You'll be surprised. I mean,
you know, your big headline is a names like future
Mary J. Blige, DOCI. But you know, we we have
a ton of people excited about seeing Jasmine Celibate, a
ton of people excited about seeing Kilane. You know, we're
doing a whole southern soul set, a trail ride set

(02:27):
with you know, eight oh three Fresh And and Mike
Clarke Junior Cupid. So that for that whole line dancing community.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
That's what they're excited for.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
So, I mean, that's really what we do with different
with One Music Fest than you see at other other events.
It's it's really built on storytelling, right, It's not just
uh pigeonholing Black music and culture to to one dynamic
of of music.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
It's it's it's it's the breath of it all right.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
So but at the end of the day, yes, I
mean Future and Doci and Mary and Luda and Dungeon Family,
those are the name that's gonna create the ouahs. But
you'll be surprised what's gonna draw a lot.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Of people out there.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
That's exciting and there's really something for everybody, no matter
your taste or what kind of genre you like, especially
when it comes to Black artists. We are in so
many different spaces, so it's great to really see all
that come together here. So I have to ask which
artists are you specifically most excited to see.

Speaker 2 (03:33):
That's a tough one for me.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
The I mean, Dungeon Family did the reunion back in
twenty sixteen with us and it was incredible. You know
that that was the last time Outcasts performed on stage
together was at One Music Fest.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
In twenty sixteen.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
So for them to do a Dungeon family reunion and
a tribute to Rico Wade, who's one of the founders
who passed away last year.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
I think it's gonna be incredible.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Yeah, just doing his twenty fifty anniversary. And if you know,
he's probably the king of collaborations, So he's bringing a
ton of special guests. So I know some of them.
Can't say any of them now, but I'm trying to ask.
But his show may be the highlight of the weekend.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Whoa, yeah, whoa, Okay, I'm looking forward to this artist.
I'll let it sit right there. We can't wait to
see what he really brings and comes to the table.
I want to talk about Future really fast because he's
obviously from here, from Atlanta. He doesn't do a lot
of shows as much anymore, so talk about I guess
the rare hometown show that is going to be happening

(04:41):
when he performs at One Music Best.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
So we've been trying to book Future for years.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
But the Future was I mean, he's you know, he.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Kind of pick and choose what he wants to do,
right so, and you know he was doing some heavy
touring prior years, and then he would pop up on
other festivals that were kind of you know, interfear with
getting them on our bill. So the Star is really
just a line. And Future is also the cousin of
Rica away of the Dungeon family, so Future is a

(05:11):
product of the Dungeon family. So also I think when
he called when that we were doing that reunion, he
was like, oh, bro, yeah, yeah, can't.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Do this without me. So super excited for Future.

Speaker 3 (05:22):
I mean, his his his you know, his descography, his
his his portfolio of music, you know. I mean, it's
just taking you back from high school to college to
to now.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
So we're excited. Man, I'm excited to I.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
Don't want to Bill definitely excited for that one. An
another one of my personal favorites. Doc.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
I can't wait to see.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
She's an amazing performer, so I'm super excited to see her.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
You're in a swamp.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Swamp it was a lottle my toes are and they're
not fully submerged now, but I'm a part.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Of the swamp. She's amazing. She is an artist, an artist.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
Artist, she really is. Let's talk about the impact though,
like it being here in Atlanta, I mean, the economic
impact sixty one million. It's insane how much it really
does for Atlanta. What are your thoughts on the impact
and why do you think it's so important that we
have something of this magnitude here in Atlanta?

Speaker 3 (06:14):
I think, well, one, we deserve it, right, So I
think too many times we allow other people to tell
our history and to tell our story. And really that
was how Woman's Fast really came about. You know, there
was no programming around urban music in the festival space
in the early two thousands, and the question was why, right, Like,

(06:36):
we deserve that level of connectivity, that level of joy,
that level of you know of just just participation in
that kind of space. So, you know, is it important.
It's wildly important. I think represent representation matters, right, you know,

(06:57):
seeing your artists on a stage, putting in you know,
in a well oiled, well produced festival or setting that
highlights everything that makes your upbringing and your culture special
to you, Right, I think that's important. So, you know,

(07:19):
in the economic impact, I think it's it's I think
it's just say a. I just think it tells the
story of why it's so important, right, So, you know,
for something to have this kind of impact on the city.

(07:39):
It's it's not Atlanta's solely coming out. That impact doesn't
happen unless there's people travel into Atlanta to experience this
as well. And so what we found out is that
this experience is very difficult to find, Like where can
I go and see Mary J. Blige and a Chief

(08:00):
Keif occupy the same space, or a Chief Keif and
Adotchi occupy the same space, or Adochi and an eight
oh three Fresh occupy the same space.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
You know. So it's it's.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
The timeline, it's the breath, it's the it's the intersections
of our generations and culture just coming together in one space.
And you know, we couldn't sit around a wait for
somebody else to tell the story.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
I mean, we had to write our own story.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
And I feel like a lot of people have recognized,
you know, what one musical Festa is, what it stands
for and why it's special, and that's why it's a
pilgrimage for a lot of folks from I mean, we
get people from Australia, we have people from Europe, we
get people from the Caribbean, and at the end of
the day, they say, yeah, I can't find anything quite

(08:51):
like this.

Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, not at all. It's really something special here. And
speaking of the economic impact, I have to add this
in there since I'm such a foodie. I mean, the
for the local vendors, you know, the black owned businesses
that have their food trucks out there, so many great options,
and the lines, I mean, it makes sense why they
have lines, but you can just see people supporting those
businesses and trying what the what you guys have to

(09:14):
offer as far as the food is concerned. So that's
I feel like a huge part of the economic impact
as well, because so many businesses are getting a huge
boost as well, which is I think is absolutely amazing.

Speaker 3 (09:24):
Absolutely yeah, I mean you're gonna leave full. Like there's
so many different food options. I means some people that
literally come for the food and the artists on stages is.

Speaker 1 (09:35):
Secondary, absolutely, And you're talking about so many people they come.
They all come from all over right. Where are some
of the most unique places that you've heard of people coming,
you know, in order to come to the festival? Where
are they from? Are we talking the other side of
the world, or where are people coming from for this
particular show.

Speaker 3 (09:55):
So we've again we saw people come in from from Australia.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
There was a small group that came in from Alaska.
We had folks coming from Toronto, the Caribbean. But yeah,
but I mean the.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
I mean, black people are everywhere, you know what I'm saying.
So a lot of people are like, oh, y'all got
black people. We are everywhere, right, And so when you
kind of you know, you put up the battle cry
goes out, the flag goes in the air, and everybody says, oh.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
We're coming home.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
There's a calling, there's a there's a there's a place
for us to come experience our music and and and
embrace each other in a well produced, safe environment.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
I'm pulling up, you know. So I'm coming in from
being of my homes in the Netherlands or in you know,
in Long Beach, California. Yeah, I'm pulling up to Atlanta
for this one. I love it.

Speaker 1 (10:54):
I love it. So many great people come and really
just connect and and enjoy great music. So I know
we're focusing right now on this year and this one
music fest. However, are you planning are we already preparing
for next year as well? Or how are we doing
it for year seventeen?

Speaker 2 (11:11):
We need to.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
So yeah, I think the we need to get in
front of it, probably better in twenty six.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
You know.

Speaker 3 (11:20):
I think one thing that people see is that we
are a very price sensitive.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
Festival as well.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
So we have payment plans, like, you know, if that
two hundred dollars a little bit too steep and you
want to chop it up in four, chop it up
before we got you. But how much sweet it would
be if you can chop it up even more, right,
so we can release the line up a little bit
earlier and get people a longer runway, you know. So

(11:46):
so yeah, that that is our plan to do that
for next year.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
So yeah, we all getting a jump on it.

Speaker 1 (11:51):
Sounds good. Can I circle back to ludle Chris before
we get out of here? Can we get one special guest?
Or are we allowed to know one person that's going
to be coming.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
With little Who do you think? Who do you think?

Speaker 3 (12:03):
For me?

Speaker 1 (12:04):
Like, I don't know why my mind goes to maybe
like a little John for some reason.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
Little John could be.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
I don't know why.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
That's like the first and that popping in my head.

Speaker 3 (12:15):
I mean, yeah, it's from the you know, lovers and Friends. Yeah,
you know what I'm saying they they got tracked together. Yeah,
but but could be Luda has a lot of friends,
has a lot of friends, and uh, he's done good
bye a lot of people. So when he calls and
asks people to do him a favor, they show up.

Speaker 1 (12:35):
So will be nice to Yeah, Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, Louis, show's gonna be special.

Speaker 1 (12:41):
So he said, I'm not answering your questions. So I
guess that's it for my questions today.

Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
Yeah, they ain't gonna slap my head. I'm gonna let
it be a surprise.

Speaker 1 (12:50):
No problem at all. Any last words you want to
leave with the listeners, Uh.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Well, grab your tickets before they sell out. Yeah, y'all
got what is this? Is this? Is this going live?
Or is a is.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
A We have time we have talked before the show.

Speaker 2 (13:05):
Because we got about five weeks right now.

Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, so yeah, y'all got time to grab your ticket
sale and get them at one MusicFest dot com. Uh,
you can follow us on all platforms. One Music Fest
is just how it sounds, is how you find us.
But yeah, great those tickets for they sell.

Speaker 1 (13:21):
Out before they sell out, and they do when they
do one hundred percent. Jake Carter, thank you so much
for coming in.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
I appreciate you.

Speaker 1 (13:28):
Thank you once again, Alexandra Kamoni in the studio iHeartRadio
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