North Carolina’s J. Cole to Perform During Halftime; Meek Mill to Open the Night
Charlotte’s Anthony Hamilton to Sing U.S. National Anthem; Carly Rae Jepsen to Sing Canadian National Anthem Prior to Tip-Off
The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 2019 GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist and North Carolina native J. Cole will take the court in his home state to headline the 2019 NBA All-Star Game halftime show on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Before the game, Meek Mill will take the stage for an exciting opening and entertaining introduction of the All-Star teams, followed by GRAMMY® Award winner and Charlotte-born Anthony Hamilton performing the U.S. national anthem. Multi-platinum GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer/songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen will perform the Canadian national anthem. The 68th NBA All-Star Game begins at 8 p.m. ET on TNT and will be seen by fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.
J. Cole, an accomplished rapper, songwriter and producer, will perform a medley of hits at halftime. The seven-time GRAMMY® Award nominee received two nominations this year and has had five number one albums on the Billboard® Top 200 chart, including 2018’s KOD. The singer concluded his eighth headlining concert tour in October and released his latest single titled “Middle Child” on Jan. 23. The single comes shortly after J. Cole and his label announced their upcoming compilation album, Revenge of the Dreamers III, which was recently recorded. In 2018, J. Cole had some of the year’s hottest features, including an appearance on Atlanta vocalist 6LACK’S GRAMMY® -nominated single “Pretty Little Fears,” as well as guest verses for Jay Rock, 21 Savage and Moneybagg Yo. J. Cole is head of the Dreamville Label, comprised of rising R&B singer Ari Lennox and lyricists Bas, J.I.D, EarthGang, Cozz, Omen and Lute.
Mill released his fourth studio album, Championships, in November, which debuted at number one on the Billboard® Top 200, as did his 2015 album, Dreams Worth More Than Money. The award-winning musician is also making his highly-anticipated return to the road with his The Motivation Tour. The 16-city, U.S. tour will kick-off on February 19 in Miami, FL and make stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and his hometown of Philadelphia, among many other cities, before wrapping on March 24 in Atlanta, GA. Tickets for Mill’s tour are currently on sale.
Charlotte’s own Hamilton will release his ninth full-length studio album this year. Jepsen, a GRAMMY®, Juno and Polaris Prize nominee, released the new song “Party For One” in November off her forthcoming album.
About the Artists
Anthony Hamilton
Proclaimed a “national treasure” by the Los Angeles Times, GRAMMY® Award winning singer, songwriter, producer, and actor Anthony Hamilton has achieved global sales of over 50 million albums. The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductee notably performed for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle, cementing his place in the history books as the “narrator of love.” Introduced by way of the iconic 2003 smash “Charlene”, his raw, awe-inspiring performances garnered the attention of NPR where he starred in their Noteworthy documentary series. He appeared in American Gangster and lent his voice to “Freedom” from the Academy® Award-nominated Django Unchained. Hamilton will unveil his ninth full-length studio album in 2019.
Carly Rae Jepsen
Multi-platinum GRAMMY®-nominated singer/songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2015 album E*MO*TION, earned a host of rave reviews with several outlets declaring it the pop album of 2015. The set featured the platinum selling single “I Really Like You.” E*MO*TION followed the release of Jepsen’s U.S. debut album Kiss featuring the blockbuster break-out hit “Call Me Maybe” which climbed to #1 on the iTunes Singles charts in over 47 countries, has sold over 20 million singles worldwide. It earned Jepsen 2012 GRAMMY® nominations for Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year. Jepsen landed the lead role in the 2014 Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and later starred as the iconic Pink Lady, “Frenchy,” in FOX’s four-time EMMY award winning musical GREASE: LIVE. “Party For One” is the new song by Jepsen which sets the tone for her new album which will be released on 604/School Boy/Interscope Records in 2019.
J. Cole
North Carolina native J. Cole is an accomplished rapper, songwriter and producer. The seven-time Grammy® Award nominee received two nominations this year and has had five number one albums on the Billboard® Top 200 chart. In October, the rapper concluded his eighth headlining concert tour for his album KOD. J. Cole is head of the Dreamville Label, comprised of lyricists Bas, J.I.D, EarthGang, Cozz, Omen, and Lute, and rising R&B singer Ari Lennox. The release was one of the biggest albums of the year, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200. J. Cole also appeared on some of the year’s hottest features, including Atlanta vocalist 6LACK’S Grammy nominated single “Pretty Little Fearsand performed guest verses for Jay Rock, 21 Savage, Moneybagg Yo and more.
Meek Mill
Meek Mill is a critically-acclaimed multiplatinum hip-hop artist, songwriter and entrepreneur that hails from Philadelphia. Meek Mill evolved from Philadelphia’s hottest underground rapper to one of the world’s preeminent musical artists, having released a slew of smash studio albums and singles, including “Ima Boss,” “Dreams and Nightmares (Intro),” “All Eyes on You,” and “Whatever You Need,” among many others. In October 2012, Mill announced the launch of his own label imprint, Dream Chasers, named after his mixtape series. In addition to serving as the CEO of Dream Chasers, Mill is also an advocate for criminal justice reform in the United States with a focus on creating stronger prison rehabilitation programs, improving the bail system and shortening probationary periods.
About NBA All-Star 2019
NBA All-Star 2019 in Charlotte, N.C., will bring together the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The 68th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 17, at Spectrum Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 17th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 34th year of NBA All-Star coverage. Spectrum Center will also host MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 15, and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 16. The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles and NBA All-Star Practice & Media Day will take place at Bojangles’ Coliseum.
