The hip-hop festival returns from 12 to 14 December.

Dubai is home to some of the biggest festivals, be it comedy, food, or music, the city knows how to make heads turn. One festival that draws a massive crowd is Sole DXB, and this year it’s returning with a stellar lineup of performers.

Taking place from 12 to 14 December in D3, Sole DXB 2025 promises to deliver an unforgettable experience once again. This festival offers a dynamic mix of events, including live music, DJ sets, fashion shows, film screenings, talks, workshops, sports tournaments, youth clinics and much more. This year, in addition to headline sets from Kaytranada, Tyla and Miguel, the festival is bringing Black Star, Gilles Peterson, Lil Yachty, Pa Salieu, Tinariwen and Zeyne to the party.

Black Star

The influential Brooklyn hip-hop duo of Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, whose sharp lyricism and jazz-soul production helped define the late-90s conscious rap movement, will perform on Saturday, 13 December. Their 1998 debut, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, became a cult classic and launched their respective solo careers: Bey’s Black on Both Sides and The Ecstatic; Kweli’s Quality and Eardrum. Essential tracks include “Definition,” “Respiration” featuring Common, “RE:DEFinition,” “Thieves in the Night” and “Brown Skin Lady,” pairing nimble wordplay with head-nodding beats.

Gilles Peterson

Gilles Peterson is the DJ and broadcaster behind Brownswood Recordings, Worldwide FM and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Worldwide. He co-founded Acid Jazz Records, launched Talkin’ Loud, and helped break artists from Incognito and Galliano to Roni Size/Reprazent, whose New Forms won the 1997 Mercury Prize. His Brownswood label nurtured modern jazz, spotlighting Ezra Collective, KOKOROKO and Yussef Kamaal. Gilles Peterson will perform at Sole DXB on Saturday, 13 December.

KR$NA and RAFTAAR

Indian hip-hop heavyweights KR$NA and Raftaar are set to light up Sole DXB’s Main Stage at Dubai Design District on Saturday, 13 December 2025. The duo appears on the official festival bill alongside global names across the weekend, underscoring Sole DXB’s cross-cultural pull. Expect razor-sharp wordplay, Hindi-English flows and arena-level energy as two Delhi-bred stars bring subcontinental rap to one of Dubai’s most influential culture platforms.

Lil Yachty

Atlanta’s Lil Yachty rose from 2015’s viral “One Night” and his 2016 Lil Boat mixtape to become rap’s cheerful disruptor. In 2023, he swerved into psychedelic territory with Let’s Start Here, a guitar-leaning studio album that reframed him beyond “bubblegum trap” and drew broader critical notice. In 2024, he doubled down on experimentation with Bad Cameo, a collaborative LP with James Blake blending wistful electronica and Yachty’s sing-rap instincts. The rapper will perform at Sole DXB on Sunday, 14 December.

Pa Salieu

The Gambian-British rapper from Coventry is known for the 2020 breakout “Frontline”, which became BBC 1Xtra’s most-played track, leading into his sharp, scene-defining mixtape, Send Them to Coventry. He won the BBC’s Sound of 2021, signalling mainstream recognition for a sound that fuses UK drill and afroswing, while collaborations span left-field pop and rap, notably with FKA twigs on “honda.” He will headline the Sole DXB Main Stage on Sunday, 14 December.

Shabjdeed & Al Nather

Palestinian rap duo Shabjdeed & Al Nather bring raw, bass-driven energy to Sole DXB with a Main Stage appearance on Sunday, 14 December. Expect fantastic flows and rugged, club-leaning production that has taken them from Ramallah studios to global festival stages. Their set is expected to lean on fan favourites and cult releases such as the single “Amrikkka” and the breakout era around Sindibad El Ward.

Tinariwen

Tinariwen are the Tuareg desert blues collective from Mali, founded by guitarist Ibrahim Ag Alhabib. Their pentatonic riffs and call-and-response vocals turned Saharan poetry into counterculture, earning a Grammy for Best World Music Album with Tassili in 2011. Recorded in dunes and desert camps, their albums carry stories of exile, resistance and resilience. Essential tracks include “Cler Achel,” “Sastanàqqàm”, and “Tenere Taq Chegghen.” The collective will perform at Sole DXB on Saturday, 13 December.

Zeyne

Palestinian-Jordanian singer and songwriter Zeyne is reshaping Arabic R&B with a sleek, confessional sound. Breaking through with “Minni Ana” in 2021, she has since built momentum with standout singles and collaborations, notably “Balak “with Saint Levant. In 2025, she delivered her debut album Awda, pairing glossy production with Levantine flourishes and identity-driven storytelling. Zeyne will perform at Sole DXB on Saturday, 13 December.

Sole DXB was founded in 2010 and marketed as a “sneaker summit”. Its first edition was at Jamjar and featured brands like adidas, Nike and Puma. Over 1,000 people attended the inaugural event. Since then, Sole DXB has only grown, becoming an annual festival of footwear, music, art, and lifestyle, bringing big names to Dubai that are sure to wow crowds.

Prices for the three-day event start at AED 449 per person. If you don’t want to miss out on the action, you can grab these right away.

GO: Visit https://dubai.platinumlist.net for more information.