September 25, 2008

By By Mitchell Peters, L.A.

Traveling hip-hop festival Rock the Bells will make its European debut this fall with performances by Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, the Pharcyde, EPMD, Supernatural and Scratch, among others. The European trek launches Oct. 31 at the T-Mobile Arena in Prague, with a handful of dates scheduled through mid-November.

"We are continually trying to push the envelope so we can continue to support these artists and their careers globally," Rock the Bells founder and organizer Chang Weisberg of Guerilla Union told Billboard.com in April.

Rock the Bells' initial round of European dates will feature various artists appearing in Amsterdam (Nov. 1), Stockholm (Nov. 4), Birmingham (Nov. 6), Paris (Nov. 10) and Manchester (Nov. 12). The tour will be presented by presented by SanDisk, and promoted by Guerilla Union in association with Live Nation.

Rock the Bells' inaugural visit to Europe arrives on the heels of its recent 10-date run of North American amphitheaters, which featured A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, Rakim, Pharcyde, Santogold, Kid Sister, Cool Kids and Murs, among others. Eight shows grossed $4 million and drew more than 87,000 people, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Last year's Rock the Bells featured Rage Against The Machine, the Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, the Roots, Sage Francis, Mos Def, EPMD and MF Doom. Twelve shows tracked by Boxscore grossed $14.5 million and drew more than 203,000 concertgoers.

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