Every summer’s most exciting hip-hop tour, Rock the Bells, has announced its 2011 line-up — and this time, they’ve really outdone themselves. The big news is that, not only is Ms. Lauryn Hill a headliner, but she’ll be playing her classic 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. If that isn’t enough to thrill your inner ’90s hip-hop fan, how about Nas performing Illmatic, Cypress Hill doing Black Sunday (yes, the one with “Insane in the Membrane” on it), Black Star teaming up again to do their self-titled debut, GZA reprising Liquid Swords, and Raekwon and Ghostface Killah reviving — you guessed it — Only Built 4 Cuban Linx?
As unbelievably fantastic as these full-album performances sound, they’re far from the only reason to snap up Rock the Bells tickets this year. Other acts will include Erykah Badu, Curren$y, Childish Gambino, Immortal Technique, Murs, Big K.R.I.T., and many more. And there will be a whopping four stages — three main stages and one called the “36 Chambers Stage,” curated by RZA and featuring members of Wu-Tang and other like-minded acts. Here’s the rub, though: Rock the Bells will only be in four cities this year (New York, LA, Boston, and San Francisco), so if you’re not on a coast, start planning your vacation now. For the full line-up and more information about the tour, visit Rock the Bells’ website. [via Brooklyn Vegan]