Murs, Slaughterhouse Gear Up for Paid Dues Festival

Murs 3:16 and Guerilla Union, the brains behind such festivals as Rock The Bells and Cypress Hill Smoke Out, are gearing up for fourth "Paid Dues" independent hip-hop festival, set to return Saturday, March 28, to the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif.

The 2009 lineup, hosted by 2MEX, features performances by Atmosphere, Tech N9ne, Living Legends, Brother Ali, B-Real, Grouch and Eligh, Cage, Blu and Exile, Eyedea and Abilities, LMNO, DJ Val the Vandal and Verbs and the Bayliens.

"This year's Paid Dues line-up is very special to me because we have acts like Tech N9ne and Atmosphere who I've been big fans of and also trying to book forever," Murs told the BoomBox.
"The show also marks the So-Cal return of E & A, who haven't played the NOS since the legendary Wu-Tang reunion at the 2004 Rock The Bells. Cage, B-Real and G & E all have new records dropping this spring."

"There's nothing like being the first to see your favorite artist do their new material. On the other side of things, myself and the entire GU staff will be diligent to provide the same high quality live music experience Guerilla Union has become known for over the years."

Recently added to the bill is the buzz-worthy supergroup Slaughterhouse, consisting of lyricists Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz and Crooked I. The audience at Paid Dues will see the exclusive West Coast premiere performance of Slaughterhouse.

"We're honored to be joining this year's Paid Dues Festival and look forward to giving the fans a great show. Joe, Crooked, Joell and myself are very excited to bring Slaughterhouse to such a prestigious event and we look forward to becoming a part of hip-hop history," states Royce Da 5'9".

Budden adds, "We're all equally excited about this opportunity and we're going to tear that stage down. It's our first West Coast performance so needless to say we value the chance...and we're going to perform as such."

The four-man collective recently released a track titled "Onslaught." On Jan. 22, Slaughterhouse held its first live performance in front of a sold-out crowd at S.O.B.'s in New York.