Killer Mike Replaces The Psychedelic Furs at Folk Fest
The Grammy-winning rapper and activist will headline Calgary Folk Music Festival's main stage on Sunday, July 26.
The Calgary Folk Music Festival just got a shot of hip-hop adrenaline. Killer Mike, the Grammy-winning rapper, actor, and activist, will take the main stage on Sunday, July 26, replacing British new-wave legends The Psychedelic Furs, who cancelled their North American tour due to a serious medical issue.
It's a left-turn for a folk festival, but Mike—born Michael Render in Atlanta—has always operated outside genre boundaries. He rose to prominence in the mid-1990s after appearing on Outkast's 2000 album Stankonia. Since then, he's collaborated with everyone from Jay-Z to Black Thought, won four Grammys, and earned five more nominations. In 2024 alone, he took home three Grammys, including Best Rap Album for his solo project Michael.
Beyond music, Mike is a filmmaker, author, and vocal political activist. He's called out police brutality and systemic racism in America. He co-created Greenwood, a banking initiative serving Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. He campaigned for Bernie Sanders. In 2013, he formed Run the Jewels with Brooklyn producer El-P—Rolling Stone calls them hip-hop's most intense truth-tellers.
The folk festival team clearly sees cultural kinship in his work: a commitment to truth-telling, community building, and social justice. His song Headphones was nominated for a 2026 Grammy in the Contemporary Christian Music Performance category, hinting at the spiritual backbone in his music.
July 26 will also feature Foxwarren, Adrian Quesada's Trio Asesino, and Alberta singer-songwriter Corb Lund. The full festival runs July 23–26 at Prince's Island Park, with earlier headliners including Valerie June, Of Monsters and Men, Thundercat, and Marty Stuart.