Black Hills Hunger Fest Brings Hip-Hop Together for a Cause
Regional artists and national headliners will trade the usual merch table for canned food and school supplies on July 25.
There are plenty of concerts where fans leave with a T-shirt or a signed poster. At Black Hills Hunger Fest, organizers are hoping they arrive carrying canned food and backpacks full of school supplies.
The first-year festival comes to 707 Sports Bar & Nightlife on Saturday, July 25, combining a full evening of underground hip-hop with a donation drive benefiting the Pine Ridge Reservation. Anyone who brings canned food or school supplies will receive raffle entries for a television drawing around 7:30 p.m.
For organizer C-Critt Veda, the idea reaches back more than two decades.
“Back in the early-ish 2000s there was a metal festival in Rapid City called Hardcore for Hunger,” he said. “Black Hills Hunger Fest was my way of bringing that idea back to life.”
Originally, the plan wasn’t to build a hip-hop festival.
“It originally wasn’t supposed to be just a hip-hop festival,” Veda said. “It’s supposed to be a mixed genre festival. But next year we are planning to go way bigger with a campsite, a full weekend and multiple stages with multiple genres. This year it ended up being a hip-hop festival.”
That first lineup still stretches well beyond Rapid City, bringing together artists Veda has met while touring around the country.
National headliners Whitney Peyton and Kung Fu Vampire top the bill alongside Truly Veda, Half Dead & Guardian Angel, Filth and Foul, and more than a dozen regional performers from across the area. An EDM after-party will close out the night.
“I specifically chose these headliners because of how great they are live,” Veda said. “I’ve done multiple shows with Whitney Peyton and she is so good on the stage. Kung Fu Vampire is a legend in the underground. His energy on stage is a great experience. He’s truly been a pioneer in his sound and craft.”
The music may bring people through the door, but the donations are the reason the festival exists.
“The reason we’re doing the food drive and school supply drive for Pine Ridge is because our reservations need help,” Veda said. “We plan to do a lot more such as toy drives and mental health awareness events for the reservations.”
He hopes the festival becomes proof of what local artists can accomplish together.
“There’s a lot we can accomplish with our underground music community when working together towards a cause.”
That philosophy also shapes Hood Ninja Entertainment, the company behind the event.
“Ninjas are inherently good and we are doing good things for the hood,” Veda said. “Hood Ninja Entertainment will always try to wrap a cause around a music event.”
As for what he hopes people remember after the final set, the answer isn’t complicated.
“The one thing I hope people take from Hunger Fest is great memories,” he said. “That’s really what life is about, great experiences. That’s what we’re trying to create.”
Whether people come for Whitney Peyton, Kung Fu Vampire, or one of the many regional artists on the bill, organizers are encouraging everyone to bring a donation. The canned food and school supplies will head to Pine Ridge long after the last encore, giving the festival a purpose that extends beyond the stage.
Know Before You Go
What: Black Hills Hunger Fest 2026
When: Saturday, July 25, beginning at 4 p.m.
Where: 707 Sports Bar & Nightlife, Rapid City
Headliners: Whitney Peyton, Kung Fu Vampire, Truly Veda, Half Dead & Guardian Angel, Filth and Foul, plus regional artists and an EDM after-party.
Bring: Canned food or school supplies for the Pine Ridge donation drive. Donations earn raffle tickets for a television drawing around 7:30 p.m.