DWF 2018 - Rashid Williams

A gospel drumming icon of 2018 cannot be missing from the Drumworld Festival. Rashid Williams is the wonderfully grooving drummer of John Legend, with an impressive resume including artists like N.E.R.D., Jill Scott, JCole, Alicia Keys, Common, Diddy Dirty Money, Eric Roberson, and Cirque du Soleil. He is the latest addition to the already impressive lineup of the Drumworld Festival.

Chops and grooves

As a true gospel drummer, Rashid Williams is bursting with chops. But when you've provided live drum grooves for John Legend for eight years, you also have to be able to rein in that virtuosity. Williams is a master of that. Watching him glide smoothly across his kit, you hear great dynamics and musicality. He’s razor-sharp and has a brilliant sound.

Check out his concert at Rock in Rio with John Legend here.

Clicks and sequences
He’s a jack of all trades, also a producer, and served as musical director for Jill Scott. His experience accompanying big-name artists live is immense. So is his experience playing along with clicks and sequences. The shows he did with Alicia Keys were entirely to click, those with John Legend partly, but with Jill Scott they wanted complete freedom—no click at all.

All those experiences—from playing in church since the age of three to performing with John Legend—Rashid Williams will share with the audience on Saturday, September 8 during the Drumworld Festival. Expect an impressive clinic: top-level virtuosity, groove, and education!