Pepsi’s “Dig In Day” was created to help Black-owned restaurants and the community behind them.

The event will be at the Sandlot Anacostia, featuring a myriad of Black-owned businesses within the DMV area. Some restaurants include Horace and Dickies, Jerk At Nite, Money Muscle BBQ, Roaming Rooster, Slim and Husky’s and Shuck Shack.

“I’m expecting for it to be a time for music, community and networking just to clash all at once,” Pusha T told Blavity in a recent interview. “The actual event space of Anacostia is one of my favorite event spaces. It’s where a lot of events are held where the creative and the business minds of the DMV come together. It can be kind of artsy, kind of techie; it can be whatever the mix calls for that evening. I’m looking for the event to be community building, networking and a good time.”

Partnering with others like The James Beard Foundation, Fig. 8, EatOkra, Black and Mobile and more, PepsiCo has distributed over $2 million in grants to 200 Black-owned businesses and has contributed to 500 restaurant optimizations since the emergence of the “Dig In” initiative.

“I think prioritizing Black-owned businesses is important because it gives specifically the Black community a sense of hope,” Pusha said. “It gives us the ‘I can do it’ mentality from the ground up, and I always think that’s good to see. A lot of people where we’re from and some of the areas we’re from and a lot of the positions that we’ve been put in, we may think it’s a heavy lift to start your own. One might think it’s too heavy of a lift, but when they see how many people took that leap of faith and how many people were involved and actually succeeded from sheer blood, sweat and tears, I think it’s good for the community to see and it lets everyone know that we can do it.”

In addition to free entry and a day filled with food, positive vibes and fun, there will be performances by Alex Vaughn, Black Alley, DJ Money and DJ Five9.

Stepping away from his European tour to prioritize this day, Pusha T will also perform for his hometown region.

“Oh, I’m going with the heat. I’m going to do a medley of joints from features to Daytona to It’s Almost Dry,” Push said. 

Staying true to his roots, Pusha is an avid purveyor of Black-owned restaurants in the DMV, as he has his favorites in the area.

“I would have to say my favorite restaurant in the DMV right now is a restaurant called Bronze. It’s like an African Asian fusion spot. It’s really good,” he said. “There’s also Jerk At Nite, which is also really good. Jerk wings, mac and cheese, rice and peas, you know, just must-haves when you’re feeling very gluttonous.”

The event will be held on Aug. 19 from 1-8 p.m.