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LOS ANGELES, CA-
“… You have to start the day off right with Flatbush Zombies. I mean these guys are just the definition of rappers who have created a wave of grunge drug rap. The rap trio from Brooklyn has always stayed in their own lane and that’s why Flatbush Zombies remain relevant to this day. I can see a certain trend that west coast just loves when the east coast come out to perform for us. It’s such a different vibe to experience hip hop that sounds so crisp even with that dark raspy voice they all trademarked. There is no other rap trio that has such influence like the Zombies do. They managed to get a huge crowd going at the beginning of that day and it was very impressive to see so many people knowing so many songs off the top of their head.
Everyone knows who Ski Mask the Slump God is, and if you don’t, then let me tell you about him. Ski Mask is extremely eccentric about his music and appearance. Never underestimate him being alone on a stage because his performance was astounding. As he came out, the bass just trembled the whole entire festival grounds. The crowd was a sea of people on other people’s shoulders and kids just crowd surfing. You could see the excitement on everyone’s face as if they were ready to have an experience like no other. As Ski Mask came out, with the help of DJ Scheme, the crowd let out a roar as I have never heard before. Ski Mask continued to play popular songs like “Take A Step Back”, “Baby Wipe” and “Catch Me Outside” and had the whole crowd moving non-stop. I love Ski’s fast technical rap that he approaches songs with because it creates a sense of out of the box creativeness and it’s a huge fresh air when listening to him. No wonder why everyone loves Ski Mask the Slump God. Overall, just an amazing set that absolutely needed to be there.
I have been a huge fan of Hoodrich Pablo Juan ever since he dropped the Designer Drugz 3 album back in 2017. Day N Vegas did an amazing job at having a lineup that really articulates the aesthetic of trap music and having the newly 1017 Eskimo records signed artist Hoodrich Pablo Juan on it was just the icing on the cake. Hoodrich has this really nice trap vibe where it’s very chill and mellow, but it makes you feel good about yourself. Hoodrich Pablo’s set felt more like a house party, and I think that is how he probably wanted the crowd to experience his set. The music, in my opinion, is what is suppose to make you feel like you’re at a party with friends and you’re just having a good time being there. After the first song, he brought out JB Blockboy, which also fit the criteria of just rappers wanting to have a really fun performance. Both artists have just a unique sense of music that keeps everyone wanting to have more fun. This was the definition of Atlanta-based trap and I wish other festivals could have an authentic lineup just like Day N Vegas.
Remember when I talked about old rap pioneers? Well here is probably one of the most amazing hip-hop artists that I have seen so far. T.D.E’s earliest member Jay Rock rocked the Jackpot stage as night approached (no pun intended). Jay Rock is such an underrated rapper and I was excited to see his perform. His rhymes and flows really bring me back to my younger days when I would listen to Fashawn or Nas. He is a very concrete hip hop artist and that is what people love about him. Jay Rock makes people just smile by playing classics like “Hood Gone Love It” and “Vice City”. His music is genuinely just really good and he has a nice swagger when he performs as well. Being so close to the man I have always appreciated since I was young has made me realize that I need to go see an artist like Jay Rock more often. It makes you realize that there is so much good hip-hop music and that festival like these really bring the best out. Jay Rock was splendid to watch and I would love to see him if he ever goes on tour someday.
Now having back to back T.D.E. members is a real treat. Schoolboy Q was up next and I didn’t really know what to expect. As I stood in the photo pit with a cold and stoic face on with my hands gripped to my camera, I had no initial thought of what was going to happen. As Schoolboy Q came out on stage, the crowd roared as if they were about to go to war. I was extremely happy to hear older popular songs he made like “Collad Greens” and “Man of the Year”. Even jokingly saying he had such a short time to perform any songs, he played as many songs as he could. See, Schoolboy Q likes to have a lot of fun on stage by joking around and clowning on people in the audience, which I think is a very funny trait to have as a performer. He delivered a fire performance. At one point I was afraid that the photo pit gates behind me were going to tumble down and people were going to spew in and charge the stage. People were just getting on top of each other, inching their way little by little to get closer to Schoolboy. The crowd was intense which just made the performance even better. He only performed for about half-an-hour, but I just wished he had a longer set because the crowd and I were just having so much fun listening to him joke around and perform.
I have been waiting several years to finally get to see Lil Tracy play at some sort of festival and it finally happened. Without dismissing absolutely brilliant rappers, I thought Lil Tracy was the best set I have attended that whole weekend. I couldn’t have asked for a better set. Lil Tracy, a long-time friend of Lil Peep (rest in peace), has been an artist that’s been on my radar for many years. Lil Tracy is what you would call an emo trap artist, producing songs based around heartbreak and emotional problems surrounding women and money. Representing GothBoi Clique, Lil Tracy was able to gather an enormous crowd at the Hunnid stage. Being so close to one of my favorite trap artist was just a one in a lifetime experience. Lil Tracy has such a loyal fan base and an unpredictable show. He performed extremely popular songs like “Beautiful Nightmare”, “White Wine”, and “Cobain”. I just felt like Lil Tracy’s music just warms my heart. It’s a huge relief to know that there is an artist out there that makes music for people who are more down in the dumps than usual. But just because Lil Tracy makes emotional music, doesn’t mean his fans don’t turn up to his music. Everyone knew every single verse, ad-lib, and chorus to all the songs he performed. This was the set I was waiting for the whole weekend and probably my life, and you know what, I think I can die happy now because I absolutely feel much more fulfilled after seeing that set.
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