The event was hosted in Douglas Park for the previous two years which received quite a few complaints from the local neighborhood so for 2023 Summer Smash moved to Seat Geek Stadium. The change in scenery also created more open space and room for three stages: the “Culture Kings” stage inside the stadium, the “Lyrical Lemonade Starry” main stage outside in the field, and a smaller “Lenny Zig Zag” tent stage. This year’s festival edition had more of a carnival theme with fun art projects, games, and a Ferris Wheel set up between stages. What makes Lyrical Lemonade an exciting event every year, however, is the number of names they have on the lineup across different subgenres of rap and hip hop.

One rapper I’m always happy to see live is Freddie Gibbs. The Indiana native has been consistently putting out great records, working with acclaimed producers like Alchemist and Malib. Coming out on stage dressed in a Chicago Blackhawks jersey, Gibbs brought out his toddler son. As expected Gibbs delivered another standout performance but was a little short on time. He joked: “Damn they trying to kick me off and I’m barely getting started”. But even within his 30 minutes, Gibbs made sure to perform tracks off Bandana and $oul $old $eparately.

Juicy J was of course also present on this lineup. Dressed in a straightjacket and muzzle mask, Juicy J created some amazing energy in the crowd. He got the fans bumping with club bangers like “Show Out,” “A Zip & A Double Cup,” and “Bandz A Maker Her Dance”. Sure songs like “Stay Fly” are great too, but I was more hyped when he played old Three 6 Mafia’s “Sippin On Some Syrup”. The younger crowd seemed confused during the older tracks but many of the attendees felt right at home.

One of the most surprising lineup announcements was Lil B the Based God. For better or for worse, Lil B has definitely influenced the rap game for over a decade. Being seen as one of the first young rappers to utilize YouTube and make it big, many wrote off Lil B as goofy, myself included. However, years later his effect on modern rap can be felt as many have bit off his style. Rarely performing these days, it was great seeing “The Based God” live. Dressed in an orange ski mask and a polka-dot jumpsuit Lil B got the “Lenny Zig Zag” tent bumping. He performed classics like “Suck My D**K Ho” and “Like a Martian”.

Later on, UK’s Central Cee had one of the best performances and really put some of the U.S. rappers to shame with his set. Rest of y’all step it up!

If club bangers are something you were looking for then you had to stay to see Future. He had all the flash and pyro of a huge star of his caliber. Opening up with “712PM” this stage quickly became a party. For an hour Future ran through his catalog of bangers like, “Stick Talk,” “Bugatti,” “Way 2 Sexy,” and “Commas”.  Future has so many hits that he was only able to perform a verse from some of the tracks, but he sent home everyone happy when he ended the set with “Mask Off”.

If chaotic energy is more your speed (and for most of the youth it was) then there were plenty of younger rappers to get you going. Names like Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie Redd, and Playboi Carti are exactly the kind of rappers the Summer Smash audience is meant for. Lil Uzi wasted no time getting the crowd rowdy as he ran off the high platform “Starry” stage and flipped dove into the crowd. During Trippie Redd’s performance, a huge rainstorm blew in but he continued on for those brave enough to jam in the downpour. Playboi Carti’s performance, on the other hand, caused so much hysteria in the mosh pit that the performance had to be paused for a half hour.

Since Lyrical Lemonade is a Chicago-based company, it’s only right to showcase the Chicago rappers that have been holding it down. Rappers like Lucki, G Herbo, and Lil Durk have been working with Lyrical Lemonade for years. Some, since the beginning. Lucki has been featured at the festival since 2015 when it was originally called “Summer Bash” so it’s cool that Bennett still shows Lucki love. However, G Hebro brought the heat decked out in custom Chicago Bulls gear. Lil Durk had one of the most impressive set designs mirroring the house he grew up in at the “Culture King” stage. Developing his sound over the years, Lil Durk’s newer songs are a lot more introspective as he reflects on his harsh upbringing.

Simply put, Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash has become one of the better festivals in Chicago. There are many more artists I’d like to mention but we’d be here all day, bouncing between stages. It is a bit unfortunate that most artists were given a rather short set time but it is also impressive how many big names rappers were present.

Shoutout to SPKRBX and everyone involved in putting together this fantastic showcase. Each year Summer Smash keeps outdoing itself and we are here to watch it constantly outgrow itself.

The post A hot start with Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash appeared first on Quip Magazine.

We first tumble serendipitously into Rostam’s set on the Panhandle, a smaller venue for comfy indie artists. The former Vampire Weekend shredder hosted a lovely welcome for attendees, a quick and violent contrast from the upcoming nightmare awaiting us at Land’s End.

Lil Uzi Vert fans are a scourge. For an artist that has a considerable affiliation with mental health awareness, I’ve never seen a fan base so miss the point completely. There was no humanity in that crowd, between people pulled over the fence for crying and our photographer Nate nearly getting his gear obliterated, it echoed sentiments of Travis Scott’s infamous headline.

Jack Harlow was a toothless replica of Uzi although I’m still cross that I tolerated health hazards for such a bland act. Admittedly he was unlucky – placed between Mac DeMarco and Green Day, both of whom explored two ends of the sonic spectrum. Mac DeMarco’s profound chill boat-rhythm bumps compared with BJ Armstrong just going complete apeshit on the American Idiot tracks was an epic contrast. There simply was just no room for Harlow, nor was there room for him to bring up some significant social updates in his hometown of Louisville. But I digress.

Pussy Riot did satisfy my expectations because a literal Russian designated foreign agent took her shirt off to reveal a “FREE BRITNEY GRINER” message. Nadezhda has functionally inherited the band at this point, with the other past 10 members forgoing a less mainstream role for a more actively political one. Not sure if the crowd was ready for her succubic death-pop screams, however. Personally, my favorite part was when she cracked a blood-red whip over and over again while the word “VASECTOMY” lacerated on the big screen.

One thing, in particular, OSL likes to flaunt is a section on the festival grounds where the purchasing/consumption of cannabis is safe and legal. Grass Lands comprises the southernmost section of the park, practically a carnival that folks use to get away from the Land’s End aural blast zone. Ambulances and police were on standby, though much like previous iterations of the fest there was no urgent need for their intervention. It made for a lovely pit stop between stages.

All hyperpop acts were backlogged into Sunday, so the Lord’s afternoon was enhanced by palpable chaos. Glaive into 100 Gecs into Kim Petras is complete nonsense. 17-year-old Glaive’s unreleased track “Florida” is a four-on-the-floor banger, a necessary moment for a shy crowd to get to know one another via slam jamming. Petras performed Slut Pop in its entirety, a staple for her latest shows and one the crowd was quite notably looking forward to. Gecs flew too close to the sun; their set was cut short although that seems appropriate for them to be honest.

With how quick each turnover was, every headliner was set for success before their gig even started. Polo & Pan’s visuals were some of the best. Ani Kuni received a syllabic word-by-word visualization of the sampled Native American chant. Disclosure’s latest track “Waterfall” is some of their best work since the Settle days, evoking a Mura Masa-esque production that sent the crowd in every direction. 

SZA was the only artist done dirty. She started off her CTRL-era ballad “Drew Barrymore” smoothly enough but her monitors cut out, knocking off a beautiful song in her repertoire. The sound team turned it around before the next track. As such the audience experienced a cathartic performance, one that concluded with SZA compensating for her vocal prowess in front of a gorgeous lighthouse-themed stage décor. 

It was smooth sailing the entire weekend. Major 3-day music festivals will take it out of you, they’re an endurance test if nothing else. OSL at least attempts to streamline the experience into something less arduous. Straight up, I’ve never had better music festival snacks from any other concert experience. The scrumptious food almost made the inflated prices worth it.

It takes one thousand things at once to operate in tandem to make an event of this magnitude flow as well as it did. The lands beyond have proven themselves to be worth trekking to, a tall order considering the sheer number of fests on the west. In no uncertain terms:

Outside is the right side, man.

The post Outside Lands hosts top-tier artists at Golden Gate Park: SZA, Pussy Riot, Green Day and more appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The festival started off strong with performances by Sheck Wes and Rico Nasty. Of course, Wes got the crowd jumping with his signature track “Mo Bamba” but Rico Nasty dominated the opening slots with her performance. I’ve been a fan of hers since Pitchfork 2019 because she never disappoints. Rico Nasty performed bangers getting mosh pits going with “STFU” and “Smack A Bitch” but she also performed her verses from “Falling Off” and “Tia Tamara.”

Lil Skies took the stage next, he arrived late blaming delayed flight travel, and so, unfortunately, his set was cut short because a schedule is a schedule. Lil Skies performed his hit songs “Lust” and “Red Roses” and then took off. Fans were upset and confused but quickly ran across the field to catch Trippie Redd.

One of the biggest complaints the festival received last year was its lack of security so naturally, they upped the security guards at all the gates. This had its pros and cons as the extra precaution made for longer wait times getting into the festival grounds, but the guards did prevent the crowds from storming the gates. Some parts of the VIP section were damaged by a storm on the previous days and were in need of some repairs on the day of, so artists like Cole Bennett took it upon themselves to apologize for the delays ahead of their sets.

Wiz Khalifa and Lil Uzi Vert were the saving graces of Day 1. Wiz Khalifa played tracks that took me back to high school days, songs like “Black and Yellow” and tracks from Kush & Orange Juice were hot throwbacks to the crowd that released ganja smoke in the air setting up for a mellow vibe. Uzi, on the other hand, was super hyped with “Fuck That Check Up” and “Money Longer”.

Saturday went a lot smoother. People were able to get in quicker and the VIP setup was done. It all started off great with a performance by G Herbo. Yours truly was lucky enough to be on stage when the Chicago rapper took over. Being 2ft away from Herbo as he rapped “Everything” in front of his home crowd was a sight to behold. From there I ran into former NFL wide-receiver Antonio Brown, Ski Mask the Slump God, my internet hero Oliver Tree and the man himself, Cole Bennett.

Of course, I had to run out to join the crowd to see the main event of Saturday night – Post Malone. The tattooed-face artist brought everyone together to his side of the park. Arguably the biggest artist of the entire weekend, Post Malone lived up to his reputation by showcasing how far he’s come as a musician. He started off with “Better Now” and then continued to scream out the lyrics along with fans for “I Fall Apart” and “Circles” before wrapping things up with his first hit, “White Iverson”. 

Sunday felt like walking on cloud nine. The festival was coming to an end but the energy in the air seemed to be bursting with shared positivity. This energy carried over to the special guest Quavo’s appearance. It was a nice surprise that was quickly followed up by Lil Yachty and then 2 Chainz. It was quite the scene seeing all three artists perform back to back so much so it could’ve made your head spin.

The most notable two performances on Sunday were Oliver Tree and Playboi Carti. Oliver’s set started off with an imposter singing on stage before getting tackled by the real Oliver Tree and escorted off stage by security – something we were all entertained by I’m sure. Tree dedicated “Alien Boy” to all the alien boys and girls in the crowd, encouraging a sing-along. He continued with “When I’m Down,” before saying a prayer for his bandmates as he jokingly said they had monkeypox and begged Cole Bennett for more cash for NFTs. Tree also performed my personal favorite track “Fuck” for which I obviously got into the mosh pit. Oliver then failed to land a scooter trick saying he broke his “cumulonimbus” and finished his set with the easy-going, “Life Goes On”.

Playboi Carti was the perfect candidate to finish the festival. Fans were beaten down by the sun but camped out for hours to get ready for the mayhem Carti was going to unleash. Having seen him live at Lollapalooza last year, I was ready for it. Carti arrived atop a pyramid, Strobbing black and white lights flashed across the field, getting the crowd rowdy off the bat with “Stop Breathing”. He continued the hype vibe with “Rockstar Made” and “TeenX”, these generations’ anthems.

Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash was quite the success we were all hoping for. Every year it seems like the festival continues to bring bigger artists while still showing love to the smaller performers that got the brand recognized in the first place. The event wasn’t without its hiccups but in comparison to last year’s activities, it continues to find its footing. Fans love the brand and want to see it be successful too. Yes, they also want to get crazy but with the extra steps taken this year, Summer Smash has a bright future becoming one of Chicago’s biggest festivals. 

The post Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash is back with a vengeance & we’re here for it appeared first on Quip Magazine.