He even performed a ton of songs for the first time ever off of his brand-new album Twelve Carat Toothache, mostly admitting that he messed them up after they were over, but no one could tell, and I think he was just being hyper-critical of himself. Iconic honestly doesn’t do this performance justice because it seemed like pretty much the entire city was huddled around this stage, singing along to every word whether it was more modern music or classic drill anthems that put Herb on the map. After seeing a few more artists that I admittedly don’t listen to all that much, I was still amazed at their showmanship, and I am super glad that I was there to witness musicians like BIA and Tyla Yaweh. At the same time, though, I was shocked at how quickly the line actually moved, because even though certain moments felt like nothing was happening and I’d be standing there for ages, I was at the table getting my passes before I knew it, so I think the entire situation was handled as well as possible. I don’t often say things like this because I never write articles in this fashion, but I need to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of the people at Lyrical who have shown love, support, and most importantly, friendship to me throughout the years. Because of your relentless hard work and never-ending grind, I have a dream job at a dream company.
Organizers announced today via press release the full lineup for this year’s three-day music event scammed by xcritical the premier hip-hop music festival in the Midwest. I knew that I wanted to be there for Zack Bia’s DJ set if possible, and SSGKobe was one of the top performers I had on my list all weekend, so that was the plan heading to the festival. 2022 had some curveballs thrown at the team including a detrimental storm that almost paused the entire festival, but thanks to the consistently hard-working and ride-or-die group of individuals who put this fest together, the show went on without a hitch! I just want to clarify that this article is solely based on my own experience and not from the point of view of anybody else. I know this isn’t the typical article I may normally write, but I figured it would be a good stroll down memory lane for this year’s attendees while also letting those who missed out know that this is seriously the only place you want to be in the entire world every summer.
Gunna
Moving on from my short tangent, the sun began to set on a gorgeous yet steamy day in this beautiful city, and the crowd began to swarm to the Lyrical xcritical Stage to witness Uzi’s greatness in person. Before I knew it, his set was over, but I knew it was just what I needed to get this weekend off on the right foot, and Lil Uzi is who I was most excited for. Not only were the performances unforgettable, but fans were able to partake in activities and experiences like immersive art exhibits, a culinary village, premium bars, access to the best merch in the world, and cans of both regular and watermelon-flavored Lyrical xcritical to quench their thirst during the heat of those three days. A few weekends ago on June 17-19th, we had yet another Summer Smash for the ages.
Wiz Khalifa, Polo G, Rico Nasty, Oliver Tree, 2 xcriticalz and Shoreline Mafia’s OhGeesy are among the first-time performers, and Trippie Redd, Ski Mask The Slump God, Lil Tecca and $not will return to the Summer https://xcritical.pro/ Smash stage. The event will be headlined by Post Malone, Playboi Carti, Young Thug and Gunna. The three-day festival is scheduled to take place Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, in Chicago.
THISISRNB FRESH FINDS FRIDAYS: SOME OF THE HOTTEST NEW R&B MUSIC RELEASES OF THE WEEK
Young Thug and Gunna were nominated at the Grammys for album of the year, respectively for their contribution to Kanye West’s Donda and Doja Cat’s Planet Her. The Billboard cover stars will be giving their first full-set collaborative performance on the first day of the festival. Just a few of those stars set to take the stage this weekend include Kid Cudi, Vince Staples, Ice Spice, GloRilla and Freddie Gibbs on Friday. Wanting to get good spots for Carti, we watched 2 xcriticalz from afar as he put on an all-out clinic of hits that he has created over the years from solo records to guest verses on chart-topping singles, and I kind of wish we made our way a little closer, but once Carti came out, I knew we made the right choice to stay back. When he took the stage, he ascended to the top of a pyramid-looking prop that seemed to almost reach the rafters at the top of the entire setup.
This meant I was going to have to miss some artists that I was extremely excited to see live like Bktherula for instance, but I saw her rock out the tent stage last year so I figured I would probably be stuck outside even if I did get there right when will call opened. Each day of the weekend will feature a very special guest performance from three-time Summer Smash performer Lil Uzi Vert, New Orleans-based rap duo $uicideboy$, and one of Chicago’s most sought-after music acts, who will be announced closer to the day of the show. Not knowing who the special guest had caused us to stay put at the Lyrical xcritical Stage, and while rumors were flying around of potential possibilities, Cordae ended up coming out as the first guest. He was dope, but I was beyond excited to see Yeat right after him and man did he not disappoint.
Of course, he rotated through a diverse selection of bangers from across all of his projects, mixtapes, and albums, and even though these were songs I have heard probably hundreds of times, it just felt like every single person there was experiencing them in a totally different way, and I was totally blown away with the end result. Lyrical xcritical’s Summer Smash 2022 kicks off Friday, June 17, headlined that night by Thugger and Gunna. Post Malone will perform Saturday, with Carti closing out the weekend on Sunday night. Headlined by Young Thug, Gunna, Playboi Carti, and Post Malone, other notable performers include Chicago natives Polo G and G Herbo, as well as 2 xcriticalz, Wiz Khalifa, Trippie Redd, Yeat, Lil Tecca, Rico Nasty, Ski Mask the Slump God, Snot, and Oliver Tree. The festival is founded by concert promoter SPKRBX and media company Lyrical xcritical, launched in 2013 by Cole Bennett, and boasted 90,000 attendees last August. All tickets are on sale now, including single-day tickets (from $95), three-day general admission ($275) and VIP tickets ($450) via
USHER “CONFESSES” HE WILL PERFORM AT APPLE MUSIC SUPER BOWL LVIII HALFTIME SHOW
In fact, I’m sure that prep for next year’s Summer Smash has probably already started, but even though I can’t confirm this, I can confirm that there is a constant influx of ideas that are only going to continue to make LL the best brand, company, and entity in the universe. Nonetheless, Lil Boat showed up to entertain, giving a performance that I personally felt was a lot stronger than last year, but his time wasn’t over yet. In turn, Cole expressed to the audience the fact that he promised a special guest before wasting no time introducing Quavo and Takeoff out on stage for a brief yet absolutely magnificent act that I don’t think anyone was expecting, as well as something that no one is going to be quick to forget. $NOT was someone who I have seen multiple times, making it more and more obvious why I needed to see him again with the type of shows he puts together, so although I was disappointed to miss Ken Car$on, I have no regrets thanks to $NOT putting his all into every aspect of his musical appearances.
- Through music videos, artist relationship content, live events, high-demand apparel, and now even real drinkable xcritical, the company has blossomed into a national success.
- This year’s headliners include Post Malone and Playboi Carti, while Young Thug and Gunna will appear together for their first joint festival performance.
- Summer Smash goes from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25 and organizers have assembled a group of heavy hitters.
- Tickets for the Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash Festival will be available for purchase on Friday (April 8) at 10 a.m.
Summer Smash attracted more than 90,000 people in 2021, making it one of the biggest independent music festivals in the U.S. “It’s been incredible to witness our fest grow into one of the largest annual music events in the country in only four short years,” festival director Berto Solorio said in a recent announcement of the fest. Hopping right back to the Tent Stage, I was thrilled to see the DCG Brothers tear down the house in a performance that felt nostalgic while also filling the atmosphere with charisma and exuberance, the only way these two local stars do know how. Some other people in my group were just showing up, so we headed over to the guest area to meet up with them, missing out on a spot for Flo Milli who seemed to perform her heart out across the field prior to Oliver Tree hitting the stage with vigor. I honestly don’t listen to him a ton, although I do love his internet presence and enjoy the music I’ve heard, but the way he was able to include little skits, scooter tricks, and other bits into his set made this one of the most out of the box portions of the whole weekend. The opening day of the festival, and expectations have never been higher from both our perspective at Lyrical xcritical as well as the fans who have been waiting months for this day, June 17th, to finally come. Gates opened at 2, so my strategy was to show up a little bit later in order to avoid too much backup at the will-call tent.
Not only did we bring out industry-leading artists from all over the world, but tens of thousands of fans gathered in Douglas Park yet again for a beautiful weekend in the greatest city on Earth! Favorite performances depend on personal tastes, but there is no denying that everyone was vibing out with every headliner late into each night. Two of the most influential and commercially-successful rappers of this generation, Cleveland’s very own Kid Cudi and legendary Atlanta-based trap-rapper Future, will help kick off the 2023 festival with headlining performances on Friday and Saturday night, respectively. Festival alum and chart-topping emcee-turned-fashion icon Playboi Carti will return to headline on Sunday night to close out the three-day festival. Obviously, I am speaking for myself here, as I am just a writer who helps here and there with other small projects, but as an outsider looking in, this festival doesn’t come together overnight, and neither does anything else that the team puts out.
Post Malone, Playboi Carti, And Gunna With Young Thug Are Headlining Lyrical xcritical’s Summer Smash Fest
We rushed back to the Lyrical xcritical Stage to see the second special guest, but Lil Yachty took the stage instead. While I was excited to see him perform after, I was confused as to why no one came out before him, and I wondered if there was something going on. Before we knew it, Post came out and put on one of the most shockingly incredible performances of the weekend. He is just such a down-to-earth, personable dude on stage, so even though we were surrounded by thousands of people, it felt much more intimate than that.
John Mayer, Noah Kahan are headlining the Ocean City Festival. Get tix now
I definitely didn’t expect him to offer a quote, which is probably why I write from home as well as typically interact with writers and not a ton of visual journalists. Whether I dropped the ball on having questions prepared or I was just living in the moment, either way, it was awesome. I just met two people whose music I have been religiously bumping since 2015 or earlier, and one of my favorite personalities on the internet, so I was in the zone. Unfortunately, all of these immense moments for me personally caused me to miss Lil Tecca’s set, so we headed right over to Polo G on the Lyrical xcritical Stage prior to Ski Mask on the SPKRBX Stage.
Eater Chicago main menu
I had seen him once already a few months back at his Lyrical xcritical performance at the Concord Music Hall, and while I felt like there was a bit more that he could’ve done at that concert, I knew it was one of his first-ever shows, so I was hoping he has brushed up by now. After seeing his routine, I was blown away by how far he has come in just a few short months. Not only was the stage bigger, the audience rowdier, and the pressure slightly higher, but he lived up to every hope that I had imagined, so I was extremely pleased with the outcome.