“Go big or go home.” That’s the motto that The Smokers Club ostensibly embodied this year with a stacked lineup featuring the likes of artists such as Wiz Khalifa, ScHoolboy Q, Kid Cudi, Flatbush Zombies, Mac Miller, Lil Pump, and many more. This year, the festival took place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA on April 28th & 29th.
Day 2 of The Smokers Club was quite the spectacle and also significantly different from day 1, as it included fewer “trap” artists on the schedule. Sunday’s lineup was comprised mainly of lyrical and melodic rappers, which invited a much more relaxed crowd. Upon arriving, it was hard not to notice and be impressed by the sheer size of the event area, which was divided into two sections, separated by a tunnel. Fans could be seen scrambling from stage to stage throughout the day in an effort to catch their favorite artists.
Backstage had its own unique atmosphere. VIP ticket holders were able to relax and enjoy a hookah lounge away from the large crowds. At the same time, artists casually mingled amongst their crews and friends when they weren’t up on stage performing.
One of the highlights of the day was Ty Dolla $ign’s set, which kicked off with Ty running straight to the crowd and singing “Don’t Judge Me” directly to them. Early on in the set, Ty even brought two fans up on stage to perform Irie with him. At this point, it was quite clear that the artist-fan interaction is very high at Ty Dolla $ign shows. The rest of the performances consisted of hits such as Lil Favorite and Only Right, in which Madeintyo and TeeCee4800 respectively made guest appearances. Fittingly as the closer, Ty performed Blasé, which is arguably one of his biggest songs to date.
Yet another highlight was Isaiah Rashad’s performance, which included energetic renditions of Free Lunch, Heavenly Father, Menthol, Wat’s Wrong, and many more. Rashad has a distinct way of capturing his audience’s attention as he flawlessly executes each track with vibrancy. Fans awaiting any sort of Dreamville and TDE collaboration were treated with guest appearances from rap duo EarthGang and Atlanta-based artist J.I.D later on in the set. The crowd was thoroughly engaged throughout the performance, which comes as no surprise when observing Isaiah’s nearly unparalleled stage presence.
The main headliner for Sunday’s lineup was none other than the Man on the Moon himself – Kid Cudi. This was his first festival performance since last year’s Camp Flog Gnaw back in October. Right as the clock struck 10 pm, Cudi enthusiastically came out to Baptized In Fire. His genuine smile throughout the show spoke a million words, showing just how overjoyed he was to be there, performing in front of thousands of fans. Cudi went on to perform songs such as Marijuana, Just What I Am (with King Chip as a special guest), and a personal favorite, Mr. Rager. Shortly after signing an ecstatic fan’s vinyl, Cudi asked the crowd, “Three songs in a row – can you handle it?” He proceeded to perform Cudi Zone, Memories, and Day ‘N’ Nite one after the other, which is famously known as the “Mucho Mega Mix.” Cudi sent a wave of positive energy soaring across the crowd as he ended his set with Pursuit of Happiness and Surfin’. It was truly one hell of a way to close out the weekend.
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Backstage/ Various Artist
Dave East
Earl Sweatshirt
Flatbush Zombie
Isaiah Rashad
Juicy J
Kid Cudi
Mac Miller
Ty Dolla $ign
Yung Bans
By: Nabeel Saifi | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not! | All Rights Reserved |