What a weekend! For those of you living under a rock, the Day N Night festival took place this last weekend at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, CA! A three-day event consisting of some of Hip-Hop’s premier talent. Our photographer Milo Lee and myself got the rare opportunity to attend and cover the festival. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get to every single act, but what we were able to cover made for one hell of a time. And after a few mosh pits, a couple days of recovery and about three bottles of aloe vera later, I’m here to give you the low down on what transpired.
DAY ONE:
Friday kicked off around noon with the one and only Matt Ox. The pre-teen showed off that the virality he’s achieved is well-deserved by absolutely killing his set! He even gave the Chiefers a quick shoutout!
Following Matt Ox, we headed over to Atlanta’s 24hrs‘ set, then over to DC favorite Killy — who we did an exclusive interview with just a couple weeks ago. Both absolutely killed their sets. Next up was Denver duo THEY. followed by So-Flo native Pouya, Father, Madeintyo immediately afterwards.
The rest of the day was nothing short of lit. We hit up Smokepurrp, Famous Dex, and Lil Peep. All of who — and this goes without saying — know how to put on a damn good show. Their energy was felt throughout the entire festival. All leading up to the main act, La Flame, himself.
Travi$ Scott is one of those artists who just knows how to put on show. One of those artists you have to see in person to fully grasp how startlingly impressive he is. There’s a reason he was the headliner for day one. He really kicked the festival off right, and got everyone excited for the ensuing days.
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DAY TWO:
Saturday was the day I was looking forward to ever since the lineup was released. And boy did it live up to the hype. My face, neck, and arms may have taken a major L that day, but I’d relive it 10 times over in a heartbeat.
Jay IDK was the first act I went and saw around 11:30 am and he really set the day off right, absolutely killing his set. I then ran over to up and coming artist Shaboozey‘s set, who, if you guys haven’t checked this dude out, you REALLY need to. The crowd wasn’t the biggest for him, but man he rocked the FUCK out of what he was working with. After that one, I’m definitely trying to see him again.
The day continued with acts from Swoosh, Squidnice, and Trill Sammy. All natural-born performers. After Trill Sammy, I hustled over to the Night Stage to check out the Marsupial Superstar himself, Sahbabii, who had the crowd vibin’ from start to finish.
The afternoon featured acts from Ugly God — who shot money out of a Supreme money gun, Dreamville’s J.I.D, Rich Chigga, and ThouxanBandFauni, getting everyone ready for the acts to come. Carti came on around 5 pm and had that place fuckin’ lit! Running around main stage and hopping on everything in sight. The dude truly is a rockstar, as the “wokeuplikethis” suggests.
After Playboi Carti, I stayed put. Because the love of my life, aka SZA, was up next, and man did she kill it. Rarely do I get goosebumps from seeing someone live, but hearing this girl sing really sent a chill down my spine. As if I wasn’t listening to her enough, seeing her live has taken that to a whole ‘nother level. She was, without a doubt, my favorite act of the entire festival.
Earl Sweatshirt, Smino, Post Malone, and Kodak Black all played before Lil Uzi Vert made his way on stage. Just like his partner in crime Playboi Carti, Uzi had that crowd rockin’! Everyone was going crazy for the 23-year-old superstar. Following Uzi, was Lil Pump who graciously threw out straight stacks of cash to his crowd while playing all his ignorant, bass-boosted hits. That shit was tight.
Lil Chano from 79th otherwise known as Chance The Rapper capped off the night, countering Uzi’s devilish stage presence with a slew of gospel tracks off of “Coloring Book” and plenty of other well-known tracks. Needless to say, this day was amazing.
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DAY THREE:
Sunday was all about California. Not only was the Cali sun out and about, but so were the artists from the Golden State. I, unfortunately, got a late start, but nevertheless had just as much fun as the days prior.
Like I said, I got to the festival a little later than planned. Missing a few acts I was looking forward to seeing, however I got there just in time to see Huntington Beach artist Yung Pinch. That kid really knows how to interact with the fans. They were loving him! After Pinch, I ran over to catch Chicago’s Saba, who put on one heck of a performance.
Next, I caught Diego Money, Sonny Digital, Bay-Area group SOB X RBE, and Trippie Redd. Then, I headed on over to the Postmates Stage to catch Metro Boomin, who had an incredible DJ set. NBA Youngboy, Russ, and Rich The Kid were the next few I got a chance to witness. All dominating the stage.
Atlanta’s own 21 Savage came out around 6:30 pm and did his thing! Immediately afterwards, Cali-native Dom Kennedy was getting plenty of love from the people of his home state over at the Night Stage while A Boogie Wit da Hoodie rocked the Day Stage, followed by YG over at the Postmates Stage.
$uicideBoy$ performed after YG, and well, that was interesting. I kept my distance, and watched from afar, because that fanbase is fucking INSANE. I’m talking mosh pits on mosh pits during that set. It was nuts. Awesomely nuts. Those guys know how to put on a fucking show.
Kendrick Lamar, the hometown hero, capped off the entire festival with an awesome performance. Living up to everyone’s expectations. Playing notable tracks from DAMN. and GKMC. He really loves his home state and that was clearly reciprocated as his closed out the festivities.
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All-in-all it was an incredible experience! Getting to see all those great artists with a plethora of other hip-hop lovers was amazing! The dude’s over at Day N Night really know how to throw a party, and words can’t even describe how excited I am for next year!
