Soundset 2016 [Review + Photos]

June 6, 2016

1281

I returned to Soundset and it reminded me why I fell in love with hip-hop.

Words and photos by Adam E. Smith (@theadamesmith)

Before introducing the Rhymesayers Entertainment flagship act Atmosphere, host Sway Calloway appeared on the Main Stage South with an important announcement for the packed Soundset crowd. While the famed Minneapolis-based indie label had impressively notched their twentieth anniversary just last year, it was perhaps the perspective-giving realization that their hometown festival had now become the largest hip-hop gathering in the country that exemplifies the organization’s ability to have a vital impact on the music and culture it was built upon. That type of victory for a promoter is self-assuring no doubt, but in a bigger picture sense, it means that things might still be on track for this beloved genre all these decades later. As Sway articulated this with better word selection than I can muster, I looked across the expansive venue area from atop the grandstands and felt all of this was now an undeniable truth.

After nine years of steady growth, Soundset has become an annual hip-hop exposition built upon a self-propelling reputation that effortlessly attracts over 30,000 heads from across the country. Those types of numbers are a testament to more than just strong artist booking. It goes deeper than that in the Twin Cities. Anyone that attends and continues to go back each years knows this.

Much like the hip-hop culture it aims to reflect, the festival has become the sum of its parts. Yes, the jam packed 10 hour schedule stacks 42 nationally touring acts atop 4 stages, but meanwhile on the periphery there are also well designed and executed b-boy/b-girl and skateboard competitions, producer showcases, live painting on graffiti walls, an open mic, a car show, noteworthy vendors and an array of attendees that all seemed hellbent on an intense energy exchange with one another and the artists they love.

That desirable audible connection resonated early this year with a string of standout sets from the lyrically-charged A-F-R-O, Blueprint, Murs & 9th Wonder and Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman. You can not consider any one of those just listed to be anything close to the tier denoted as “openers,” these are giants of lyricism, and the crowd seemed to understand this despite the time slots given to each of them. Forgoing pre-gaming activities, the fans were present early in the day and ready to vibe with these prolific wordsmiths that know how to rock a mic live by their very nature. These guys are just different, which was apparent when Print busted out a trombone, or when Aes and Boy Sand flawlessly ripped through their entire collaborative album Lice.

Perhaps the perfect transitioning conduit between the pen game-inclined and the more energy laced instrumental types, it was Mick Jenkins that ignited the intimate Fifth Element Tent with his live band stage presence and affinity for hype hooks. That live instrumentation approach would continue with Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals implementing everything from drums to guitar to keys, inevitably setting the tone for what would be extraordinary sets from Common and The Roots. That trend also segued well into the more boisterous rock-rap vibes brought forth by Machine Gun Kelly, a performer who has no problem jumping off 10 foot speaker stacks or hanging upside down from the stage scaffolding while his band shreds.

On the other end of the spectrum, the bass-heavy sound waves coming from the Main Stage during Danny Brown’s frantic set greased the wheels for the blissful pandemonium brought about by Future and A$AP Rocky’s sound system maximizing sets. Reeling it back for a second, it is important to point out that the aforementioned foreshadowing and consistent sonic juxtaposition throughout the day turned Soundset into a playlist junkie’s fantasy. If you love hip-hop in all its forms, or at least most of them, then it was easy to get swept away in the transitions from pointed performance to shameless partying.

This whirlwind approach landed well, planned or not, and it never gave the massive crowd a reason to become distracted. There was barely enough time to register the previous highlights before an entirely new set of them became a reality. In turn, the artists seemed to grab ahold of this rare opportunity and an unspoken contest centered around one upping each other transpired.

This all cascaded into a beautifully violent and likely historic set from Future. He has no doubt seen crowds this large before at multi-genre mega-festival, but it is questionable as to whether he has seen this many people completely engaged with his music specifically. Prior to him taking the stage, his team was seen consulting with security about the measures being taken to ensure crowd safety. From the photo pit an endless sea of fans could be seen enthusiastically jumping half their height or crowd surfing over the front rail or bumping into one another during the 60 minute onslaught of hits from the Freebandz icon. It was kinetic, and mixed a dose of fear with an intoxicating level of no fucks given participation. It reminded me of punk rock antics from my formative years, and I liked it. Beyond the noticeable reemphasis on great performance art being at the heart of hop-hop once again, Soundset was also a testament to the era of nonchalant rap audiences being a thing of the past. It was a crash course for this new wave of engagement combined with a crowd of this size. It was epic in the actual meaning of the word.

All of the above is said to conclude that if a reminders was needed in the common era as to whether hip-hop is heading in the right direction, the consideration given to core concepts of the music and culture, and resulting execution of Soundset across the board, is all you really need to know to say that we gonna be alright.