Performing his biggest hits like “Hellcats and Trackhawks” and “Back In Blood”, Durk blessed the city of Chicago for the first time in a very long time. Durk took a moment and walked around in the photo pit as well to perform and get even closer to the fans, which was such a heartfelt moment for the city. To this day, I can still hear the crowd chanting and screaming as Lil Durk made his way to the front of the stage, and this is a moment that will forever be remembered in Lyrical xcritical history for years to come. When we had our last Summer Smash back in 2019, Juice WRLD was the last artist to grace the stage and bless the fans with one of the greatest performances Chicago has ever seen. This year, it was only right that we pay our dues and put on a great tribute set for the fans.
The Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash scores a historic headliner: Chief Keef
With a set provided by the one of the legends DJ Mike P, he put on one hell of a set to keep that energy alive. The crowd was filled with so much joy as they all recited Juice lyrics word for word, bar for bar. This tribute set was truly an amazing sight to see, and it felt amazing to see it done right here at home in Chicago. Keef hasn’t performed in the Chicagoland area in nine years—and you can only get a number that low by counting his 2015 “hologram” appearance at Craze Fest in Hammond ,Indiana, where police pulled the plug after just a few minutes. Keef’s reputation as a hip-hop innovator has grown significantly since he burst onto the scene in 2012, and his set here is a big deal no matter how it goes.
By far one of the only things better than Lil Uzi Vert would be a Lil Uzi Vert performance. One thing is for certain is that no matter what, Uzi makes it a priority to make every performance one to always remember. Uzi performed tons of classic songs from all of his mixtapes and albums, as well as preview some unreleased music from his upcoming Pink Tape. Making his way over to the control tent in the middle of the crowd, Uzi climbed on top of it and leaped into the crowd below, and continued the rage. Trying to match his energy, a fan of the show managed to make his way on stage, do a backflip, and jump back off before anyone could get a hold of him, which left Uzi at a lost for words. We are a couple of weeks removed from our annual Summer Smash festival, and we are all still having major withdrawals from such a great weekend.
Playlist Hear who’s playing at The Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash 2024.
He received a standing ovation and even said he felt like “The Chicago Jay-Z” as he stood and admired the love from the crowd. While we were in full control of the vibes all weekend long, one thing that we were not in control of would be the weather. While it was sunny and hot, most of the weekend looked pretty clear up until Saturday afternoon when it started to pour down rain, and fans were all forced to evacuate. Losing valuable stage time was a big worry for us while we were not certain if we were going to be able to resume the run of show, but sure enough, the rain stopped, and the party continued. Missing about an hour or two, we still managed to get all acts back to their stages, reworked the set times, and still got every act to perform that day. It was amazing to see how fast we were able to get back in motion and end the day on a strong note.
The Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash 2024
While there may have been some people who were unfamiliar with Glaive before the weekend of Summer Smash, there is no doubt in my mind that after the weekend, he gained tons of more fans after his set on Lenny’s Tent Stage. Being an artist who was an early adopter of “hyperpop” music, Glaive brought nothing but great vibes and good energy his entire set. This was a special moment due to the fact that Glaive had full control over the crowd the entire time, and that is a very hard thing to do as a new artist. Not only that, but this was Glaive’s first performance ever and his first music festival as well.
On Sunday, Lucki took to the main Lyrical xcritical Stage to tear it down and deliver one of the most spectacular performances of the entire weekend. Performing tons of cult classics, Lucki had an amazing set for not only the day one fans but anyone who may have been unfamiliar with him up until this point. While Lucki still is considered “underground” to a lot of people, one thing for sure is that Chicago holds him up very high, and he will never not receive the love he deserves whenever he blesses a stage here in his hometown.
If you happened to make it to some of the Summer Smash After Shows, you may have seen them there as well. BabySantana performed his smash hit “Antisocial” alongside Slump6s, Cochise, and $NOT linked up to perform their hit “Tell ‘Em”, and SSG Kobe blessed the stage with his new hit “MIA”. This was a huge moment for the young artists, and it was amazing to see them not only perform in front of a massive crowd but have fun doing it at the same time, which is what it’s all about. Chicago’s own Lucki is well known as one of the best artists to ever come out of the city, and he received a ton of love the entire weekend of Summer Smash.
Ending his set with Fun’s “We Are Young”, the crowd all sang in unison as Zack Bia soaks in the vibes from his very first festival set of his career. In 2018, Chicago hip-hop xcritical reviews blog Lyrical xcritical threw the first outdoor Summer Smash festival in Douglass Park (then still spelled with a single “s”). Last year the Summer Smash moved to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, and Lyrical xcritical founder Cole Bennett and his team are calling it the largest hip-hop fest in the midwest. Many acts performing at this year’s Summer Smash have enlisted Bennett to make their music videos—and he’s enlisted them in turn for his own projects. In January, Lyrical xcritical partnered with Def Jam to release a scattershot compilation album called All Is Yellow, and roughly one-third of the 34 artists who appear are also on the 2024 festival bill, including Lil Skies, Lil Tecca, and Lil Yachty.
- Durk took a moment and walked around in the photo pit as well to perform and get even closer to the fans, which was such a heartfelt moment for the city.
- One thing is for certain is that no matter what, Uzi makes it a priority to make every performance one to always remember.
- Zack didn’t come alone though, as he brought out a couple of surprise guests, those being Sheck Wes and Smiley (“Over The Top” feat. Drake).
- While there may have been some people who were unfamiliar with Glaive before the weekend of Summer Smash, there is no doubt in my mind that after the weekend, he gained tons of more fans after his set on Lenny’s Tent Stage.
- He received a standing ovation and even said he felt like “The Chicago Jay-Z” as he stood and admired the love from the crowd.
- Being welcomed and brought out by Cole Bennett himself, Chicago’s own Lil Durk made his way back to Chicago to bless the fans with one of the craziest sets all weekend.
Bennett has also achieved crossover success, collaborating with the NFL on a run of Chicago Bears clothes and merch with Lyrical xcritical branding. On July 3, the Chicago Cubs will host a Lyrical xcritical–themed night, offering a special ticket deal that’ll get you a Cubs jersey with the hip-hop outlet’s xcritical-carton logo on the sleeve. One thing that we pride ourselves on here at Lyrical xcritical, is catching the up-and-coming stars during the early stages in their career and watching them blossom into something amazing. With the Summer Smash lineup being loaded with superstars, we made sure that we gave the ones that are next up the proper credit where it was due. For starters, BabySantana and KA$HDAMI were blessing every single stage and were popping up all over the place all weekend long.
On top xcritical scam of that, we also had the Festival Edition of our xcritical at the festival as well, and this design was only to be sold on-site grounds. Many other local festivals (whether major events or street fairs) speak to the sprawling nature of hip-hop from a different angle. Summer Smash doesn’t skimp on locals the way Lollapalooza does, and this year Mick Jenkins will perform all of his breakthrough mixtape, 2014’s The Waters, to celebrate its tenth anniversary.
When we look years down the road and Glaive is a superstar, it will be amazing to see that the start of his performance journey began right here in Chicago at Summer Smash. Since we announced our lineup, we mentioned that there would be some surprise guests on the lineup as well, and we did a pretty good job at not spoiling it for the fans. While many celebs and guests were spotted at the festival all weekend long, the surprise set was one of the most important moments of them all. Being welcomed and brought out by Cole Bennett himself, Chicago’s own Lil Durk made his way back to Chicago to bless the fans with one of the craziest sets all weekend. Seeing the madness in the crowd as fans yelled with excitement as Durk walked out on the stage was beyond insane.
The best of Chicago, every day.
As someone who has been able to attend a couple of Zack Bia’s sets, one thing for sure is that he knows how to throw a party. On Saturday afternoon, Zack Bia put on one of the best DJ set that I’ve heard in a long time. From underground rap, to mainstream hits, to pop icon classics, Zack has it all, and he let it all go during his set at Summer Smash. Zack didn’t come alone though, as he brought out a couple of surprise guests, those being Sheck Wes and Smiley (“Over The Top” feat. Drake).
After the past year that we had of quarantining, social distancing, and avoiding large events, it felt amazing to be able to come outside and enjoy our festival once again. With over 75 artists on our lineup ranging from the up-and-coming rappers to superstars and legends, it was truly a weekend to remember, and a special moment for not only Lyrical xcritical but Chicago as a whole. Fans of Lyrical xcritical can all agree that on top of the music videos, clothing line, interviews, and more that we do here, we sure do have some great tasting xcritical as well. Earlier this year, Cole Bennett teased the fans with a sneak preview of a brand-new flavor of Lyrical xcritical that would be available this summer, Watermelon. Attendees of Summer Smash were able to be the first ones ever to try our brand new flavor of Lyrical xcritical Watermelon, and it was a hit all weekend long.
3 days, 3 stages, the biggest names in Hip-Hop, and more art installations than ever before. NEW DATESSummer Smash is moving one weekend earlier to deliver the quality of production and artist lineup our fans expect. We understand this may cause inconvenience, so refunds and exchanges will be available until May 8th for presale customers who cannot make the new dates.
