Summer officially begins with the solstice on June 20th for some, but for the last 7 years my summer starts on the last Sunday of May. I have driven over 6,500 miles (10,500 kilometres for my fellow Canadians) to attend Soundset over that time, and I would travel further if necessary. I've stood in the rain, got burnt and almost been caught in a tornado. I've witnessed legends preform, De La Soul, Ice Cube and Nas to name a few... as well as a new generation of artists who already are or will be legends in the future, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore and Logic being a small sample of those that come to mind.
This years festival was no exception. Leaving Canterbury Park on the outskirts of the Twin Cities and debuting at a new location at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St.Paul, the line up was near perfection once again. Old school meets new school... up and comers meet icons... and hip hop culture in the form of skateboarding, graffiti walls, b-boys & girls, and a car show wrap all aspects of the genre together in a neat bow.
Each year as I start my campaign north of the border to bring as many people down to Minnesota as I can, I usually begin with mentioning past line ups, and explaining that they will see AT LEAST one artist that they will see a year or two before they blow up nationwide... AT LEAST one that they grew up listening to, and a slew of other musicians that they will discover and put in their playlists for years to come. I have yet to lie. This year the performances that fit those two descriptions for me were Lexii Alijai who I believe will make a huge mark on hip hop for years to come, and Common who was the artist that originally made me fall in love with this music.
Those are just the top 2 performances that stood out personally, but I've left out so many other electric sets such as... Prof, Pharoahe Monch, The Roots, Doomtree, Atmosphere, Jay Rock, Lizzo, Danny Brown, Post Malone, Future and A$AP Rocky not to mention dozens more that graced that stages throughout the day.
The last, and most important thing I mention in my pitch to my Canadian counterparts is easily the most beautiful part about Soundset... and that is the amount of love and respect everyone has for the people around them. This art brings together people of all ages, genders, races and nationalities. Hip hop continues to break down all these barriers, no demographic is discriminated against. This festival is all inclusive and every single person is welcomed in as if they belong. I started coming for the music 7 years ago, and have since left with much more than that. I'll continue to make the drive every May... because pound for pound, Soundset is easily the best festival around right now... not only for your ears, but your soul.
Countdown to the 10th anniversary edition of Soundset starts now.
