The third day of the Anaheim Festival, appropriately titled, “Day N Night” rounded off three days of an eclectic mix of mainstream and up and coming artists. Day N Night took over approximately a quarter of the parking lot at Angel Stadium of Anaheim where fans could enjoy their favorite artist on one of three stages, the Day Stage, the Night Stage, and the main stage known as the Postmates Stage. Fans who previously braved the heat on Friday and Saturday eagerly lined up hours before the gates opened to secure a coveted front row spot at the Postmates Stage.
Acts ranged from independent artists such as Buddy to Internet sensation Russ to the arguable best rapper in hip-hop, Kendrick Lamar. We caught Buddy’s set at the Night Stage which included a special guest appearance by Compton’s Boogie. Other Night Stage highlights included A.Chal, Chicago rapper Saba, West-Cost rapper Dom Kennedy and an amazing set by Masego. Masego floats around the stage accompanied by his three piece band as he raps and plays his signature saxophone. Masego was definitely one of the highlights of the Night Stage.
Day Stage was also packed with talent with artists Sonny Digital, Diego Money and the soulful sounds of Daniel Caesar who was definitely a fan favorite. Topping off the night was an appearance by TDE’s Isaiah Rashad who captivated the audience with his verses and stage performance. He was accompanied by Hugh Augustin for “Tity and a Dolla” which definitely got the crowd moving.
The dedicated fans at the Postmates Stage who stood for 12 hours with no food or water were treated to some of the finest performances of the day. Highlights included TDE Artist and Inglewood native SiR who performed a good section of his library as well as a new joint to the beat of Jay-Z’s “The Story of Oj”. SiR was also joined by “Next Artist to Blow” Fat Ron for a live performance of “In the Sky”. Other highlights of the Postmates Stage included SoundCloud sensation Russ, Princess Nokia, Metro Boomin, and 21 Savage. 21 Savage fired up the crowd as he paced back and force in front of knife and blood covered graphics with his checkered overalls. As if almost invoking an alternate Freddie Kruger movie, 21 Savage certainly was well received by the crowd who had been baking in the heat for more than 8 hours.
Finally YG and Kendrick Lamar finished off the festival. YG played in front of an all red stage asking what drugs the crowd was on and invoking a rule that any girl sitting on someone’s shoulders had to bear her breasts. The crowd went wild. YG tried some new music out on the crowd, but also reached back into his library with “Toot it and Boot it”.
Lamar took the stage as the crowd swelled reached capacity. A video clip reminiscent of 1970’s martial arts film opened his set with Lamar busting out a hyper-kinetic set starting with “Humble”. Pyrotechnics accompanied his set as he zig-zagged through a litany of his hits, capping off the night with a fireworks display.
Overall the festival felt like a statement on where hip-hop is today and where it’s going. The festival provided a wide range of artists and introduced all of them to new fans. Day N Night now in its second year, proved it can be a force in Hip Hop and should remain a staple of the Community.
Catch the photo recap below.
Words and photos by Visual Thought.
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