HNHH headed down to Austin, Texas for another year of SXSW chaos. The chaos actually began before we even got there, though-- if you live on the East Coast, you too probably experienced mother nature's wrath to varying extent, depending on your location. Although we expected to have 'Day 1' at SXSW on Wednesday, alas, it was Thursday by the time we actually made it down.
We wasted no time, exploring the infamous 6th Street, Red River, and beyond. We attempted to keep this short and sweet – knowing me, it won't be – so here we go in bullet form; a full breakdown of our activities yesterday (March 16) in Austin.
- Linked up with LA-by-way-of-Houston native Trill Sammy. Dude is permanently stoned judging by our encounter; he explained his Backwoods smoking habits to us, and briefly: it starts with 3 blunts upon waking up (!). He showed us how he rolls his Backwoods, played video games, and ate pizza. What more could you ask for???
- As always, things got hectic, rescheduled and cancelled from there-- a drinking game with Divine Council got axed (fear not, we'll get it done at our NYC office), and a meet-up with G Herbo was rescheduled, so after eating sufficient amounts of Trill Sammy's pizza, we split up, half heading to an interview with NYC counterpart A$AP Ferg, and the other half (myself included) headed to the Fader Fort to catch Cardi B's set.
- More reschedules. Cardi B missed her flight, and missed her set by extension. Nonetheless she had time for an interview with us backstage at The Fader's Dream Hotels artist lounge (where you could scoop as many meatless-burgers as your little heart desired, and despite being "meatless" they were fire emoji). To summarize Cardi B: that girl is lit, humble and hilarious.
- At the Fader Fort, despite not getting to see Cardi perform, we did see Kap G run through a series of recent releases, including "Fuck La Policia," which paved way for a DJ set from Uncle Jxmmi aka one half of Rae Sremmurd (his brother could also be found lounging backstage...maybe lounging is too casual/lazy of a word to describe Swae Lee, he was more so bouncing off the walls backstage, consuming everyone's attention). Jxmmi continuously big upped his SremmLife crew, and had each of them perform on stage with him.
- UK darling Little Simz hit the stage shortly after, which we managed to catch before dipping.
- Headed out to Emo's from Fair Market, which is a bit of a drive compared to the usual DT Austin spaces, for 2 Chainz and Mike WiLL Made It's official SXSW showcase.
- From Emo's we made our way back to downtown Austin, where we hit up Mass Appeal's impressive showcase, with lines extending as far as the eye could see-- Lil Wayne was headlining after all.
- Once inside a large outdoor area, which technically seems to be behind Stubb's, there were various booths set up, whether it be for drinks or for a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, or else to purchase some good ol' merch.
- We arrived just in time to A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie's set-- the New York native brought out New Jersey's own PnB Rock to perform "Playa No More," and gave Kodak Black a shout out before proceeding to perform "Drowning."
- Statik Selektah was on the 1s and 2s in between artist's set, ensuring to play a mix of both classic records and the new-new shit.
- Randomly ran into an inebriated Jazz Cartier, or rather, he ran into me, pulling on my backpack to my dismay before I turned around and recognized a familiar face. He has an ode to Lil Wayne after all, and was excited at the possibility of getting to meet the NOLA legend. I wonder if it happened???
- Denzel Curry was up next, delivering unparalleled energy as he always does for his live shows, making him a stand-out performance of the entire night. After performing staple "Knotty Head" he jumped into the crowd to do another fan-favorite, "ULT."
- Madeintyo brought out his brother and Private Club founder 24Hrs for his set, running through cuts like "Mr. Tokyo" and "I Want," closing his set with his recent Skateboard remix featuring Big Sean.
- Although DJ Mustard was supposed to precede Lil Wayne, he apparently got cut from the line-up, for reasons unbeknownst to us.
- Lil Wayne: the headliner and also the highlight of the night (those two things don't always equate). Wayne not only satisfied the many fans in attendance by running through a mix of classic records, mixtape favorites, and hit singles, he seemed genuinely happy and gracious to be there, telling the crowd: “I ain’t shit without you.”
- Quick overviews of Weezy F's setlist for curious minds: "John," "A Milli," "Hustler Muzik," "Ride 4 My N*ggaz," "HYFR," "The Motto," "Pop That," "Loyal," "No Problem," "I'm Going In," "Lollipop," "We Be Steady Mobbin," "No Worries."
SXSW Photo Diary Day 1
SXSW Photo Diary Day 1: A$AP Ferg, Cardi B, Lil Wayne & More