Almost everyone has been to a music festival at least once. For those that haven't, please correct that egregious wrong in the near future. For those that have, you know how hard it is to choose which artists to watch throughout the day(s.) Given the fact that there are typically two or more artists performing at the same time, coupled with the struggle of traveling between stages and finding a good spectating spot, plotting the perfect schedule can prove difficult. Especially if the lineup is really fire, like the bill of The Smokers Club Fest that went down this past weekend in long beach.
The two-day festival took over The Queen Mary seaport in Long Beach, hosting the biggest names in rap including Mac Miller, ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, Lil Pump & special headlining performances from Wiz Khalifa & Kid Cudi. And though we saw just about every performer on the bill, there's absolutely no way we would be able to include each of them in this recap. However, we promise that this timeline will provide an exclusive look at the most memorable sets from the weekend. Behold the lituation that was The Smokers Club Fest 2018.
Day 1
2:45 PM - Lil Skies
Considering his set was fairly early in the day and a lot of folks hadn't even made it to the festival yet, Lil Skies had one of the most turnt sets in the afternoon. Dude literally ran from side to side of the stage for the entire 45 minutes, and capped it off by bringing out Landon Cube and climbing up the stage scaffolding to perform "Red Roses."
3:30 PM - Boogie
Boogie's energetic set was incredibly dope due to the superb showmanship he gave to the crowd. The Shady Records signee went bar for bar, sometimes going for minutes straight acapella. He even performed a snippet of a new record before the DJ pulled the plug on that.
4:00 PM - SOB X RBE
SOB X RBE's performance can be described by one phrase and one phrase only: gang shit.
4:30 PM - Yung Pinch
Pinch's packed set brought straight beach vibes, as well as half of his hometown of Huntington Beach. Special guests included professional scammer Guapdad 4000 and Lil Skies.
5:00 PM - Young Thug
In quite possibly the most exciting and unexpected turn of events, Young Thug ended up taking Trippie Redd's spot after the Ohio native canceled. The result was as mental as you would think. Shout out to Thugger for saving the day!
5:30 PM - Xavier Wulf
Another super turnt highlight would have to be Memphis Rapper Xavier Wulf. This man's set was so lit, he even had people jumping up and down through the five-plus minutes of technical difficulties during his performance.
6:00 PM - Lil Pump
To be quite honest, Lil Pump went full "ESSSKETITTTT," keeping shit jumping throughout his 45-minute set.
6:45 PM - Blocboy JB
Though Wiz Khalifa was the main attraction for Day One, all eyes were on Blocboy JB, and for good reason. He had the wildest, craziest, and most choreographed set of the day, hands down. We got a picture of him mid "Shoot" dance and we have come to the conclusion that it's our biggest and best accomplishment in life. Seriously, peep the graceful kinetics of Blocboy JB's signature dance.
7:15 PM - 2 Chainz
If there is one thing Mr. Tauheed Epps knows how to do, it's put on a show. And that's exactly what he did during his set early Saturday evening. It's like dude is a Rap Juggernaut because he literally will not stop. He performed literally everything from his newest joints, from "Proud" to old-school classics like "I'm Different" & "Duffel Bag Boy."
“I’m just tryna make my momma proud!” @2chainz pic.twitter.com/9fqEKyeiEA
8:30 PM - Schoolboy Q
Between him clowning his DJ and likening his facial structure to a deer and making fun of the crowd for being "high as fuck," Schoolboy Q's set was funny as hell. He definitely still brought the heat though.
10:00 PM - Wiz Khalifa
Day 1 was capped off by headlining performer Wiz Khalifa, who held it down with an adapted version of Kush & OJ. He performed the entire mixtape from top to bottom, even reaching in his bag for the Cabin Fever mixtape, where he proceeded to share the stage with Big Sean for a song or two. To say that this was lit would be an understatement. This was without a doubt some Taylor Gang or Die shit.
Kush & OJ @wizkhalifa #AndAin’tShitChanged pic.twitter.com/o9gAipDijH
Day 2
6:00 PM - Flatbush Zombies
Given the fact that they are still high off the release of their new album Vacation In Hell, Flatbush Zombies were probably the hypest, loudest performers of the day. People were getting pulled out of the mosh pit left and right during. Shit was literally mental.
6:45 PM - A. Chal
A. Chal was the perfect comedown after Flatbush fucked the stage up. He sang most of his set, emitting an ambient vibrancy that was amazing to see the crowd absorb.
7:30 PM - Isaiah Rashad
Considering that he wasn't announced as a performer for TDE's upcoming Championship Tour, it seemed like there was a lot of anticipation in the air for Isaiah Rashad's set. As soon as Zaywop touched the stage all thoughts and misconceptions went out the window. Dude definitely did his thing, bringing out hella people, including Earth Gang & J.I.D.
NEVER @JIDsv 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bEGiO9htEp
8:00 PM - Dave East
Dave East was pretty dope to say the least. The New York stoop kid vibe was evident, with 30 people on stage and a bottle of Moet in hand. Plus, he wore a Rolex on that was literally so flooded with diamonds it ruined every single shot we tried to get. So, instead, peep these videos.
PHONE JUMPING GOTTA BAG THAT UP QUICKLY @DaveEast 🔥🔵 pic.twitter.com/wtYWmCcjO0
8:30 PM - Mac Miller
Mac Miller was definitely another one of those performers surrounded by a shroud of uncertainty. Nevertheless, Mac delivered nothing short of a spectacle, performing hits like "Watching Movies" and "Insomniak" with a feverish energy.
9:00 PM - Cousin Stizz
2017 was a great year for Cousin Stizz, and judging from the reception during his set Sunday night, it looks like 2018 will be an even better year for the kid. Just peep how crazy shit gets when he drops "Lambo."
“I just wanna race a Lambo” @CousinStizz pic.twitter.com/XoFhE6zlHq
9:30 PM - Dom Kennedy
Even though we were in Long Beach, Dom Kennedy's set was the most LA shit we have ever seen. It was like the whole city came out to supportco and then dipped as soon as he got off stage. The energy was amazing and we definitely all got our fix of old school Dom. It's OPM bitch!
10:00 PM - Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi's performance was the climax of the weekend. For starters, Cudi's positive energy fed into the audience, creating an unforgettable moment. Man On The Moon, Indicud, The Life Of Pablo, Passion Pain Demon Slayin', Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight - he literally touched on all of these albums, culminating in the most glorious performance of the weekend.
We can only hope that Kanye West & Kid Cudi actually deliver on their Kids See Ghost project, because we can only imagine how legendary that tour/performance would be.
@KidCudi WE LOVE YOU 😭
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.#Bodied #Kanye2020 #KanyeChallenge #kidcudi #MondayMotivation #PROMOTION pic.twitter.com/1MbSdKBnUW