It's hard to imagine a timeline where one of, if not the biggest hip-hop artist of the past decade can be booed offstage at a hip-hop-centric festival of all places. And yet that's exactly what transpired last night at Tyler, The Creator's Camp Flog Gnaw after Drake took the stage to close out the evening. Given that deciphering the respective intentions of thousands of festival-goers, it's hard to make heads or tails out of what actually kicked off the negative response. It didn't take long for a narrative to build, one in which the 6ixGod himself was chased from the stage by a gaggle of Frank Ocean stans. At least, that's the easiest interpretation, the most incendiary, and in a market that thrives on chaos, the most fun.
In truth, it's entirely possible that some attendees were legitimately irate at the mere presence of Drizzy, especially after convincing themselves Frank Ocean was all-but-confirmed. Should anyone stand within this particular camp, then an L is all you deserve. For a still-youthful festival like Camp Flog Gnaw, securing a set from the world's biggest rapper is a massive win. One can only imagine Tyler's reaction to witnessing the debacle unfold; it's the epitome of this is why we can't have nice things. Simply put, the boo-birds have simultaneously shifted festival press coverage in a negative light (sorry) while coming off as a gang of entitled ingrates. Even Tyler himself changed his Twitter bio to reflect the fallout: "embarrassed by fans right now." Is this an accurate assessment, or should Tyler have "read the room?"
Drake's current mood
Some attendees have taken to social media to further elaborate on what went down, with one account blaming scheduling uncertainty. Another more comical reaction finds one particular Frank fanboy screaming as if he walked into his home to find his entire family slain. In reality, it's likely a mix of several factors that led to a sea of boos to send Drake packing. From the sound of it, his status as the closer was not exactly clear; as such, many continued to nurse the hope that Frank Ocean would slide through in the nick of time. To be fair, an unorganized festival and an impatient inebriated audience seldom make for a happy marriage. Yet the visual of Drake being booed off-stage is an ugly note to cap off Tyler's still-emerging brainchild.
Whether or not you like Drake is a moot point. It's rather cut and dry. Anyone holding love for Tyler and his ultimate Flog Gnaw vision should understand that securing a closing spot from Drizzy is a major win for the festival. The idea that one of rap's biggest stars could be chased from the stage at a hip-hop & Rnb festival of all places is difficult to fully comprehend. Regardless of how nuanced the situation might be, it's difficult to interpret this one as anything less than peak entitlement, crushed beneath the weight of lofty expectations. Do you agree? Or were the fans justified with voicing their frustrations?