Breakaway Music Festival was a particularly special moment in my life because it was the first festival I’ve ever covered. Even though it wasn’t everything I expected, it was a new experience full of exhilarating music and lively people. I mean what else should I have expected from a part EDM – part Hip Hop Festival? A truly peaceful event even with the music so loud! As someone who has never been into EDM, I was still able to really see the talent in some of the artists that stood out during the show. Here were some of my favorites:
Boombox Cartel
I believe Boombox came in to replace Jaden Smith as he had a scheduling conflict. But let me tell you, he did not disappoint! Boombox had to be my absolute favorite performance because I’d never heard EDM music like his before. I appreciated his blend of hip-hop music with the dubstep beats. He featured artists such as Travis Scott, Drake, Kanye and Rihanna in his mix. I also loved his inclusion of latinx music as well. As he shouted out all the latinx people in the crowd before the beat dropped, it was like he was creating a special moment just for them and their roots which was amazingly cool for me to experience.
Jai Wolf
He’s almost the opposite of Boombox which is something I can definitely appreciate about EDM. Artists can really create their own lane with their sound and still appeal to audiences while sounding completely different than the next artist. Jai Wolf’s music had the smoothest vibe with the hardest bass. His use of less beat drops and more of a constant beat with melodic tunes in the background definitely gave off a more mellow vibe. His music is definitely something people can both chill and dance to and his performance was amazing.
Nghtmre
In my opinion, Nghtmre could be somewhere in the middle of the two previous artists I mentioned. He also used smooth music but had a heavy hip hop influence in his beats. With sounds from A$AP Ferg, Travis, Rihanna, Drake and more, he was really able to hype the crowd up. Nghtmre did something that nobody else really did as good as him in my opinion. This was his transitioning from the hype rave music literally straight into songs like Forever Young by Jay Z and Mr. Hudson. The transitions were so smooth that it didn’t even make sense. He was able to go from extremely fast paced beats back to a chill melody and the crowd just flowed right with him.
Rich the Kid
And finally, the star of the show. Obviously Rich isn’t EDM but he had the crowd rocking just as hard, if not harder than everyone else! Rich came out popping a bottle and performed a couple of his new songs. Then got to the classics such as “New Freezer” and “Plug Walk.” Unfortunately, it started raining but not one person left. Rich kept the crowd going crazy and rapping along even in the rain. I appreciate Rich still being his naturally wild and hype self even though he was performing at a festival that featured music totally different from his. He definitely showed out for the Hip-Hop genre and definitely stole the show.
