ACTION BRONSON is hip-hop. It’s an odd statement to use to intro a festival’s growing affair with modernism but it’s a well-hidden fact that needs to breathe its own air. For the past several months or so, the great Bronsilino has disfigured the concrete ideals of “a rap concert” by expanding his horizons. Literally. Bronson barely stays on stage anymore as he’s become more unpredictable than Jimmy Snuka in a 20′ x 20′ ring, and his port-a-potty antics over at Ottawa’s RBC Bluesfest were just a glimpse of how hip-hop has become fond of making adjustments on the fly.
At Lebreton Flats Park, CHILDISH GAMBINO charged through a tell-all set; CYPRESS HILL and SNOOP DOGG gutted fans with throwbacks; and the fest’s most unusual additions – DANNY BROWN, TYLER THE CREATOR, and YUNG LEAN – became unanimous stars. All of the above helped solidify the Claridge Homes Stage as a rap hub and proposed a pretty vital question: can Bluesfest sustain a mixtape-driven subsidiary? To keep it 100 – “of course”.
DELTRON 3030
DANNY BROWN
CHILDISH GAMBINO
CYPRESS HILL
ACTION BRONSON
