Adult Swim Recap
DAY 1:
Indie electro-R&B performer, Dawn Richard, took over the Babycat Stage Friday night. The intimate set consisted of her own solo works as well as the hits from her time in Danity Kane and Diddy - Dirty Money. Her combination of powerhouse vocals, superstar choreography, and fully-staffed band, background singers and dancers brought the house down.
Fresh off this summer’s hot Acrylic Tour, Leikeli47 proved her brand of funk, house, and rap are MainStage ready. 47 brought a warmth and charisma to the stage reminiscent of Missy Elliott. Emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and crowd participation, Leikeli invited a hoard of audience members on stage to vogue to her 2017 song “Look.”
Closing out Day 1 of the festival was none other than Adult Swim’s own fictional death metal band Dethklok. After a five year hiatus the mind behind Dethklok and it’s adjacent television show Metalocalypse, Brendon Smalls, returned to the stage to a packed house. Using every monitor in the stadium to his advantage, Smalls’ hypnotic visuals and high-intensity howls had the whole venue headbanging.
DAY 2:
Many attendees were on their toes to witness Cupcakke’s highly-anticipated comeback, especially after a seemingly emotional breakdown via instagram live and announcement of early retirement. This suspense gave her one of the largest crowds of the weekend, and a rowdy one at that. Chanting along to her provocative hits such as “Deepthroat” and “Duck Duck Goose” and laughing at her various roasts of audience members, Adult Swim was happy to see Cupcakke back and in good spirits.
The rest of the festival’s daylight consisted of a visually-stimulating set by alternative, singer/songwriter Helado Negro, an action-packed and debauched showcase of their collaboration album Bandana from Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, followed by Rapsody gracing the stage and performing tunes from both of her critically-acclaimed albums, Laila’s Wisdom and Eve.
Tierra Whack arrived on the Calico Stage and delivered a multi-faceted performance with her characteristically technicolor outfits and backdrop. With a little singing and a lot of spitting, Whack ran through her modern day classics such as Grammy’s-nominated “Hungry Hippo” and “Hookers.”
2 Chainz was up next and did not disappoint the full-house awaiting his appearance. Speeding through his many hits, features and otherwise, 2 Chainz proved that his catalogue is as healthy and abundant as his dreads and jewelry. The rapper formerly known as Tity Boi also brought out fresh talent out of Atlanta to announce his new group T.R.U. (The Real University), and debut their new song “Shoot It Out.”
Eric Andre and Hannibul Buress came together to bring The Eric Andre Show to life on the Calico Stage Saturday night. Consisting of live interviews, pre-recorded sketches and near nudity, festival attendees were treated with their own special episode of the late-night talk show, live. It wouldn’t be The Eric Andre Show without the complete destruction of the stage and an audience covered in chili, and to that affect he definitely came through for Adult Swim. (This set also made me wonder how did Rosario go from dating thee Eric Andre to presidential candidate Cory Booker?)
Throbbing synths and bass announced the arrival of Tabby Stage headliner Vince Staples Saturday night. Similar to Andre, Staples turned the stage to The Vince Staples Show, complete with a visual backdrop displaying Staples starring in various sitcoms such as The Office and Seinfield. With a setlist encapturing the Long Beach rapper’s short yet impactful career, Staples’ signature sinister sound was on full display.