Preview: Number Fest / April 18
By Joe Cooke, Contributor
Number Fest / Saturday, April 18, 2015
The stars are in line as one of the biggest concerts of the year, #Fest, looms right around the corner. This Saturday, Schoolboy Q, ILoveMakonnen, G-Eazy, Diplo, Borgeous and 16 other performers will hit Athens and make the field go up on a Saturday.
All these MC’s had breakout years in 2014, thanks to albums and singles that were near the top of the Billboard 100. Q’s album Oxymoron reached number one on the chart thanks to party anthems like “Man of the Year,” “Collard Greens” and “Studio.” Makonnen went from Atlanta regular to mainstream superstar with the witty but prolific number one hit “Tuesday.”
G-Eazy’s These Things Happen peaked at number three on the Billboard 100 with tracks like “I Mean It,” “Let’s Get Lost” and “Tumblr Girls.” His work proves he’ll be one of the shining talents of the millenial indie rap generation, his suave persona even earning him the nickname “The Young Elvis." As a seasoned musician, Diplo served up a superstar collarborative project with February’s Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U, with hit “Where U At Now” featuring everyone’s favorite roast target Justin Bieber.
With all this nationally recognized talent present, it’s easy to oversee the rappers and DJs in Ohio’s underground scene and elsewhere. Artists including Ezzy, DJ Corrupt, Tezo, E-Trayn, ChrisMarsB, Gio and Lamb$ have all managed to make noise in the rap scene in the past few years. They’ll look to increase their national platform this coming Saturday as they share the mic with some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
With this big performance on their plates, it’s important that these artists have a certain vibe and flavor that will allow their audience to get hyped. Artists like Ezzy have the energy to make this happen.
“I still believe that my ‘Ya Thought’ track will make for some ill interaction between the audience and I. I'm also thrilled to see the people's reaction to ‘Wake Up,’” said Ezzy. “The beat drop is so crazy! I've got a 20-minute set though, so I'm definitely gonna make every song count.”
No matter how big your stature is as a musician, diversity is always valuable. “I'm really just thankful for the opportunity to be able to broadcast my voice to the fans that everyone brings out,” said Ezzy. “The line-up is pretty diverse, as the crowd will be, so I'm most excited about the new people I can connect with.”
The 13th edition of #Fest is also an opportunity for Ezzy to relive and tighten connections he’s made in the past.
“This actually won't be the first time I've shared stages with a few of the artists on the bill. Me and G-Eazy are pretty cool. Schoolboy, too. I've never seen Diplo live so that should be exciting.”
Music starts at 1 p.m. and will continue for at least nine hours. For any information regarding transportation and fest policies, visit thenumberfest.com.
