For the ninth year in a row, Rhymesayers Entertainment has not failed to put on another fantastic show that celebrates music artists and fans alike. The Minnesota-native hip-hop and rap label has been hosting the Soundset Music Festival every Memorial Day weekend since 2008, and has featured both mainstream, local and underground artists that thousands have traveled to see. This year, things changed up a bit with the event's new venue taking place at the Midway in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Previously, the festival was known to take place at Canterbury Park, which I attended the past two years. Things were done a little differently this time around.
What was familiar from past years? It was no surprise to smell the stenches of alcohol, marijuana and sweat coming from concert-goers. There were two main stages where the headlining acts performed, as well as two smaller stages for lesser-known acts. We saw B-Boys and B-Girls showdown again, along with live painting, rows upon rows of custom cars parked for speculation, and a skate pipe sponsored by Familia Skate. Though the festival's location changed, the size of the artists' stages didn't, which proved to be a bit crowded for the much larger turnout of over 30,000 people this year. The people behind Soundset also didn't disappoint with another amazing lineup. For people with music tastes like myself, seeing Future, Atmosphere, A$AP Rocky, Prof, Machine Gun Kelly, Post Malone and Goldlink was quite the early State Fair treat.
What was new this year? There were lots of firsts besides the updated venue: an open mic, a Ferris Wheel, food trucks and extra accommodations. I thought the Midway had a reasonable amount of comforts throughout the ten hour day of music; the bathrooms available were in the actual restroom buildings rather than porta-potties; walking space was ample, and a curb offered a not-so-bad place to sit; there was a free water station so you could fill up your water bottle and stay hydrated; and there wasn't a lack of shaded areas. I noticed there were plenty of cops, security persons, as well as the Regions Hospital building in case of an emergency. Parking wasn't too bad considering the larger grounds, and walking to and from the concert was a ten minute walk for us.
The new space definitely altered the mood of the festival itself. My friend, Kayla, who had never been to Soundset before, and I commented that the concert grounds felt very divided, though, and that it was overwhelming to move from place to place. Getting food took a bit of work; you had to buy tickets from a stand, which only came in sheets of 10 ($1= 1 ticket), and then you needed to wait in line or wait for food for about 10-20 minutes. Snacks and refreshments were a little pricey, ranging from six tickets up to fourteen. I was very excited, though, to see that food trucks and Sweet Martha's Cookies made an appearance. My rosemary garlic french fries with organic ketchup from the Moral Omnivore were delicious.
But at the end of the day, we were all there for the same reason: for the love of rap and hip-hop culture. What part of that culture you experienced depended on what you came for, and I came for the music. When I arrived, Lizzo put on a female-powered performance at the north stage with about ten women dancing behind her to loud bass. After Danny Brown kept the crowd jumping during his set, Machine Gun Kelly came on stage and covered Blink 182's "All the Small Things". Prof, a local favorite, crowd surfed on an inflatable raft, and over at the Fifth Element stage, Post Malone performed "White Iverson". Atmosphere, who gave up their headlining spot for another year, knocked out the crowd with their energy and well-versed words. The Roots, who haven't visited the Twin Cities for a long while, gave a legendary set to be expected from the old school group. Future and A$AP Rocky rounded out the day and the evening; Future gave a mix of songs he was featured on as well as his own, while A$AP got the crowd singing to "L$D"
This year, the annual music festival did not fail to entertain. With headlining acts from here and from elsewhere, with a background in old school and in trap music, it wasn't hard to find at least one artist that everyone can enjoy. Another great thing about Soundset Music Festival 2016 this year- the weather stayed warm and breezy, with only a sprinkle of rain.
Sunshine, sunshine, it's fine
I feel it in my skin, warming up my mind,
Sometimes you gotta give in to win,
I love the days when it shines, whoa let it shine
-"Sunshine" by Atmosphere
