Photo from Soundsetfestival.com

Lasting 10 years in anything music related, is an impressive feat–let alone doing so in Hip-Hop. I’ve always jokingly made the comparison of artists’ time in Hip-Hop to dog years. There’s been many occasions where I’ve looked up how long an artist has been in the game, expecting a long period of activity; only to be greeted with a shallow resume, lengthwise. So it’s no surprise that when the Soundset Festival, which takes place every year in Minnesota, announced it’s 10-Year-Anniversary show, many fans collectively said, “Damn, it’s been 10 years??”

Well, yes Mr. Backpack Rap fan, it has been 10-years since Rhymesayers frontmen Saddiq and J-Bird first started the niche festival. What started out at first, as a way to just finally have somewhere to play Hip-Hop shows in a non-culturally-diverse mid-west, has now turned into a genre staple that many fans — including me — fly in from all over the country to see. One reason for that, is the attention to detail by festival curators Bird and Saddiq. With a Rhymesayers backing, it would’ve been very easy for the duo to just put their own acts up every year, exclusively, but that was never in the cards for the team.

Although it’s safe to assume that their favorite artists probably roam in the Brother Ali, more lyrically-driven style of Hip-Hop, that never stopped them from creating diverse line ups. Past shows have included both Atmosphere and A$AP Rocky on the same stage, creating a lane for both hypebeasts and word-nerds to live in Hip-Hop holy matrimony. This year’s show is no different. Soundset favorites like Atmosphere, Talib Kweli and Brother Ali will be donning the stage while mainstream darlings Lil’ Uzi Vert, Travis Scott and Gucci Mane do the same. That’s not even mentioning acts like Mac Miller, Dave East and of course Lauryn Hill, who are also slated to perform — she’ll be there, I promise!! We caught up with the man behind the scenes, J-Bird, to talk everything Soundset. From their humble beginnings on First Ave, all the way to selling out the state fairgrounds — we cover it all. Check out the interview below.

Photo from Soundsetfestival.com

RESPECT. Magazine: What pushed you guys to start Soundset as a local series?

J-Bird: I didn’t move to Minnesota until after the Soundset Wednesdays at First Avenue had already ended. In the late nineties I did get to experience it a few times and it embodied the live element side of Rhymesayers that still exist today. It was a platform for the culture and a place for local artists and national acts to have a place to play when there weren’t as many venue options for Hip Hop / Rap.

RESPECT.: Describe some of those early years and memories from before it became the festival it is today.

J-Bird: I can remember driving up from Chicago with a group I managed called Rubberoom. The biggest venue at this point the guys ever played was The Metro in Chicago and here was a premier venue in another city that was bigger and hosting a weekly Hip Hop night. I remember the backdrop being a painted Rhymesayers piece by Abuse. I remember Battle Cats breaking. There were DJs and there were freestyles. Local artists performed and artists from other cities performed. There was a strong sense of local community and I remember be so inspired by that sense of togetherness. It was unforgettable and the beginning seeds for me to move to Minneapolis and work with Rhymesayers.

RESPECT.: When did you realize that the previous venues weren’t enough, and the State Fairgrounds had to be the next destination?

J-Bird: Soundset began as a festival in 2008. It was at the Metrodome parking lot in downtown Minneapolis. We had over 12,000 people show up for a primarily local bill, along with Aesop Rock, Dilated Peoples and Little Brother. This was before Rhymesayers released Aesop and Dilated’s records. In 2009, the Minnesota Twins were scheduled to be home Memorial weekend, so we lost the venue. So, in our second year the only place that would allow us to do an all-day Hip Hop festival was a parking lot in Shakopee, MN at Canterbury Park. This was our home from 2009 – 2015, seven years. In 2010 to expand the capacity, we took it from the parking and brought it onto the grass lot below. In those seven years, we grew Soundset from 14,000 to two sell outs in a row of 30,000 in 2014 and 2015. Who would have ever thought one of the biggest Hip Hop festivals in the world would have a home in Shakopee, MN?

Photo from Soundsetfestival.com

Eventually, we could not expand or grow any further in this location and plus they had plans to develop the land that was currently our site, so we had to move on. Props to Canterbury Park and the city of Shakopee for giving us a home for so long and supporting a ten-hour Hip Hop festival on their grounds. A lot of great memories out there, highway 169 will never be the same for me. We always wanted to go back into the cities, so in 2016 the Minnesota State fairgrounds offered us the venue on the Midway. They’ve been a great partner and ideal location due to parking, transportation and infrastructure that can handle a lot of people and offer room for us to grow. I honestly love working with everyone with the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, looking forward to this year being bigger and better than 2016.

RESPECT.: Your guys’ first show — and all of them in general — included a lot of friends and label artists like Atmosphere, Brother Ali, etc. Talk about pulling them all together and meshing them with mainstream superstars like Gucci Mane and Travis Scott, what kind of a crowd does a mixture like that bring? Was that formula something you always had in mind?

J-Bird: The goal of Soundset was always to be diverse. Show all the branches of the tree of Hip Hop, old, new, young – something for everybody. Rhymesayers is the foundation of Soundset, so there is always some of our artists each year. We’re a genre-based festival, so we curate all different styles of artists. It’s important to represent the culture from Pete Rock to Gucci Mane to Ms. Lauryn Hill to Brother Ali. Keeping a varied lineup brings in people from all over the world; it’s a wonderful mix of togetherness.

RESPECT.: How does it feel for this all to come full circle, and to still be in Minnesota, where it all started?

J-Bird: I’m not originally from Minnesota, but I have lived here for 17 years plus at this point. When I first started touring with Rhymesayers, one thing I experienced was there were people who came to the shows from Minnesota no matter where we’re at. In South Korea, of course someone is there from St. Paul. Cape Town, South Africa, someone from Minneapolis. Iceland, yes there was someone there from Duluth. People from Minnesota are proud to support their artists from the home turf. Artists in Minnesota support each other regardless of genre. Soundset has lived in its home of Minnesota for ten years now and although people come to the festival from 50 states and all over the world, Minnesota as a community continues to hold it down as the majority.

Photo from Respect-Mag.com

When I first moved here, many rap tours didn’t play the market. When I would speak to friends here about tours I saw in Chicago, they told me that show never came to Minneapolis. Nowadays, every rap tour pretty much plays Minneapolis and for many of the artists, it’s become one of the top touring markets for them.

You can purchase your tickets to Soundset here, taking place Memorial Day Weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Suggested Articles: 

RESPECT. The Hustle: Jam Nation’s Zach Hammond Talks Las Vegas Culture, JAMFest and More!

Too Blessed To Be Stressed: Brooklyn’s Own Stro Talks New Album, NY Radio + More!

The post RESPECT. The Culture: Rhymesayer’s J-Bird Talks Soundset Festival’s 10-Year-Anniversary [INTERVIEW] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The lineup is thoughtfully curated. You have new school headliners such as A$AP Rocky, Future and Machine Gun Kelly, living legends that appeal to the sensible old school set; The Roots and Common, up-and-comer of the moment Post Malone, the next up-and-comer in line Anderson .Paak, fierce lady femcees Lizzo, Reverie and Lexii Alijai, grizzled NYC vet Pharaohe Monch, the lovable and goofy Danny Brown, underground favorites Atmosphere, Aesop Rock and Murs and 9^th Wonder… and a slew of other talented artists that if listed would definitely make this the longest run-on sentence in Soundset review history. The beat junkie in me has just reminded myself that I missed out on legendary DJ’s Marley Marl and Jazzy Joyce. Sadness.

This ninth edition of Soundset was held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. A very fitting venue. Soundset has outgrown last year’s venue Canterbury Park. Last year there were 30,000 attendees. This year I wouldn’t be surprised if they had well over 50,0000. The ferris wheel proved to be a convenient landmark to help coordinate with fellow festival-goers. The site’s layout allowed for a couple aspects of the festival to be showcased much better: the abundant amount of graffiti art and the car show. Food trucks dotted one area across the water refill station. There were many more food choices this year. The fried cheese curds are my favorite deep-fried guilty pleasure. I may have had a corndog and may have had a cheeseburger too. Gluttony. My beverages of choice were the Hard Cherry Cola and Root Beer. Thirst-quenching.

After settling in, we caught the tail-end of singer-rapper Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals at the Main Stage – South. He’s been on a good run lately, working with the likes of T.I. and Kaytranada, appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and releasing his critically acclaimed album Malibu earlier this year. Anderson’s a solid performer with great musicianship to boot. Definitely a favorite new artist of mine.

Transplanted Minnesotan rapper-singer Lizzo was a force on the stage. She exhibited such an undeniable stage presence that it forced me to part the tall trees in the crowd. Lizzo and The Big Grrrls(her dancers and dj) had the Main Stage – North crowd jumpin’ with their high-energy choreography and their contagious charisma. Lizzo’s vocal chops were on display as well, effortlessly soaring over bass-heavy beats. Time to give Big Grrrl Small World another listen!

The heavy beats continued with rapper Danny Brown. The Detroit native took us on a literal trip. The psychedelic video backdrop accompanied crowd favorites Smokin’ & Drinkin’, Blueberry(Pills & Cocaine) and Rustie perfectly. Before he finished his set we had to head off to the Fifth Element Stage to catch NYC emcee Pharaohe Monch. His set was just as good as his beard. Meaning pretty damn good! He hasn’t lost a step after nearly 30 years in the game. Head-nodding quickly turned into neck-snapping as his set progressed from infectious Oh No, to the hardcore anthem Simon Says. To cap it off he paid a nod to his rap roots by performing Organized Konfusion‘s Bring It On.

We trekked back towards the main stages and decided to take in Common from the VIP bleachers; an excellent vantage point that allows one to appreciate the vast sea of humanity assembled before the main stages. Common knows how to work the crowd. Although you’d think that his “Good vibe shit”(as he personally referred to his style of music) would mellow out the crowd, it didn’t. His man of the people persona was on display as he jumped off stage and performed within the crowd for a few minutes. Soon afterwards he took a lucky lady onstage and performed one of the dopest festival freestyles I’ve ever heard. Cleverly referencing all things Minnesotan and all things Soundset: The Twins, Prince, blessing your girl in the Lake Minnetonka, A$AP Rocky, The Roots, Future. Favorite Common tracks performed were: Go, The Corner and The Light. DJ Dummy‘s DMC-worthy exhibition was highly entertaining as well.

Catching a glimpse of Post Malone was impossible as the Fifth Element Tent was rammed to capacity spilling out well into the surrounding field. It was a sight to see fans running towards the tent once they heard the last track of his set White Iverson.

The Roots supreme musicianship was on full display throughout their entire set. Emcee Black Thought could have arguably been the hardest working performer at the show. Or perhaps he may have been better off wearing a darker colored shirt. No matter. His rapid-fire delivery and stamina were admirable. Jeremy Ellis maniacally yet skillfully finger-drumming on his Maschine drum machine was a highlight of The Roots set for me. It may have lasted a minute too long but the remixed Prince songs were a treat.

Soon afterwards host Sway introduced Future as “One of the most flattered artists of our time.” I did have some doubt with that statement but it was clear after his set that along with his tireless work ethic and enormous catalog, his influence on the current crop of rappers is undeniable. Back to his catalog; he has so many hot tracks that a fair amount were performed in 30 second to 1 minute snippets. It was pretty obvious to me that the majority of the younger demographic was here to see him specifically. Chants of Future! Future! Future! Could be heard the second The Roots finished their set. When Future stepped on the stage the amount of ganja-smoke increased ten-fold. Second-hand high here we come. The crowd was amped. I had survived his set after 2 elbows to the head, 1 elbow to the shoulder and 3 bras thrown onto the stage later.

Due to Future’s lengthy set A$AP Rocky came on slightly later than scheduled. No worries. I’ve grown to appreciate his music more lately and I haven’t seen him perform live so 10 more minutes of Future wasn’t going to kill me. Speaking of killing it, that’s precisely what A$AP did. He used the whole stage to interact with the crowd and performed with more energy than I had expected. He told security to keep the mosh pits going. The dj played House of Pain’s Jump Around much to the delight of the moshing masses. Stand out tracks such as Multiply, Hella Hoes, Goldie, L$D and Yamborghini High kept us elevated.

Next year is Soundset Festival’s tenth anniversary. We’re excited to get even Hip Hop higher in 2017. It’s gonna be real Minnesota nice!

Photography by Khammy Phanthavong

Words by Ryan Reyes

Suggested Articles:

RESPECT. Recap: “The Level Up Tour” with A$AP Ferg & Tory Lanez

The 3001 Laced Odyssey Tour: An Evening with the Flatbush Zombies

The post RESPECT. Recap: Soundset Festival 2016 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photographs by Khammy Phanthavong
Review by Ryan Reyes

We arrived at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota early in the afternoon to take in everything that Soundset Festival could throw at us. But before that, we had to accept the fact that it would be wet all day. Nonetheless, Mother Nature couldn’t dampen our collective spirit. The sold-out festival had over 30,000 attendees head-noddin’ throughout the day. For the uninitiated, Soundset is a 1-day hip-hop festival that has been held annually in Minnesota since 2007. It’s an all-encompassing festival that features 2 stages for performances by music artists, a b-boy competition, a custom car show, a skate demo, a graffiti showcase and numerous food, clothing and craft vendors. To sum it up it is one motherfunkin’ dope time (and yes there was much of that being smoked everywhere)!
The headliners this year were a diverse mix of big names, respected veterans, up & comers and popular local acts: J.Cole, Ice Cube, Big Sean, Ludacris, Yelawolf, Atmosphere, Dilated Peoples, Logic, Clockwork Indigo, Aesop Rock, Dessa, deM atlaS. 

That’s just the mainstage.

The Fifth Element Stage had these stellar acts lined-up: Brother Ali, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, Vic Mensa, Hopsin, Smif-N-Wessun, Son Real and more! The Essential Elements Tent housed the b-boy battles and featured legendary DJ’s Babu and Jazzy Jay earlier during the day. You can’t go wrong for a mere $70!

The mainstage had its moments. Yelawolf with his smouldering stage-presence. Logic with his lyrical energy. He’s gained a new fan in myself. Ludacris loved the diversity of the crowd. Heck, he even offered to take 3 women on tour with him since he apparently had 3 empty seats on his jet. Personally I enjoyed his entire set. Such a large catalogue filled with hits. Big Sean felt at home in the rain; some drizzle, no-shirt, no problem. Luckily I arrived right on time for Ice Cube‘s set after a trek from the Great Wall of Porta-Potties. His intro video was hilarious! He had more energy than most of the youngsters. I’m glad Soundset showed him the love that he deserves. I admit Outkast’s  cold reception at last year’s Coachella did cross my mind when I found out about Ice Cube’s inclusion. But this is a hip-hop festival, after all.

Let there be no doubt that the most popular act of the night was J.Cole. Although it was raining for the majority of the day, the crowd was at its largest and most energetic during his set. The anticipation was building. Security at the front of the mainstage were seen pulling out numerous fans from the crowd for their own safety well before his set started. Fan favourite tracks performed were: “Wet Dreamz”, “Apparently”, “Crooked Smile”, “Power Trip”, “In The Morning” and “Lights Please”. An endless sea of hands-in-the-air and the chorus of thousands rappin’ and singin’ his lyrics made everything feel surreal. And he is for real. After an excellent 2014 (2014 Forest Hills Drive debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 and a Grammy win) I forsee much more success for Jermaine Cole in the near future.
Next year Soundset will be back in the Twin Cities. The new site will be the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. This is an exciting change of venue that most will appreciate. Rhymesayers, Soundset, y’all done did it again. We dragged our tired bodies through the mud and grass. The sun had set. We were all wet. But it was all worth it. As Ice Cube said earlier that day “Today was a good day.”

The post SOUNDSET 2015: PHOTOS & REVIEW appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Words by Ryan Reyes

Photography by Khammy Phanthavong

He beat out Drake at the JUNO Awards a few years back. He has a master’s degree and has even given a TED Talk. Shad is one talented and sharp dude. We had the opportunity to ask the lyrically-gifted emcee a few questions before his afternoon set at the Fifth Element stage at Soundset. Here’s what went down.

First off, I’m from Winnipeg and I know you’ve been there often. Any fond memories?

Oh yeah, so many! I was there for the JUNOs this year. It’s kind of a blur—mostly hunting for free food. I was there in November at Union Sound Hall. That was fun. I’ll be back for Jazz Fest, too. I’ve always liked Winnipeg. It reminds me a bit of my hometown of London, Ontario. Down to earth. I’ve always felt comfortable there.

Since we’re touching on Winnipeg, how do you take your Slurpee?

I know it’s the Slurpee capital of the world. First of all, I got to put this out there: I’m a fan of the Slush Puppy. At this point in my life, I’m pretty much a plain coke slushy guy. But if there’s banana poppin’ off I’ll put half and half. Banana on top.

What are you currently working on?

This summer I’m playing a few festivals. I’m always working on new music and demoing a bunch of songs. Not for any project in particular but for just a sense of where I’m going with the next one. So that’s the zone that I’m in right now. I’ll likely work more seriously on the new album this fall.

Do you think there are some advantages to being a Canadian in the Hip Hop industry?

I think there are some advantages to just being Canadian. I’ve toured enough in the States to understand what life is like here. Not to say our country is perfect. We have some things to be happy about like education, healthcare and a social safety net. In the music industry here in America is where the culture originally came from and is exported to the world. So you can say there could be a certain advantage to being a cultural producer here.

Let’s get a little less serious here. If you could hang out with anyone famous dead or alive who would it be?

We’ll start with dead. Some heroes: Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers. Then for alive: Kanye, Stevie Wonder. Okay, well, that was two dead and two alive.

Any acts that you’d like to catch at Soundset?

Yeah, I’ve never seen Nas. I’m really looking forward to seeing Nas. Aside from that I don’t know who else I’m gonna get to see because of interviews and my set. Nas is the only time slot that I’m truly free for. Actually I wanna catch some of the Spurs game. Unfortunately I’m going to miss some of Atmosphere’s set but I’ve seen him before.

Have you attended Soundset before?

No I haven’t. This is my first time and it definitely won’t be my last.

The post INTERVIEW: SHAD, SLURPEES, STEVIE WONDER AND SOUNDSET appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photography by Khammy Phanthavong

Words by Ryan Reyes

Over 30,000 eager hip hop fans descended on Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota for the 7th annual Soundset Festival. The bill was diverse: ranging from Minnesota-based artists such as Atmosphere, Prof, deM atlaS, Lizzo and Lazerbeak to up and comers Chance The Rapper, Ab-Soul, Snow Tha Product, Rapsody and Shad.

But there were also headliners from out of state: 2 Chainz wore only 1 chain; albeit it was massive and diamond-encrusted. But a one-hit wonder he ain’t. “Bandz a Make Her Dance,” “Birthday Song” and “I’m Different” were highlights. The crowd clearly loved his set. Some ladies loved it so much that they flashed him quite liberally. One woman made him exclaim “Damn, those are some big ones, some double G’s, double Gucci’s!”

Nas was a treat for old school heads like myself. He truly felt the love from the sea of people assembled before him, stating, “This shit is beautiful.” He performed tracks off his iconic Illmatic album which celebrated it’s 20^th anniversary this year and finished off his set with classics such as “Street Dreams,” “If I Ruled The World” and “Made You Look.”

Wiz Khalifa arrived at Soundset on time. Festival-goers were nervous to hear via Twitter that he was arrested on marijuana charges in Texas the morning of the festival but he was able to post bail and charter a jet (the high life). Fitting for everyone’s favorite weed-rapper. The crowd went crazy during hits “Young, Wild & Free,” “We Dem Boyz” and his set-closing Pittsburgh anthem “Black and Yellow.”

Everything came together nicely for Soundset in 2014: A sold out festival, cooperative weather, and an excellent lineup. Much respect goes out to Rhymesayers Entertainment and Rose Presents. They could turn Soundset into a two-day festival next year. This once little festival is all grown up!

The post SOUNDSET 2014: PHOTOS & REVIEW appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.