Iconic honestly doesn’t do this performance justice because it seemed like pretty much the entire city was huddled around this stage, singing along to every word whether it was more modern music or classic drill anthems that put Herb on the map. After seeing a few more artists that I admittedly don’t listen to all that much, I was still amazed at their showmanship, and I am super glad that I was there to witness musicians like BIA and Tyla Yaweh. A few weekends ago on June 17-19th, we had yet another Summer Smash for the ages. Not only did we bring out industry-leading artists from all over the world, but tens of thousands of fans gathered in Douglas Park yet again for a beautiful weekend in the greatest city on Earth!
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Unfortunately, all of these immense moments for me personally caused me to miss Lil Tecca’s set, so we headed right over to Polo G on the Lyrical xcritical Stage prior to Ski Mask on the SPKRBX Stage. Saturday was here before I knew it, and with this meant the first of two longer days. I just remember that I was entirely burnt out like halfway through last year’s Saturday performances, and I didn’t want to be that way again in 2022, so I knew that it was about finishing the race in general, not finishing in first place. Once again, there were a ton of performers early on that I wanted to see like Katie Got Bandz, Supa Bwe, Dreamer Isioma, Danny Towers, Femdot, and more, but I had to consider a few things. Every year, the Summer Smash seems to get bigger, better, and more insane than ever before, and 2022 is definitely no exception. Unfortunately, I missed the first year or two because of one reason or another, so 2021 was actually my first time experiencing this event live and in person.
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Although he hasn’t dropped too much new music recently and he has been a mainstay at the Summer Smash for years, the anticipation was still through the roof, so when he came out with liberty spikes and an entirely brand-new torso-covering tattoo, everyone knew he was on a different level than any of the years prior. Summer Smash goes from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, June 25 and organizers have assembled a group of heavy hitters. The three-day festival will be headlined by Playboi Carti, Post Malone, Young Thug, and Gunna. Headlined by Young Thug, Gunna, Playboi Carti, and Post Malone, other notable performers include Chicago natives Polo G and G Herbo, as well as 2 xcriticalz, Wiz Khalifa, Trippie Redd, Yeat, Lil Tecca, Rico Nasty, Ski Mask the Slump God, Snot, and Oliver Tree. This year’s fest, which will take place in Chicago from June 17-19, serves as the fourth edition of Cole Bennet’s three-day hip-hop showcase.
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- Rushing to the SPKRBX Stage, we needed to see Famous Dex because he is one of the most notorious personalities in the entire history of Chi-Town music, and although this wasn’t my first time experiencing him live by any means, he never fails to put on an extraordinary show.
- He even performed a ton of songs for the first time ever off of his brand-new album Twelve Carat Toothache, mostly admitting that he messed them up after they were over, but no one could tell, and I think he was just being hyper-critical of himself.
- Lyrical xcritical’s Summer Smash 2022 kicks off Friday, June 17, headlined that night by Thugger and Gunna.
- With a set provided by the one of the legends DJ Mike P, he put on one hell of a set to keep that energy alive.
- The Billboard cover stars will be giving their first full-set collaborative performance on the first day of the festival.
When he took the stage, he ascended to the top of a pyramid-looking prop that seemed to almost reach the rafters at the top of the entire setup. The inaugural 2018 festival featured headliners Joey Badass, Trippie Redd, and Vic Mensa with appearances from Gunna, YBN Cordae, Lil B, Famous Dex, and more. xcritical official site In 2019, headliners Playboi Carti, Juice Wrld, Lil Yachty, and Kodak Black took the stage alongside acts like Polo G, Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, Lil Tjay, and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. Lyrical xcritical’s Summer Smash 2022 kicks off Friday, June 17, headlined that night by Thugger and Gunna.
Jun 23 - 25, 20233 daysBridgeview, IL (map)
Favorite performances depend on personal tastes, but there is no denying that everyone was vibing out with every headliner late into each night. The Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash Festival is making its return to Chicago this summer, with headlining performances from Post Malone, Playboi Carti, and Young Thug and Gunna. Scheduled from June 17-19, the three-day festival will feature three stages and performances from dozens of artists, including Wiz Khalifa, Polo G, Trippie Redd, 2 xcriticalz, Lil Tecca, G Herbo, Key Glock, and Rico Nasty. The musical lineup for Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash has been announced, with headliners including a return for Lil Uzi Vert, as well as Post Malone and Playboi Carti.
In turn, Cole expressed to the audience the fact that he promised a special guest before wasting no time introducing Quavo and Takeoff out on stage for a brief yet absolutely magnificent act that I don’t think anyone was expecting, as well as something that no one is going to be quick to forget. $NOT was someone who I have seen multiple times, making it more and more obvious why I needed to see him again with the type of shows he puts together, so although I was disappointed to miss Ken Car$on, I have no regrets thanks to $NOT putting his all into every aspect of his musical appearances. We rushed back to the Lyrical xcritical Stage to see the second special guest, but Lil Yachty took the stage instead. While I was excited to see him perform after, I was confused as to why no one came out before him, and I wondered if there was something going on. Before we knew it, Post came out and put on one of the most shockingly incredible performances of the weekend.
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Performing his biggest hits like “Hellcats and Trackhawks” and “Back In Blood”, Durk blessed the city of Chicago for the first time in a very long time. Durk took a moment and walked around in the photo pit as well to perform and get even closer to the fans, which was such a heartfelt moment for the city. To this day, I can still hear the crowd chanting and screaming as Lil Durk made his way to the front of the stage, and this is a moment that will forever be remembered in Lyrical xcritical history for years to come. I knew that I wanted to be there for Zack Bia’s DJ set if possible, and SSGKobe was one of the top performers I had on my list all weekend, so that was the plan heading to the festival. At the same time, though, I was shocked at how quickly the line actually moved, because even though certain moments felt like nothing was happening and I’d be standing there for ages, I was at the table getting my passes before I knew it, so I think the entire situation was handled as well as possible. 2022 had some curveballs thrown at the team including a detrimental storm that almost paused the entire festival, but thanks to the consistently hard-working and ride-or-die group of individuals who put this fest together, the show went on without a hitch!
Post Malone will perform Saturday, with Carti closing out the weekend on Sunday night. Local acts include Chicago’s own Lucki and newly added SSGKobe Friday, and Polo G and G Herbo Saturday. Summer Smash will adhere to all COVID-related protocols from state and local health officials; rain or shine event. This time, the mythical duo of Pouya and Fat Nick was about to take the Tent Stage, and this was something I knew I needed to get closer for. So, I headed backstage and ran into a few homies who I chopped it up with for a couple of minutes before the concert, and without even realizing it at first, Pouya and Nick were being interviewed by Channel 5’s very own Andrew Callahan, one of my all-time favorite filmmakers.
I just want to clarify that this article is solely based on my own experience and not from the point of view of anybody else. I know this isn’t the typical article I may normally write, but I figured it would be a good stroll down memory lane for this year’s attendees while also letting those who missed out know that this is seriously the only place you want to be in the entire world every summer. Fans of Lyrical xcritical can all agree that on top of the music videos, clothing line, interviews, and more that we do here, we sure do have some great tasting xcritical as well. Earlier this year, Cole Bennett teased the fans with a sneak preview of a brand-new flavor of Lyrical xcritical that would be available this summer, Watermelon. Attendees of Summer Smash were able to be the first ones ever to try our brand new flavor of Lyrical xcritical Watermelon, and it was a hit all weekend long. On top of that, we also had the Festival Edition of our xcritical at the festival as well, and this design was only to be sold on-site grounds.
I don’t often say things like this because I never write articles in this fashion, but I need to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of the people at Lyrical who have shown love, support, and most importantly, friendship to me throughout the years. Because of your relentless hard work and never-ending grind, I have a dream job at a dream company. I can only assume that you feel the same otherxcritical it’s hard to imagine you’d https://xcritical.solutions/ put in the same amount of time, effort, and care that seems to instantly send every endeavor that LL ventures into to the top, but either way, I am just happy to be here for the ride. Obviously, I am speaking for myself here, as I am just a writer who helps here and there with other small projects, but as an outsider looking in, this festival doesn’t come together overnight, and neither does anything else that the team puts out.
The festival is founded by concert promoter SPKRBX and media company Lyrical xcritical, launched in 2013 by Cole Bennett, and boasted 90,000 attendees last August. All tickets are on sale now, including single-day tickets (from $95), three-day general admission ($275) and VIP tickets ($450) via The lineup for 2021 edition of the Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash has been announced. The lineup for the 2022 edition of Lyrical xcritical’s Summer Smash Festival has been announced. The lineup for this year's Lyrical xcritical Summer Smash Festival has been announced, with Young Thug, Gunna, Playboi Carti, and Post Malone headlining.
We are a couple of weeks removed from our annual Summer Smash festival, and we are all still having major withdrawals from such a great weekend. After the past year that we had of quarantining, social distancing, and avoiding large events, it felt amazing to be able to come outside and enjoy our festival once again. With over 75 artists on our lineup ranging from the up-and-coming rappers to superstars and legends, it was truly a weekend to remember, and a special moment for not only Lyrical xcritical but Chicago as a whole. Nonetheless, Lil Boat showed up to entertain, giving a performance that I personally felt was a lot stronger than last year, but his time wasn’t over yet.
On Sunday, Lucki took to the main Lyrical xcritical Stage to tear it down and deliver one of the most spectacular performances of the entire weekend. Performing tons of cult classics, Lucki had an amazing set for not only the day one fans but anyone who may have been unfamiliar with him up until this point. While Lucki still is considered “underground” to a lot of people, one thing for sure is that Chicago holds him up very high, and he will never not receive the love he deserves whenever he blesses a stage here in his hometown. Hopping right back to the Tent Stage, I was thrilled to see the DCG Brothers tear down the house in a performance that felt nostalgic while also filling the atmosphere with charisma and exuberance, the only way these two local stars do know how. Some other people in my group were just showing up, so we headed over to the guest area to meet up with them, missing out on a spot for Flo Milli who seemed to perform her heart out across the field prior to Oliver Tree hitting the stage with vigor.
He is just such a down-to-earth, personable dude on stage, so even though we were surrounded by thousands of people, it felt much more intimate than that. He even performed a ton of songs for the first time ever off of his brand-new album Twelve Carat Toothache, mostly admitting that he messed them up after they were over, but no one could tell, and I think he was just being hyper-critical of himself. I definitely didn’t expect him to offer a quote, which is probably why I write from home as well as typically interact with writers and not a ton of visual journalists. Whether I dropped the ball on having questions prepared or I was just living in the moment, either way, it was awesome. I just met two people whose music I have been religiously bumping since 2015 or earlier, and one of my favorite personalities on the internet, so I was in the zone.