Young Thug & Rae Sremmurd Keep the Party Going at FYF Fest
Young Thug and Rae Sremmurd kept the party going on the second day of FYF Fest in Los Angeles on Sunday (Aug. 28). Closing out the weekend, the two final rap acts brought their infectious energy to Exposition Park.
Rae Sremmurd solidified their status as party starters during a one-hour rumpus of a set on the festival’s Trees stage. Wild as ever, Slim Jxmmi kicked things off with a splash, literally. Donning a bathrobe, he popped open a bottle of champagne and sprayed it, giving the front rows a taste of things to come.
From the outset with the aptly-titled “Start a Party,” the set lived up to that teaser. Bouncing from “Come Get Her” to “No Type” and “Real Chill” (which was, of course, anything but chill), Swae and Slim proved they have plenty of bangers. Their charisma only added to the experience with Slim playfully Snapchatting while Swae threw pineapples at the crowd.
As can be the case with any big festival, technical difficulties plagued the set. Intermittently, Swae’s vocals would go off, prompting him to switch mics more than once. Later, the sound gave out completely. But none of this seemed to deter the brothers. “We got too much sauce,” joked Jxmmi.
[rap-up-photo id=”260235″]
Right before Rae Sremmurd started their party, a different one was going on at the Lawn stage where Young Thug was the center of attention. No, he wasn’t wearing his Jeffery album cover outfit. Instead, he donned a casual Puma hoodie, Tom Ford glasses, and his trademark skinny jeans while letting his infectious music and energy be the focus.
Backed by TM88, Thug delivered fan favorites. Dancing and moving swiftly across the stage, he went into smashes like “About the Money,” “Again,” and “Slime Shit.” But perhaps the biggest roars came from “Stoner,” which had some fans running to get closer to the stage, and “Lifestyle,” which he played while fans held their phones and lighters up.
Thug and Rae were a fun, bounce-filled ending to FYF’s second night. Earlier in the day, Denzel Curry showed why he’s one of this year’s XXL Freshmen, Grace Jones wowed with dazzling wardrobe changes (and body paint), and RZA came through as one half of Banks & Steelz with Interpol’s Paul Banks and their special guest Donnie Trumpet.
With all of these stars, both established and rising, FYF delivered a stellar weekend of music. From Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples to Rae Sremmurd and Young Thug and everyone in between, the event brought music lovers together to live up to its name: “Fuck Yeah Fest.”
For more on Day 1, see a recap and photos here.
–Words and photos by Andres Tardio