It's hard to believe that one weekend of SXSW is already behind us and while the Music program officially kicked off with a number of showcases around downtown Austin, the Interactive program closed tonight with a huge show at Stubb's, presented by Media Temple, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic Def Jam record label.
The line extended right around the block about an hour before doors opened and it was an odd mix of hip-hop heads and SXSWi enthusiasts. An open bar event, the liquor poured freely until 2am, with the entertainment represented not only some huge names, but some great up and coming MCs as well. Aloe Blacc made a special guest appearance with a set that kicked off the night - backed by a brilliant live band, that soulful voice filled the Stubb's grounds and had the crowd pumped early. Blacc went through a run of tunes from 2013's Lift Your Spirit record, which of course meant that the crowd got great renditions of "The Man" and "Wake Me Up", plus "Here Today", which was a standout. Wife and fellow muso Maya Jupiter jumped onstage to throw some rhymes down to wind up the set, which brought huge applause - we were definitely off to a good start.
Rumours that Kanye West and Rick Ross were walking about spread quickly and had people sharply turning heads each time they thought they caught a glimpse. Up onstage, Vince Staples, August Alsina and YG played sets back to back which demonstrated how time could be used effectively during an event like this, given that they were only allotted about 10-15mins each to do their thing.
Pusha T, who will be joining Yeezy in Australia this May has been on my list of artists to see for years now, so it's a surreal feeling to see him perform in his country instead of mine for the first time. The rapper a charismatic performer and had enough swag for all of us. Although only onstage for half an hour, maybe 45 minutes, he and his crew managed to smash through an epic set, visiting My Name is My Name, some new material and more. A true highlight of my time in Austin and we weren't even halfway through the lineup tonight.
The arrival of Method Man and Redman was something else - the stage was now full up with artists and other Def Jam reps, phones out like the excited fans who were crowded around the stage for the legendary duo. Taking the midnight slot tonight, the duo riffed off each other seamlessly and made sure the crowd was with them every step of the way. I've seen Ghostface Killah before and am familiar with the Wu-Tang Clan's body of work, but Method Man as a performer was pretty close to topping the list of hip-hop shows I've seen live so far.
2 Chainz - am I the only one who has to say it like 'Twoooochaiiiiiinssss' whenever I read the name? - headlined the anniversary celebration and, considering he'd recently pulled out of the Future Music Festival tour in Australia due to visa drama, I felt pretty lucky to catch some of his set tonight. There were snippets of his work with Drake and Pharrell dropped beforehand and it wasn't long before I was wondering if Drizzy was going to show his face (it seemed like everyone else was in the joint, after all..). The singles from B.O.A.T.S II: Me Time were given a great run, with "Feds Watching" a definite highlight. 2 Chainz ran back and forth but didn't miss a beat or show any signs of breathlessness - an awesome performer who made it quite obvious why he's one of the hottest names around.
All up, I'd say SXSWi went out with a bang tonight - New York came through to Austin with Def Jam being in the house and it was a vibe everyone drank in honour of.
