The Wireless Music Festival, held in London, UK, from July 7th to July 9th, 2023, brought together a diverse lineup of talented hip-hop and RnB artists. My experience attending on Saturday, July 8th, was nothing short of amazing. Despite the pouring rain, my cousin and I ventured to Finsbury Park, where we embarked on a day filled with spectacular performances.
The festival kicked off on a side stage with rapper/comedian Zack Fox, who brought witty punchlines and effortless humor to the stage. Although the crowd appeared somewhat disengaged, eagerly awaiting the subsequent performer, rapper NLE Choppa, my cousin and I were captivated by Fox’s chuckle-worthy performance. However, when his set concluded, our excitement led us to the main stage to witness one of New York’s most prolific talents, Joey Bada$$.
Joey effortlessly commanded the thousands-wide crowd with his 90’s era-inspired east coast boom-bap flows. Opening with “TEMPTATION” from his 2017 album ALL AMERIKKKAN BADA$$, he continued his set and dove into tracks from his legendary debut mixtape 1999, like “Survival Tactics” and “Righteous Minds.” The crowd rapped along to every word of his collaboration with the late XXXTentacion, “Infinity (888).” Joey then ignited mosh pits with his performance of Beast Coast’s “Distance” before hyping everyone up for his horn-filled triumphant banger “The Baddest.” Despite briefly leaving the stage, the audience’s chants of “Joey! Joey! Joey!” brought him back for an anthemic rendition of his biggest hit, “DEVASTATED.”
Wireless Music Festival: One Of Europe’s Hottest Summer Festivals
Image via Ben Awin
After grabbing some gyros and frozen cocktails, we regrettably missed Bryson Tiller’s set. However, fellow concertgoers were eager to inform us that Tiller’s performance lacked creative flair and failed to captivate anyone in attendance. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long for the energetic set of UK rapper Headie One.
With a DJ hyping the crowd for 15 minutes, playing well-renowned rap bangers, the anticipation for Headie One’s arrival was electric. As he took the stage, the crowd erupted in euphoria, and his charismatic style got everyone leaping. Despite his uber-thick British accent making it difficult for me to decipher his lyrics within the chaotic mosh pit, the crowd entered a frenzy during his collaboration with Drake, “Only You Freestyle.”
Next up was Georgia rapper Lil Yachty, who delivered a distinct two-part set. With an all-female band behind him, he performed tracks from his new psych-rock-inspired album, “Let’s Start Here.” Songs like “the BLACK seminole.,” “the ride-,” “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSiON!!!!,” and fan favorite “drive ME crazy!” showcased his continuously growing artistic prowess. After a brief intermission, Yachty returned to the stage solo to perform his early hits, inviting the crowd to mosh to fan favorites like “Pardon Me,” “Minnesota,” “iSpy” (with Kyle), and the DRAM collaboration “Broccoli.” His near hour-long set concluded with his latest single, “Strike (Holster),” which blended his older soundcloud-era bubblegum trap aesthetic with his newer psych-rock vibe.
As we eagerly awaited the day 2 Wireless Music Festival headliner, Travis Scott, an hour-long break ensued, during which rain began to fall heavily on the vast crowd. Impatience grew, and some fans engaged in bottle and vape throwing between sections. The chaos was only halted by Travis Scott himself, who began his set with “Aye,” a track off Lil Uzi Vert’s newly released “Pink Tape” album. The mosh pits that followed were intense and barbaric, reflecting the crowd’s unwavering energy and dedication to living in Scott’s presence.
Scott’s ASTROWORLD cuts like “STARGAZING,” “CAROSEL,” and “BUTTERFLY EFFECT” elicited an explosive response from the nearly 100,000-plus-person crowd. He then autotune-fully crooned recent hits like “THE SCOTTS,” “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM,” and “MAFIA” before taking the audience back to his debut album, “Rodeo,” with classic hits like “90210” and “Antidote.” The anticipation for his forthcoming album, “Utopia,” grew as he shared an unreleased track, showcasing his introspective hip-hop roots behind mesmerizing boom-bap production.
Travis Scott concluded his awe-inspiring set with the crowd-favorite “Sicko Mode” and the two-billion-plus streamed hit “goosebumps.” As he left the stage, he teased his upcoming album release party at the Pyramids of Giza, saying, “I’ll see you at Utopia. I’ll see you at the Pyramids.”
In retrospect, my Saturday at Wireless Music Festival was a truly unforgettable experience. Despite the exhausting nature of the day-long event, the legendary performances of hip-hop acts like Joey Bada$$, Headie One, Lil Yachty, and electrifying headliner Travis Scott made it all worthwhile, even within a torrential downpour.
