Day 2 of the the Northside Festival in McCarren Park, featured Radamiz, Kweku Collins, and Grandmaster Flash.
Day two kicked off with a performance by Radamiz, a hip-hop/rapper artist hailing from Brooklyn. He started his music career after graduating from New York University (NYU), and went on to write songs about his life and the hardship he faced. One song he performed, from his mixtape Writeous was called “New York Don’t Love Me.” This soft rap with a killer electric guitar riff playing in the background had a nice and slow flow to it, which made his rapping more smooth. In a general sense, yes, New York doesn’t like anyone, because there are just too many rude people here, but I feel what he was speaking of is not belonging in New York City. Specifically, that the lifestyle of the big apple isn’t for him.
Next up, I decided to explore McCarren Park. My first stop was the 1893 Pepsi Cola van, which served the original formula for Pepsi. I don’t have the slightest clue what was mixed in the Pepsi back in the day, but it felt like I was drinking soda for the first time. Then I stopped at the “Yankee Doodle Dandy’s Van” to try their hamburgers. Finally I stopped at Fab, which sells interesting furniture and accessories. One item that caught my eye was a pair of crystal glasses. This pair of glasses was about $80 dollars but it has gyroscopes built onto them.
Next to the stage was Kweku Collins, with his partner Bohouse. Kweku Collins is a 19 year old (YES, 19 YEARS OLD) rapper from Chicago who started his music career right after high school. One of the first songs he performed was “Lonely Lullabies,” which had a calm beat with a nice lyric rhythm with it. The song has a depressing meaning as it’s about failed relationships. Kweku Collins has a “Kid Cudi” vibe to him with a mix of Reggae. Another song that caught my attention was “Stupid Roses.” I can relate to this song. It’s about talking to a girl, becoming her boyfriend, and the challenges of keeping her happy.
The final performer of the night was Grandmaster Flash. For those who don’t know him, Grandmaster Flash is a Barbadian-born American hip hop artists and DJ. He absolutely out did himself mixing and spinning songs from all types of genres. He even stated that “in order to make the audience go crazy, they need to listen all types of music, so everyone can enjoy themselves.” The crowd was so pumped, that there were mosh-pits and dance-offs in the middle of his performance. He played songs from artists like Micheal Jackson, Barry White, Rihanna, Bob Marley, and Queen. His performance was so stellar, I couldn’t wait to attend the next day.
Stay tuned for my second review of the Northside Music Festival from Saturday’s festivities.