![]() ![]() VII’s set was the most dynamic of the afternoon - though fairly short time-wise, he ripped through a dizzying array of styles and flows from songs off his EPs, including this April’s “CHICO DeBARS VOL. ’20, two alumni and an incoming grad student, provided a looser, poppier rejoinder, with Tres Digital’s closing song “All Good” serving as a refreshing aperitif to the student performances. The self-assured, trap-tinged R&B of Alexa Luckey ’21 and the smooth, fusion R&B of Tres Digital, a trio made up of Brandon Hightower ’15, Wesley Mitchell ’15 and Bernard Wang M.A. The slam-poetry tinged rap of Melinda Hernandez ‘21 segued into the hard-nosed, versatile flows of VII (Gabriel Townsell ’20), with the two rising Chicago musicians weaving their life experiences and perspectives into their music. The performers all occupied some space in the fruitful land between rap and R&B, but their differing approaches showed the sheer diversity of the student musical community at the University. The festival began with some acts closer to home, with four openers from the Stanford student community starting us off in the afternoon. But even before the Atlanta rapper took the stage Sunday evening, there was plenty to appreciate at Blackfest. The roar was deafening.īlackfest, the annual music and cultural festival put on by Stanford’s very own Black Family Gathering Committee, was many things - a joyful celebration of Black life and culture within the University and throughout the Bay Area, a triumphant showcase for student artists and one hell of a party, just to name a few - but for an hour or so, as the sun drifted low in the early spring sky over FloMo field, Blackfest 2018 became a shrine to 2 Chainz. We had been waiting - some of us for hours - in the thick of an ever-growing crowd for this. ![]() Check it out.I had never seen a crowd of Stanford students more joyful than when the opening bars of “No Problem” began to stream out of the speakers on the Blackfest stage. For the added sprinkle of engagement, if you tag yourself wearing the "team" gear, their official roster IG account, will repost your picture. They even answer direct messages from followers, whom they call teammates, about any and everything centered around starting business/brand. A moniker for creating every opportunity, the brand has a strong social presence, sharing daily motivation pieces centered about putting in work and building success. His signature leisurewear brand, CEO Millionaire, which launched earlier this year, is cleverly building itself into less of a traditional label and more of a movement of like-minded hustlers. As he describes it, his overnight success took 10 years. A clothing line - that's lucrative - is no overnight success but, that's 2 Chainz's whole deal. From E-40's BOFF, Nelly's Vokal and Apple Bottoms, to more culturally defining brands such as Jay Z's Rocawear. ![]() Throughout the timeline of hip-hop, there have been numerous artists with signature clothing lines. ![]()
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