Hip Hop Explosion lineup includes Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples
L.A. native and rapper Earl Sweatshirt will co-headline the Hip Hop Explosion event with Vince Staples on Thursday at Ackerman Grand Ballroom. (Courtesy of Brick Stowell)
Throughout February, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Cultural Affairs Commission hosted events, including a fashion show and movie screenings, to give insight into black and hip-hop culture. For Hip Hop Explosion, Muhktar Kaissi said it will be no different.
“I think you could say that it’s hard to argue that a concert is a learning experience, but I think it could be otherwise,” said Kaissi, a fourth-year fine arts student and co-director of Hip Hop Congress.
Put on by the Cultural Affairs Commission, this year’s Hip Hop Explosion includes a lineup that features Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples and Warm Brew. The three acts will take the Ackerman Grand Ballroom stage Thursday night.
L.A. native Earl Sweatshirt and Long Beach native Staples were chosen from a pool of around 50 artists to headline the show. Kaissi said both artists encompass the vision of Hip Hop Appreciation Month, as both, especially Staples, have commented on police brutality and the happenings in Ferguson, Mo. Earl Sweatshirt and Staples have previously collaborated on music projects including the song “Hive.”
Kaissi said Earl Sweatshirt, who is part of the popular hip-hop group Odd Future, promotes hip-hop culture through his lyrics about the adversities he has experienced in his life.
“Hip-hop very much reflects life and you can see that in (Earl Sweatshirt’s) lyrics,” Kaissi said.
Warm Brew, a group from Los Angeles, will open the Hip Hop Explosion concert. The inclusion of the group, Kaissi said, complements the theme of Hip Hop Appreciation Month, which is “Homegrown: Put My City on the Map.”
Ray Wright, Manu Li and Serk Spliff make up Warm Brew. Warm Brew will perform tracks from its debut album “Ghetto Beach Boyz,” which was released in January.
Although not all of Warm Brew’s songs were made with performing in mind, Li said that with some of the group’s songs, like “Bringing Me Home,” there was a conscious feeling during development that they would be great tracks to perform.
Spliff said the trio is very aware of how the music is going to translate onstage.
“You have to be cognizant of (performing) when you’re writing music. … People can love it, and they understand what it’s about when it comes alive onstage,” Spliff said. “I think our live performances are second to none, and I think our music is reflective of that.”
Regarding the acts that will share the stage with Warm Brew, Wright said he respects the music that Earl Sweatshirt and Staples are making.
“(The lineup) is dope, young talent,” Wright said. “It’s up-and-coming young talent that people need to hear right now.”
Sign-ups for tickets for Hip Hop Explosion began Sunday night on Eventbrite. The event filled up within 12 hours. Bruins who successfully signed up for a ticket must pick up a wristband between 5:30 and 7 p.m. for entry to Ackerman Grand Ballroom. The show will kick off at 8 p.m.
Although Hip Hop Appreciation Month is coming to an end, Manu said hip-hop culture should be celebrated every day.
“Hip-hop is important because it tells a story that most genres don’t really tell. It’s the most relatable genre to us,” Manu said. “For everyone who’s doing really well in hip-hop, I think we can all agree that hip-hop has shaped our lives. It’s kept people out of the streets.”
