Words by: Brendan Lee
Sasquatch Festival is a right of passage for any true Northwest music fan and this year promises to be as diverse and full a lineup as ever. For 2014, the folks at Sasquatch decided to switch it up a bit and have two separate weekends – one at the end of May (May 23-25) and the other at the beginning of July (July 4-6). No, this isn’t some money grab, same lineup different weekends scenario, but two completely unique lineups in celebration of two American holidays. They even hooked it up for a discounted double weekend pass price for $550, which isn’t too shabby considering the single weekend ticket price is $325. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 7th @ 1030 am here.
Being that HHV is a hip hop site, let’s talk hip hop starting with
Weekend 1 (May 23-25):
When the internet started buzzing that Outkast was reuniting to play Coachella, we almost booked our travel accommodations to the indigo valley in California but luckily the dynamic Southern roots duo will be headlining Sasquatch 2014 Weekend 1! Hallelujah. The group hasn’t played a show since around 2008 and it is definitely long awaited. We expect this one to be memorable.
The eccentric South African duo Die Antwoord is also slated to play this weekend. We’ve never been but we hear the group’s shows can get pretty crazy and based on the visuals for some of its videos, this must be somewhat true. They are known to be super high energy and definitely bring something unique to the table. Be sure not to miss this one.
The hip hop don’t stop there at weekend 1. No, no, no. There is some depth to this lineup with 3 very big names in Kid Cudi, Tyler the Creator, and Chance the Rapper. All 3 of these dudes garner a large nationwide fan base and promise to put on great performances. Chance has been buzzing since he burst onto the scene with his sophomore effort ‘Acid Raps’ and recently played a sold out show in Vancouver. Kid Cudi and Tyler are both renowned artists in their own right and musical talents at the top of their game. We, as you should be, are excited for these 3!
The weekend also features Seattle’s own The Physics, Sam Lachow, Raz Simone, and Gifted Gab.
Weekend 2 (July 4-6):
This weekend definitely has some huge draws for hip hop. First off, one of our personal favourite groups, underground legends Atmosphere. If you don’t know, it is a duo consisting of emcee (Slug) & producer (Ant) but the group extends to a live band that also is part of its creative process. These dudes are known for putting on crowd pleasing live sets and have been crushing the festival circuit for a minute now. Do not miss it!
Continuing the underground rap trend, the futuristic concept group/brainchild of Del the Funky Homosapien and Dan the Automator, known as Deltron 3030 are playing as well. They will be performing with a full live orchestra, which should be a spectacle to see. Who knows, maybe even a surprise Gorillaz performance of Clint Eastwood? Jokes. We aren’t gonna hold our breath but still should be a good one. Brooklyn underground legend Talib Kweli will also be performing, as will, fellow New Yorker Action Bronson. This lineup truly is stacked with buzzing artists.
Capping off the list of hip hop acts for weekend 2 of Sasquatch 2014 we got the homie Sol – repping that 206 hip hop all day. We caught up with his performance at Bumbershoot 2013 and it was something special, to say the least. Not far from home for him, so you know his loyal fans will be there.
Another dope emcee you should definitely check out at Sasquatch this year is Black Milk – hailing from Detroit. This guy is an insanely good producer and an equally talented lyricist. Think of him as one of many of Motown’s hidden gems. He has been experimenting with a live band performance recently, which was a blast to check out live last time he rolled through Vancouver.
Odd Future affiliate Casey Veggies will also be performing, as will the Bay area duo Latyrx.
That’s basically all you need to know about the hip hop at this year’s Sasquatch Festival. Be sure to grab your passes early as it will likely sell out fast and don’t miss out on all the great hip hop. If you do have to choose only one weekend, do yourself a favour and go see Outkast for weekend 1!