“The best day of my life”, said Loyle Carner as he took to the stage at Victoria Park. The area, where he grew up, the park he takes cycles through every day, it was a coming-of-age moment for the British rapper. Little did he know it was just as rewarding for the 40,000 others in attendance.
At All Points’ East the Saturday brought plenty of rapping talent from across the world. Legends of the genre like Andre 3000, formerly of Outkast, and Nas performed alongside some of the best acts that British rap has to offer including Sainte, ENNY, Joe James and Loyle Carner.
Infused within the hip-hop was jazz acts Berlioz and Ezra Collective creating a more diverse crowd for day two of the festival. First up was Northwest London rapper, Joe James.
I have followed James closely throughout his career and he did not disappoint on stage. One of the largest crowds he has ever performed to, James ensured that he maintained his stage presence with classics like Mumzy whilst teasing new music.
Staying at the Cupra North Stage, Best known for Peng Black Girls with Jorja Smith, ENNY made it clear that she wanted to be and was more than a one hit wonder.
Keeping the crowd grooving with some old school house including Modjo’s – Lady ’together with her own genre bending music. A perfect mix of meaningful ballads and hard-hitting rap songs perfectly encapsulate women’s hip-hop in the UK.
I then had to perfectly split my time between Ezra Collective and Berlioz to maximise my jazz intake for the evening. The Ezra Collective have become a staple in my household since they won their Mercury Prize last year. Although my parents were not here to share in their brilliance, a mix of freestyle jazz and strong political messages left a performance which resonated with many at the festival.
My first trip to the BBC Radio 6 stage was for Berlioz. The artist recently released his debut album open this wall mixing jazz and house for a perfect blend of relaxing music. Short and sweet but an artist to look out for in the future as he continues to gain popularity.
For 30 summers Nas has been entertaining hip-hop fans across the world and its no surprise with his incredible catalogue of music. From his iconic debut album Illmatic to the King’s disease trilogy the list is endless. It was a fantastic coming together of rap fans young and old to celebrate one of the best the genre has ever seen.
I wish the same could be said for the experimental Andre 3000. For any fans expecting him to play the Outkast classics we were in for a treat. Following his last album he has become obsessed with the flute. Unfortunately, I was forced to leave early to secure the best spot for the headliner.
The words super fan are thrown around frequently nowadays however, I’d like to think that it would be appropriate for my Loyle Carner fandom. This is the second time I have seen the rapper from South London but that was in an intimate venue in the heart of Madrid, a far cry from the enormous festival crowd yesterday.
As the sun went down, and he entered the stage thousands were encapsulated by his brilliant stage presence and musical ability accompanied by a live band as well as Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei, Carner had a headline performance to remember.
For the powerful song blood on my nikes from hugo, youth speaker, Athian Akec came out to deliver an altered version of his parliament speech. Allowing the crowd to reflect on the recent protests and division in the country.
A fantastic back catalogue put the crowd through all the emotions showing why he resonates with so many hip-hop fans in the UK. Overall, it was arguably the best set that I have ever seen, maybe a little bit bias, but day two of All Points East gave us everything and more.
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