The 2015 KDAY Fresh Fest was held at the Shrine Auditorium, Friday, September 25, 2015, to an enthusiastic crowd. The venue provided a comfortable atmosphere to get ya groove on. The crowd was on their feet for all of the performances and singing along to the lyrics. The lineup drew from a who’s who of 90’s hip hop and represented all corners of the nation.
First up was Kurupt. He kept the memory of the late Nate Dogg alive by performing many of the songs featuring the king of hooks. The only thing missing was a guest intro by Daz Dillinger. I would have loved to hear “Streetz iz a Mutha” live.
Coming straight outta Chi-town was Twista who didn’t miss a beat performing hits like “Slow Jamz” and “Overnight Celebrity”. He’s still rapping with a tongue twister style and the audience didn’t miss a beat.
The lone female on the lineup was Yo-Yo and she didn’t disappoint. She had us ALL looking for Ice Cube when she performed “Bonnie and Clyde” but my favorite is “You can’t play with my Yo-Yo”.
The “Dirty South” represented with former Cash Money Records label mates, Juvenile and Mystikal, burning up the stage. Juvenile had us going in “Slow Motion” while Mystikal wanted us to “Shake it Fast”. The crowd really went wild for “Move Bitch”.
The crowd was pumped to see Queens, NY native Ja Rule perform an array of hits and backstage he let know he is working on new material to bless us with.
The man of the night, Too Short, brought down the house. I wish we we were given whistles for “Blow the Whistle” because that jam had the crowd going wild.
Special guests: Jayo Felony and the Lady of Rage rocked the stage and kept the party going.
Backstage we bumped into Black Jesus aka Slink Johnson, Irv Gotti and Big Gip, from Goodie Mob, shared the Dungeon Family is back in the lab. TOGETHER! Jay Rock from TDE also shared new music is in the works.
The Poetess was in the house and is no stranger to the hip hop scene. Her career spans twenty-five years and is well-known for her community advocacy and radio career.
Overall, Fresh Fest 2015 was well worth the ticket price and brought out an ethnically diverse crowd of all age groups. This venue was great for the performers and audience members alike.
2 Urban Girls is definitely looking forward to who will bless us with their presence for Fresh Fest 2016.
