With a lineup that featured the best mix of old and new urban acts, from Three 6 Mafia and Trina to Summer Walker and Gucci Mane, the first day of the two-day-festival started off on a high note despite the temperature being over 90 degrees and packed with large crowds.
For its 10th year, One Musicfest moved into Centennial Olympic Park with a lineup that allowed performers to spread out amongst three stages without the festival grounds feeling too crowded. Both the setlist and the layout of the festival grounds made this one of the best days OMF has had in its decade-long history.
Florida All-Stars
Trick Daddy kicked off the Florida All-Stars set with his verse from DJ Khaled’s 2007 single “I’m So Hood.” From there the Miami rapper treated fans to a medley of throwback hits including “I’m a Thug” and “Nann.” The latter served as the entrance for Trina, who powered through her biggest records to the delight of the audience. The rapper, whose mother died earlier in the week, sometimes seemed to be struggling to contain her emotions, but remained the consummate professional as she performed “Da Baddest [Expletive],” “Pull Over” and “Look Back at Me.”
Credit: Tyson Horne
Credit: Tyson Horne
Atlanta-based rapper T-Pain also paid homage to his Tallahassee roots, squeezing much of his accomplished discography into 15 minutes. Watching him speed through shortened versions of songs such as “I’m Sprung,” “Buy U A Drank,” “Bartender,” “I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” “Up Down” and “All I Do Is Win” was a great reminder of just how many hits the autotuned rapper has created.
The Florida All-Stars’ set was certainly an early highlight of the festival but, unfortunately, the crowd seemed to think the set ended after T-Pain, so many of them missed Uncle Luke and a group of dancers running through Southern rap classics such as “I Wanna Rock” and “Hoochie Mama.”
Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes isn’t a stranger to the One Musicfest stage. He performed at the festival in 2016, back when it still took place at Lakewood Amphitheatre. The festival’s location has changed twice since then, but Busta’s set has remained consistently energetic and full of hits. His set began with images of a boombox and bull fighting being displayed on the screen before he rapped a number of hits including “Ante Up” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” alongside a hypeman. “All you [expletive] know about is streaming,” Busta said after his hypeman explained how DJs used coins to keep records from jumping as an intro into one of Busta’s signature singles, “Woo-Ha.”
Slowing the set down momentarily for “I Know What You Want,” Busta stopped the song and said, “You paid a lot of money to sing this [expletive] with me,” before encouraging the women in the audience to sing Mariah Carey’s parts as loudly as possible.
The set might not have changed much over the years, but it felt just as good today as it did in previous years.
Credit: Tyson Horne
Credit: Tyson Horne
Summer Walker
Backed by a live band and emboldened by a cup of Patron, Atlanta singer Summer Walker bared her feelings on the main stage, performing the sultry songs that have quickly made her a favorite amongst R&B fans. Alternating between standing and sitting, the singer performed “Deep,” “CPR,” “Riot” and more.
Most of the set focused on the slower, moody cuts Walker has quickly become known for, but she stood up and danced a bit during “Grave,” sporting pink velour pants, a black bra and corset, and tugging on her rainbow-colored wig.
Walker closed the set performing her latest single "Playing Games" for the first time and singing her biggest hit to date, "Girls Need Love," the anthem that inspired Drake to lend a verse to the remix. Key!
Atlanta rapper Key! told the crowd that had gathered at the BMI Stage to see him that he'd brought his mom's couch to Centennial Olympic Park just for his set. He performed a medley of songs from his most recent project "777,"as well as songs that he recorded when he went by the moniker Fat Man Key! "I used to splash in the water when I was a kid," Key! said, pointing to the nearby Fountain of Rings that is frequented by kids during the summer.
Standouts during his set included "777" cuts "Hater," "Toronto" and "Dig It."
Credit: Tyson Horne
Credit: Tyson Horne
Rae Sremmurd
Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi have a knack for creating melodic hits that can appeal to rap and pop fans alike, without compromising authenticity. This is why it was so disappointing when Slim Jxmmi seemed to imply the duo had broken up earlier this year. Nevertheless, the pair appeared on the main stage of One Musicfest, performing their biggest hits together.
Kicking off their set with “No Type,” the duo sang and rapped a number of infectious singles and fan favorites, including “No Flex Zone,” “Come Get Her,” “Throw Some Mo” and “Swang.” The group also played “Black Beatles,” the 2016 single that sparked celebrities from Adele to Hillary Clinton to do the Mannequin Challenge. During the set, Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee took turns jumping into the crowd and interacting with fans.
It’s hard to know what the future holds for the duo but, either way, Atlanta fans were lucky to re-live Rae Sremmurd’s biggest hits during their festival set.
Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia’s influence on rap music can be heard throughout the genre and beyond today, with artists such as Rae Sremmurd, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage and more sampling and interpolating many of the legendary group’s songs.
The group started their set with one of rap’s most famous sex anthems, “Slob on My Knob,” before launching into the rowdy “Tear Da Club Up,” the song that inspired a recent lawsuit against Travis Scott. (DJ Paul believes the Three 6 Mafia song inspired Scott’s “No Bystanders.”)
“Thank you for supporting us all these years,” Juicy J said during the set before the group launched into a performance of “Poppin’ My Collar” and “Sippin on Some Syrup.” Whether it’s a sample of the Three 6 Mafia’s biggest hits or new productions from Juicy J, it’s clear the legacy of the Memphis group is everlasting.
Credit: Tyson Horne
Credit: Tyson Horne
Gucci Mane
East Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane closed out the first day of this year’s festival with a setlist that mined his 15-year discography. Wearing a matching Gucci jacket and shorts with a white t-shirt underneath and black Gucci belts, the rapper started his set off with “Both,” his 2016 collaboration with Drake.
The rapper took the audience on a journey throughout his career both visually and sonically, showcasing old photos of himself on the screen as he rapped both newer songs such as the Migos-assisted “I Get the Bag” and Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” and older cuts such as “I Think I Love Her,” “Bricks” and “Make the Trap Say Aye” (sans OJ Da Juiceman). Performing fan favorite “Freaky Girl,” Gucci was joined by his wife and frequent hype woman Keyshia Ka’oir. At one point, the screen displayed a bloated Gucci Mane being sucked into a machine that produced a slimmer, sober version of the rapper. The imagery pokes fun at the “Gucci clone” jokes that were sparked after he emerged from jail touting his new clean lifestyle in 2016.
Gucci’s hour-long set was a reminder of just how prolific the Zone 6 rapper has been, as well as how intertwined his sound has become with Atlanta’s rap legacy.
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