This year’s Palomosa festival became a proving ground for the young cloud/rage rappers that flooded the lineup. The music and emotions are somewhat different, though not much, but the formula and the intention are nearly identical. The rappers are in many ways detached from the music and instead focused on the crowd experience. How hype a show is really doesn’t depend on musicality as much as presence, style, and confidence, or what some would call “aura.” Rappers aren’t trying to disclose the fact that there’s a backing track, and no one cares, because while the beat plays, they’re yelling into an autotune mic to “open the pit up,” and you’re just trying to survive the frenzy of 17-year-olds who just discovered energy drinks.
Yet, amongst the organized chaos and redundant motions, you can capture here and there, traces of raw creative energy that seep through. Lucy Bedroque’s was fundamentally positive. It was subtle, but immediate. Smiles spread throughout the crowd, and everyone seemed to relax, despite the mosh pits. Lucy Bedroque’s style, musical choices and visual references seemed to reference counter culture in the same way as Yves Tumor or Lil Uzi Vert, and less of the violence of “rage” like Travis Scott’s music. The New Yorker was smooth with it. He effortlessly drew the crowd’s attention with his wide eyes and frantic jumping, and his set held more space for slowness. It definitely felt more balanced overall than Xaviersobased or even the following act, Thaiboy Digital.
