Made in America: See Jay-Z, Migos, Cardi B, J. Cole, Marshmello and More
Sunday night at the Budweiser Made in America festival was the first time the Jay-Z performed songs from his recently released 4:44 in the U.S., a trial run before he embarks on a nationwide tour at the end of October. As Elias Leight noted in his review of the performance, Jay-Z “rapped with nonchalant authority in front of a massive, metallic balloon dog designed with help from artist Jeff Koons – used sequencing to his advantage, galvanizing the audience with jarring transitions between songs.”
Prayers and dedications for the city of Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey were in abundance, and the weekend in Philly had plenty of rain and the crowds were certainly mud-smeared, but that didn’t stop them from pogoing and enjoying hits as they united in mosh pits for their favorite acts. Here, some of the highlights, including J. Cole, Vic Mensa, Solange, Migos and more.
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Vic Mensa
Vic Mensa performs his No I.D.-produced record “Say I Didn’t” onstage during Day 1 of the 2017 Budweiser Made in America festival at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 2, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Solange
Performing cuts from Seat at the Table – “Cranes in the Sky,” “Don’t You Wait” and “Don’t Touch My Hair” – Solange stayed dry despite the heavy rains.
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Migos
Rappers Quavo (left) and Takeoff of Migos perform on the Rocky Stage on September 2nd.
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Sampha
Collaborator to Solange, Frank Ocean and Kanye West, Sampha treated fans to “4422”.
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Cardi B
Cardi B “Bodak Yellow” was a hit with the crowd.
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Kaskade
Despite the rain, DJ Kaskade fired up the crowd with “Disarm You and “Atmosphere” and “We Don’t Stop” and he paid homage to Chester Bennington with Linkin Park’s “Numb.”
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J. Cole
Wearing his signature orange jumpsuit, J. Cole performed “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Immortal” and “Ville Mentality” onstage, before bringing out Ari Lennox for a stirring performance of “Change.”
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Francis and the Lights
Francis and the Lights perform on Day 1 of Made in America.
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21 Savage
Rapper 21 Savage, a.k.a. Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, performs onstage during Day 2 of the 2017 Budweiser Made in America festival.
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Pusha T
During his Made in America set on September 3rd, rapper Pusha T implied that Kanye West produced his forthcoming album, King Push.
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The Chainsmokers
Drew Taggart (left) and Alex Pall of the Chainsmokers performed their hits EDM pop hits at the fest.
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Run the Jewels
Killer Mike (left) and El-P of Run the Jewels dedicated the hip-hop duo’s song “Lie, Cheat, Steal” to John McNesby, president of Philadelphia’s Fraternal Order of Police, because McNesby compared Black Lives Matter to a terrorist group last July, according to sources. Later in the set, they dedicated their song “Down” to the Texas flood victims of Harvey, urging all disaster sufferers to “keep ya head up.”
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Marshmello
DJ Marshmello, the EDM knob-twiddler behind hits like “Alone” and “Moving On,” gave fans a digital spectacle.
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Jay-Z and Damian Marley
Jay-Z brought out special guest Damian Marley to perform “Bam” at the beginning of his set.