For the eighth year, the Veld Music Festival returns to Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Admittedly, this is my favourite time of year. Residing in Toronto for the past couple of years has given me a new found appreciation for outdoor music festivals, especially when the amount of them left is dwindling.
Headliners this year include Cardi B, Kygo, Skrillex and Tiesto who offer a solid balance of hip-house, tropically house and traditional EDM. Honestly, this year’s “deep cuts” are so good, that in a couple of years you will be surprised that some of these artists were listed so low on the poster.
Let’s break it down.
Jaden Smith
The son of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has made a name for himself in the music industry. From hosting his own Beats 1 Radio show, to unveiling his first studio album, Syre, which featured contributions from ASAP Rocky and sister Willow. The hip-hop-themed collection peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 en route to gold certification.
He’s been busy this year, releasing his second studio album, ERYS, on July 5th. Collaborations included Tyler, the Creator, Trinidad James, ASAP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Lido, and his sister Willow.
Murda Beatz
Not only did this Canadian record producer and songwriter help create the song of the summer last year, he did so at the age of 24! Having never enrolled in higher education or held down a full-time job, he poured hours into producing for hip-hop heavyweights. Rather than upload beats online and leave his fate to chance eight years ago, the then-16 year old left his hometown in Ontario, Canada, to work with Chief Keef in Chicago.
The rest, is history.
Whipped Cream
One of BC’s most promising acts, Whipped Cream crushes dance-floors across the continent with her own strain of hybrid bass music. Coming from humble beginnings and hailing from Vancouver Island, this DJ turned producer is proof that hard work and passion really does pay off.
Rich The Kid
As an early pillar of Atlanta’s groundbreaking trap scene, Rich the Kid moved from collaborations with Migos, Young Thug, and others to starting his own label just a few years later. In 2018, he appeared on the Charlotte Devaney song “Avocado,” later that year he put out his viral hit “Plug Walk.”
SAWEETIE
Buried in some corner of YouTube is a video of Bay Area rapper Saweetie circa 2012 stanning for J. Cole outside a concert venue’s backdoor. Now, she’s one of Veld’s most anticipated acts this year. While “ICY GRL” may have landed Saweetie on everybody’s radar, the California rapper is out to prove she’s no one hit wonder.
For ticket information, visit the Veld official page here: https://veldmusicfestival.com/tickets/
