Soundset 2012

This was my first year going to the five-year-running Minnesota festival, Soundset, put on by Rhymesayers and held at Canterbury Park.  Despite what the local newspapers have told you, Soundset was not a Rhymesayers party for everyone who attended, though it was definitely a party still.

Likely the highlight of my summer, two friends and I were on the center of the rail for both Action Bronson and Danny Brown, two of my current favorite rappers, who got rather strange introductions from host, Brother Ali.  At any festival outside of Minnesota, they would not have played at 12:30 and 1:30 PM, before whatever the hell Macklemore was...  But in Minnesota, Ghostface & Raekwon play before Atmosphere, because too many Minnesotans listen to limited music.

Action Bronson

Action Bronson and Danny Brown were everything I dreamed of in less-than-half-hour sets, while Kendrick Lamar, another favorite, was not everything I'd hoped he would be.  Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic, and DJ Big Wiz, who we saw a year ago, put on a great show and a surprisingly large number of people in the crowd new all of those fast raps.  Opposing-ly, Ghostface and Raekwon's quest for people to rap a Method man verse and an ODB verse was rather comical.  Though, the kid who stayed on stage did a pretty damn good job.

Water was way over-priced at $3 a bottle in 90 degree weather, the food was average, the field was muddy from previous rain, and none of that stopped it from being a great day!  We ran into several random friends, left during Lupe Fiasco, got free Vitamin Water on the way to our rock star parking, and completely avoided the storm and rush out of the grounds.