Weekend Arts Agenda: Pink Cloud Premieres
Bass-heavy pioneers Big Freedia, Mr. Collipark, DJ Toomp, and more commanded a delirious crowd
It’s easy for the crucial nuances of bass music to get lost among its guttural vibrations. Those who listen more closely to the low end oscillations will discover an array of stylistic permutations, encompassing crunk, bounce, footwork, trap, Miami bass, and countless more. On August 20, Red Bull Music Academy assembled a showcase of rappers and DJs who tore up the MJQ/Drunken Unicorn complex and represented the breadth of bass music from Brooklyn to Atlanta.
The lineup for Saturday night featured 11 artists across three stages: DJ Jelly, Kilo Ali, Mr. Collipark, RP Boo, DJ Funk, DJ Toomp, Star Eyes, TT The Artist, UniiQU3, Divoli S’vere, and Big Freedia. DJ Jelly’s tasteful mix of crunk anthems provided a promising start, warming up the cramped corridors of MJQ before Bankhead legend Kilo Ali took the stage. Since leaving prison in 2011, Ali has been slowly building his career back to its zenith following the release of 1997’s Organized Bass. Despite time lost in Atlanta’s hip-hop circuit, Ali’s distinctive bass-heavy beats and smooth, Southern cadence still sound fresh.
Over on the cafe stage, Chicago’s RP Boo mixed a raging set of skittering footwork that challenged audiences to keep up with the blistering tempos. The crowd happily obliged, transforming the tight space into a frenzy of sweaty bodies contorting with Boo’s breakneck pulse. Even though every artist on the lineup represented a formidable legacy, Big Freedia inevitably stole the show. After Atlanta producer/Ying Yang Twins collaborator Mr. Collipark teased the packed room with hints of her impending arrival, Big Freedia finally took the stage around 1:40 a.m.
She killed it, needless to say. It’s one thing to hear the NOLA bounce legend spit her high-energy verses on record, but her music is made for the stage. She is a masterful minimalist, controlling the crowd with a few rhythmic repetitions and a non-stop bombast of blown-out bass. Swells of percussion bolster her infectious vocal patterns as the drums filter in and out to keep the crowd dancing with only a few key elements.
The United States of Bass was an expertly curated showcase of bass music’s finest, and easily one of the most memorable shows to grace MJQ and the Drunken Unicorn’s stages.