More than 50,000 fans descended on SeatGeek Stadium on Friday, June 12, for the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash, the Midwest’s premier independent hip-hop festival.
The festival’s start time was delayed as organizers were scrambling Friday to set up after devastating storms struck Bridgeview Wednesday and Thursday.
Founded by multimedia pioneer Cole Bennett and produced by SPKRBX, the three-day event featured more than 50 artists across three stages, from global superstars like Lil Uzi Vert, Skrillex, and Playboi Carti to Chicago drill royalty Chief Keef and G Herbo, rising stars like Lucki and BigXthaPlug, and international acts including Yung Lean and Bladee.
North West, the oldest child of Kim Kardashian and Ye, formerly Kanye West, played her first solo show and Chicago debut on Friday. Monday is her 13th birthday.
The lineup blended drill, trap, cloud rap, and electronic music into one of the summer’s most culturally significant hip-hop gatherings.
Since its inception, the concert fest has grown in size, expanding from a single day in 2018 that drew 10,000 fans to the three-day mega-show expected to attract more than 120,000 attendees to Bridgeview this year. Among the attendees was Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who took in the festival after wrapping the team’s offseason program.
Friday photos
