Music Festival Review: Made in America 2021
Made In America Music Festival - September 4th & 5th, 2021 - Philadelphia, PA
With so much happening around the world, the nation, and even locally, people are still having fun and making the best of things through trying times. The 10th annual Made In America festival in Philadelphia, PA took place this past weekend, despite the flooding just a block over, due to Hurricane Ida two days prior. The lineup included a solid mix of Hip-Hop and R&B, with artists like Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, and Justin Bieber headlining. Lil Baby brought out Lil Uzi Vert during his set, and Meek even came through as a surprise performer and brought out Bobby Shmurda. Saturday began with the Buffalo Kids, Griselda who all were present and brought out Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, and the first lady Armani Caesar.
Made In America consists of three separate stages, each being three different sizes. The smaller stage (TIDAL) showcased mostly rising artists, the medium-sized location (Liberty) held more prominent artists, and the large set (Rocky) is where headliners performed. Doja Cat managed to dominate the Liberty stage with her performance on day two of the festival and Kehlani the night prior. A few rappers that brought great energy on day one and performed their hit songs for fans were A$AP Ferg, Young Thug, and Baby Keem. Keem, located on the Rocky stage, performed songs from his project ‘DIE FOR MY BITCH’, along with older singles and his newest track featuring Kendrick Lamar titled ‘family ties.’ A$AP Ferg commanded the crowd with his anthems and gave a fire performance. Young Thug performed from a see through gold plated platform dressed in shades of hot pink. Coming out performing Slatty, the middle of the parkway erupted with vibes. A 40 minute set that had bangers from older tapes and new hits like Tick Tock from the anticipated P*nk LP.
On Day Two the rain couldn’t stop the fun. By the Rocky steps, Freddie Gibbs had the crowd screaming fuck 12 and reciting word for word music from Alfredo, Bandana, and more. 42 Dugg ran the day with not only a solo set on the Liberty stage, but appearances during Moneybagg Yo and Roddy Ricch’s set. Lil Durk and Moneybagg Yo also took over Liberty and turned up the middle of the entire festival. Tinashe, Bobby Shmurda, and to close the festival with fireworks was Justin Bieber. Foushee, Capella Gray, Mariah The Scientist, Pi’erre Bourne, and the legend Lloyd Banks rounded out the TIDAL stage as well.
With the festival being two days long and from noon tonight, there’s a lot you can do (and eat). Multiple food trucks were lined up along the parkway for attendees to enjoy throughout the day. The options were endless. Mexican food, daiquiris, island noodles, tacos, burgers, waffles, and almost anything else you’d want or can’t resist. Of course, the coolest part is the cute Ferris wheel free of charge, and you get a view of the entire city. Overall, Roc Nation held a successful and refreshing event for music lovers dying to attend a show.
Words by Chandria Harris
MADE IN AMERICA PHOTO GALLERY:
