Smokers Club Fest Keeps the High Going for their Second Year
The Smokers Club Fest set sail this past weekend with performances from some of the raps’ biggest names, including Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, and Schoolboy Q, at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The Smokers Club Fest started just last year as a one-day festival with Lil Uzi Vert, Joey Badass, and Flatbush Zombies as headliners; The festival completely sold out this year, with 10,000 people in attendance.
The Smokers Club is also the first of many planned festivals to happen at the Queen Mary in Long Beach due to a newly-formed partnership with Goldenvoice, the company responsible for some of the largest festivals like Coachella, Stagecoach, and FYF.
Day one kicked off with rap veterans like 2 Chainz, Schoolboy Q, and ended with Wiz Khalifa, one of rap's most famous smokers. The festival kept true to its namesake, with festival-goers puffing large clouds of smoke that floated above them while hearing their favorite rappers perform. Smokers Club also had munchies covered for festival smokers, as there was a wide variety of food trucks available at both stages.
Wiz Khalifa, whose name is synonymous with marijuana, came out on stage with a lit blunt, taking hits in between bars. The crowd roared as Wiz came on stage to perform hits off his famous mixtape, appropriately titled Kush & OJ. Wiz made sure not to disappoint, as he performed in front of a large inflatable orange, threw inflatable joints into the crowd, and closed out the night by bringing out rapper Big Sean as a surprise.
Day two kept the high going from Saturday with artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Isaiah Rashad, Mac Miller, and Kid Cudi. Some people were having too much fun during performances like 2 Chainz when he stopped rapping because he thought someone had passed out in the crowd, but it turned out the person was just “really high,” and so he continued.
The performance everyone had their eyes set on, however, was Kid Cudi. The artist rarely appeared on festival lineups, as his last performance was nearly six months ago and is not slotted for any future performances as of the time this article was published.
Fans like Carlos Garcia were eagerly waiting in the front row all day just to see Kid Cudi up close. Carlos was holding a vinyl copy of Cudi’s 2013 album ”Indicud” in hopes that Cudi would see it and sign it.
And Cudi did not disappoint, with an incredible performance of famous songs like “Revofev,” “Frequency,” and “Day and Night.” He also noticed Garcia with his record in the front row, later telling him in front of thousands “I’m gonna sign that for you.”
Cudi’s intimate and moody performance was a great ending to a very successful weekend for the up and coming festival. This year's Smokers Club fest has set the bar very high for itself in years to come and is on the right track to establishing itself as the go-to festival for rap fans and smokers alike.