Photos by AngieStar Photo
Anyone who was at Common‘s AAHH! FEST experienced an amazing show yesterday at Union Park in Chicago, some even described it as epic. As many guessed, Kanye West performed as the Special Guest, highlighting the evening by performing smash hit after hit, and bringing the night to an energetic close. Outside of Kanye’s smash performance, famous comedian Dave Chappelle graced the stage as the evenings host, providing a short stand up that was just as hilarious as expected. Of course, Common didn’t miss a beat with his performance either, performing many of his old and new tracks. He even brought fellow rapper Vince Staples to stage to perform “Kingdom” from his latest album, Nobody’s Smiling. I can’t forget to mention he also performed hit track, “Get em High” with Kanye, exploding the energy of the crowd.
Outside of the headlining performers, the fest had a full line up of sets from varied artists including comedian Damon Williams, and musicians Jay Electronica, MC Lyte, Lil Mama, Lil Herb, De La Soul, Jennifer Hudson, Lupe Fiasco, Twista, and Crucial Conflict. Although not all the artists were from Chicago, the night was to definitely highlight the city’s heavy musical influence, and included several interludes of local Dj’s playing House classics that kept the crowd moving from start to end. On that note, Chicago’s famously known Harold’s Chicken even had a food truck on hand, which is always a plus to locals.
As the event was curated by Rhymefest, Aahh! Fest’s deepest intention was to create a day of peace for Chicago, since the city is very widely known for it’s crime and gang violence. With this, the event was put together with help from Donda’s House, Inc., Common Ground Foundation, and Lupe Fiasco’s Foundation. The vibe was indeed truly fun and peaceful in all aspects, bringing to attendance Chicago Bulls Center Joakim Noah, visual artist Hebru Brantly, members from the Farrakhan family, and many other artists including rappers GLC, Do Or Die. Amongst the crowd were even friends and family like JHud’s adorable son and husband, Kim Kardashian, and much more.
Check out the following photos from the very live event, where you’ll also find some behind-the-scenes photos from some of the more famously known attendees enjoying the Aahh! Fest 2014.
