Whether you're trekking out to Manchester for Bonnaroo or hanging out in town for CMA Fest, this weekend is gonna be a busy one, but you don't have to face it alone! We've got everything you need to know about both festivals. Click here for links to all of our Bonnaroo and CMA previews. And be sure to visit Nashville Cream through the weekend, too — we'll be posting tons of photos and updates from the farm.
For rap fans, last year's Bonnaroo lineup was like a phoenix rising from the ashes of Kanye West's disappointing headlining set in 2014. Between Kendrick Lamar triumphing on What Stage, Freddie Gibbs keeping it gangsta on Sunday afternoon and Run the Jewels making good on their promise to "fuck shit up," there was a lot to love for hip-hop fans.
That was last year. This year ... well, it's different.
If you only see one rapper at this year's 'Roo, make it Vince Staples, who plays This Tent on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Staples' 2015 record, Summertime '06, is a visceral masterpiece, weaving complex, clever rhymes with shotgun-blast production that's about as raw and real as it gets. Follow that up by hauling over to What Stage for J. Cole (8:45 p.m.) to groove on some woke-as-hell conscious rap, before doubling down on ignorant mayhem with Odd Future co-founder Tyler, the Creator (9:45 p.m. at This Tent).
Although it's been a minute since Odd Future dominated the blogs, Tyler has an indomitable inability to give a fuck, which gives his live performances a kind of unpredictable edge that promises nothing less than total destruction of everything in sight. If you're still standing by 1:30 a.m., get thee to Snake & Jake's Christmas Club Barn, where legendary NYC hip-hop radio personality Stretch Armstrong will be DJ-ing some of the hotness you'd expect from the dude who broke Jay Z to the mainstream.
Saturday's big draw — and perhaps the biggest hip-hop draw of the whole festival — is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, playing at 8 p.m. on What Stage. Macklemore may be the corniest rapper alive, but he's a born performer. Rap shows can be a crapshoot as far as showmanship goes, but Macklemore grabs his crowds by the neck and never lets go. Or, if you're looking for the next Macklemore, scope Post Malone first, playing 5:15 p.m. at The Other Tent.
If you're not too dad-rocked out from Pearl Jam, don't forget about Big Grams, the unlikely partnership of OutKast's Big Boi and indie-electronic act Phantogram, playing at 1:45 a.m. at That Tent. While not the OutKast reunion show that Bonnaroo never locked down, it's a good alternative, featuring smooth electronic jams and unmistakable ATL flow.
Finally, if you're hunting for gems, look to Thursday, when two young rappers will hold down the final hours of Bonnaroo's opening day. Lizzo, playing 11 p.m. at That Tent, follows in the steps of Missy Elliott, melding straight-up raps with an uncanny ear for pop hooks. Then, 12:15 a.m. at The Other Tent, GoldLink will spin the crowd into a thuggish ruggish frenzy. Three years ago, Killer Mike performed a Thursday night set that turned skeptics into die-hard converts — and all signs are pointing to GoldLink doing the same.
