Dreamville
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Music artists wanting out of their contracts is nothing new in the game and it seems like Ari Lennox is the latest in a long line of disgruntled rappers/singers to demand they be given their walking papers from the record label they feel is holding them hostage.
Taking to her Instagram stories, the “Pressure” singer went into detail as to why she no longer wants to be a part of Dreamville and Interscope saying they’ve been “playing” with her all month and “treating me like they’re sorry for me and like I’m the face of mental health.” Further expanding on her discontent with her situation, Ari explained where she was coming from in the situation.
“What I don’t like is being signed and lied to and manipulated. Not one person at those labels ever knew how to market or protect me. Y’all don’t know the half. Constant let down and neglect. This industry stuff will never be for me.”
https://x.com/big_business_/status/1851513547265605725
According to Rap-Up, Ari even explained how she had to come out of pocket to pay for Google ads after the label released her visuals to “Smoke” without her permission.
Per Rap-Up:
The Shea Butter Baby creator hopped on Instagram Live to further air out her problems with Interscope. There, she revealed that the visuals for “Smoke” were released without her permission. “You cannot expect an artist to be anything without advertisement,” she said before mentioning that she’s been paying for the track’s Google Ads.
“I just want to be released, and it’s just that simple, and I’m tired of being nice,” the D.C. native explained. “I was trying to do everything the right way, but now I’m pissed. This was my final straw.”
Knowing what it’s like to be in a dire situation with a record label, T-Pain offered his services and took to the comments section to let Ari know that he’s there to help steer her through this situation as he’s been through the motions himself.
“Bb… … I need to talk to you. I wanna at least throw out some suggestions from experience on how I navigated from being supported by a label to fully independent. It’s fuckin tough as shit but you’re so talented and smart I knew if I gave you a littler perspective from my recent experience, I’ll at least spark something you can take and absolutely kill this shit on your own and be your own boss.”
Yeah, Ari Lennox is over it. Damn. pic.twitter.com/vwx35bshhN
— Write Life (@TheQueenMuse1) October 30, 2024
We hope she reached out to T-Pain to see what could be done to help her get out of her situation. Who knows, maybe her label will honor her wishes and just let her walk away, but if we’ve learned anything about the music industry over recent decades it’s that they rarely ever give the artists their freedom when asked to.
What do y’all think about Ari Lennox calling for her label to release her from her contract? Let us know in the comments section below.
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J. Cole put the Hip-Hop world on notice after firing back at Kendrick Lamar on his surprise project, Might Delete Later. During his set at this year’s Dreamville Festival, J. Cole addressed the beef with K-Dot and said that “7 Minute Drill” will be removed from streaming services in an epic moment of walking it back.
J. Cole, 39, took to the stage on the closing night (April 7) of his annual Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, N.C., and addressed the crowd as he’s often done in the past. The massive elephant roaming through the festival grounds was the shot K-Dot took at Drake and Cole on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” from the pair’s WE DON’T TRUST YOU project.
Taking a moment during his closing set, the Dreamville honcho addressed the crowd and checked himself for taking shots at Lamar and ending the feud, at least from his end.
“I’m so proud of that project [Might Delete Later] except for one part,” Cole said onstage. “There’s one part of that sh*t that makes me feel like, ‘Man, that’s the lamest sh*t I ever did in my f*cking life.’ And, I know this is not what a lot of people wanna hear. I can hear my n*ggas up there right now like, ‘Nah, don’t do that.’ But, I gotta keep it 100 with y’all. I damn near had a relapse.”
Cole admitted to being reactionary at the moment and expressed that he wasn’t pleased by the chatter sparked by his diss track although he framed it as friendly competition. In the end, Cole says he intends to remove “7 Minute Drill” from his latest project while stating he has love for both Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
On Xitter, fans are debating who won the mock meat tussle (more on that later) between J. Cole, Drake, and Kendrick, the so-called “Big Three” with some declaring winners and losers in a battle that never took off to the degree some seem to think.
We’ve got reactions below.
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Photo: Astrida Valigorsky / Getty
2. Xitter is way too bored.
3. Seeing this live was something else.
9. Too much like right for some people.
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This coming weekend, the city of Raleigh, N.C. will once more host the annual Dreamville Festival headlined by J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, and SZA. Ahead of the epic celebration of music and artistry, several Dreamville Festival Week events start this Wednesday across the city and are free of charge.
Dreamville Festival Week will begin on April 3 and runs through April 5 across the City of Oaks and the events will be free to attend and all-ages. Dreamville organizers have always centered businesses in the surrounding areas of the festival grounds to bolster the local economy and provide opportunities for small businesses and organizations to increase their visibility.
On Wednesday (April 3), Doctur Dot of EarthGang will be featured in a stand-up comedy showcase. On Thursday (April 4), Omen will host an adult game night event, and on Friday (April 5), OLU of EarthGang will host a morning yoga session and later that day, Lute will host an afternoon block party and car show and Bas will also play host for a kickback. There will also be educational panels at CAM Raleigh.
Along with all of these exciting events, fans can get Dreamville Festival fresh with apparel from the label at a downtown pop-up shop offering exclusive merch and other fashion items. As we shared above, Dreamville Festival Week is a way to give back to Raleigh for being great partners with the Dreamville team.
“Raleigh has embraced Dreamville Festival from the start, which is why our team is so excited to continue expanding the festival’s local impact beyond just the weekend dates. Our team looks forward to building upon last year’s success as Dreamville offers even more free programming for the locals and fans who come to visit Raleigh from around the world this spring,” said Dreamville Cofounder and Festival President Adam Roy.
The full schedule for the events can be found below. Dreamville Festival runs from April 6 through April 7. Learn more here.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
207 S West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Noon to 7:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
Punchella Comedy Clash with Doctur Dot and Friends
Goodnights Comedy Club (401 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC 27605)
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Free, RSVP Link Coming Soon! (21+)
About: Hosted by Doctur Dot of EarthGang, Dreamville is bringing all the laughs this week. Featuring a mix of national touring and local comics at the top of their game, this event is sure to be one for the books.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
207 S West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Noon to 7:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
Omen’s Game Get Together
Kings and Neptunes (14 W Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27601)
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Free, RSVP Link Coming Soon! (21+)
About: Hosted by Dreamville’s Omen, the 21+ game night includes the games we know and love! From Connect 4, to Darts, Jenga, Uno, Monopoly, and more, this event is sure to bring back your inner child.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5
UP! with OLU (of EarthGang) x 4th QTR Performance Presented By COMPXSS
NC State Campus (location details coming soon!)
Free, RSVP Link Coming Soon! (all-ages)
Yoga begins at 10:00 a.m.
About: Return of the morning yoga session co-led by Dreamville’s very own OLU of EarthGang
Amazon Music Presents: Dreamville Public Access
CAM Raleigh (409 W Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27603)
11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
About: Curated by Dreamville, EngineEars, and Amazon Music, Public Access is a day-long program featuring panels and keynote discussions with creatives, music producers, and industry leaders. Informative and educational, the 2024 schedule is coming soon!
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
207 S West Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
Noon to 7:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
Amazon Music Presents: Gold Mouf Garage with Lute
S Harrington Street (between W Martin Street & W Hargett Street, next to CAM Raleigh)
1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
About: Free block party featuring DJs, performances, food, low-riders, and other classic cars; hosted by NC native and Dreamville Records emcee Lute.
Everybody Fiends with Bas
3:00 to 8:00 p.m.
S Harrington Street (next to CAM Raleigh)
Free, No RSVP Required (all-ages)
About: Welcome to Everybody Fiends, hosted by Bas and The Fiends. Immerse yourself in our bespoke portrait studio and enjoy a creative gathering designed to inspire and connect like-minded individuals.
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
Dreamville Festival (Day 1)
Dorothea Dix Park (1030 Richardson Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603)
Gates open at Noon
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Dreamville Festival (Day 2)
Dorothea Dix Park (1030 Richardson Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603)
Gates open at Noon
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Photo: Getty
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Dreamville Festival, the annual music event put together by J. Cole and his Dreamville Records team, makes its return to Raleigh, N.C. next month, and the headliners have been announced. Nicki Minaj, SZA, Chris Brown, and the aforementioned Cole are headlining the two-day event.
Dreamville Festival is one of the leading music events and kicks off festival season lovely while showcasing Dreamville’s roster and also supporting North Carolina nonprofits and businesses. The festival will be hosted once more at Dorothea Dix Park, with opportunities for fans to take in local cuisine, and purchase exclusive merch on the grounds.
Hip-Hop Wired was at the festival last year, and it was one of the best live experiences we’ve had in years. This year promises to be just as epic with things kicking off on April 6 with Lil Yachty, ScHoolboy Q, Sexxy Red, Jeremih, Teezo Touchdown, Amaarae, Luh Tyler, and Domani rocking the stage.
On April 7, Rema, Jeezy, Monica, Rae Sremmurd, Key Glock, Muni Long, TiaCorine, and Chase Shakur are on the bill. Of course, no Dreamville Festival would be complete without the Dreamville musical collective which includes J.I.D, EARTHGANG, Bas, Cozz, Lute, and Omen.
“Some of the biggest names in music will travel to Raleigh in only a few short weeks, bringing about one of the most highly anticipated festivals of the year. Our team looks forward to welcoming all of our Day One fans from around the world back to Dreamville Festival,”
said Dreamville Cofounder and Festival President Adam Roy in a statement.
As we’ve shared on our pages before, the festival is far more than music as the Dreamville team will promote a weekend-long series of free events and educational programming, along with platforming local businesses of all kinds.
To learn more about the festival and to purchase tickets, click here. The full lineup is also below.
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Photo: Dreamville/Getty
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Culture Kings, a one-stop-shop for streetwear aficionados, is always a step ahead when it comes to bringing the masses the freshest styles for every season. The famed brand has banded with musicians and entertainers over the years, and the brand has a fresh collection of fits for the music fans out there.
With the holidays looming in the distance, it’s about time to snag a great gift for your family and friends. Culture Kings takes a lot of guesswork out of gift-giving, especially if they’re into music.
Below, we’re featuring just a handful of offerings from Culture King’s vast collection of styles. J. Cole’s Dreamville Records gets shine via a new line of shirts, hoodies, and shorts, just in time for the North Carolina rapper’s annual Dreamville Festival happening next year. Nas, who is still very much a problem on the microphone, has his 2002 studio album God’s Son and its tracklist emblazoned on a classic white t-shirt.
The relaxed, baggy look of the ’90s is back in effect and boy band faves N’Sync and pop princess Britney Spears find themselves stylishly placed on the front of some high-quality t-shirts. N’Sync’s third studio album, No Strings Attached, is featured while the photo from Spears’ 1999 debut album …Baby One More Time adorns the shirt.
The Rolling Stones are legends of the game, and the band’s iconic logo as seen on this tour shirt will continue to turn heads for decades to come. On the other side, The Grateful Dead are also legendary and they too have a tour shirt that’ll play well in anyone’s ensemble.
Rounding out the handful of styles we’re focusing on in this roundup are Green Day and Korn, making sure the brooding but brilliant are also well represented.
We invite you to take a look at the entire lineup Culture Kings has on deck if the above aren’t your fancy. Click here for more.
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Photo: Culture Kings
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Dreamville Festival, the annual celebration organized by J. Cole and his Dreamville outfit, will make its return next year in the rapper’s home state. Today (November 7), fans who signed up for the text and email Dreamville newsletter will be able to purchase tickets in a presale event ahead of the early bird drop this Friday.
Hip-Hop Wired attended Dreamville Festival last year and it remains one of the premier musical festivals that exists today. Under the guiding eye of Fayetteville, N.C. native J. Cole, the festival will return next spring to Raleigh and promises to be another star-studded affair. Last year, Usher, Drake, Burna Boy, Summer Walker, and City Girls were some of the big names to join the Dreamville Records crew of the aforementioned Cole, EarthGang, Ari Lennox, Bas, Cozz, JID, Lute, and Omen.
“Before Dreamville drops the new festival lineup, we wanted to offer our fans a chance to secure their tickets early. Last year sold out in advance and prices are only going to rise as we inch closer to April but now you can get in early, secure your spot, and start booking travel before the holidays hit,” said Dreamville Festival’s President Adam Roy in a statement.
This will be one of the hottest tickets in 2024 as 100,000 fans converged on the sprawling green of Dorothea Dix Park. Along with the performances, Dreamville organizers have perfected the art of the music festival with plenty of food options, well-positioned restrooms, and two stages with staggered set times so that fans can check out their favorites. There will also be merchandise available on the grounds, along with local businesses and nonprofits launching on-site activations from the Wake County area.
The presale tickets will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. EST and are only available to Dreamville fans who sign up for the official festival email or text newsletter at www.DreamvilleFest.com.
On Friday (November 10) at 10:00 a.m. EST, two-day GA festival passes will be made available to the public along with VIP experience packages.
Dreamville Festival 2024 will take place on April 6 and April 7 next year in Raleigh, N.C. A lineup has yet to be announced and we’ll return with those details as soon as they’re made available to the public.
Learn more by visiting this link.
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Photo: Dreamville/Getty
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Source: Paige Boyd / Paige Boyd
One of the culture’s most beloved outings is set to come back. J. Cole has announced that the Dreamville Music Festival is returning next year.
Digital Music News is reporting that the Fayetteville, North Carolina, talent and his team are bringing back the popular concert series. On Monday, (Oct. 23), the official Dreamville Records Instagram made the announcement. The caption read, “Raleigh, NC 🌻 April 6 & 7, 2024 🌻 Be the first to get your presale password by signing up for fest info at dreamville.com.”
President Adam Roy expressed his enthusiasm in a formal statement. “Dreamville Fest 2023 was a major cultural moment for the spring festival season,” the executive said. We had amazing performances from some of the biggest artists of my generation, and we plan to bring that same energy in 2024!”
The two-day event will be returning to Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh’s largest public park. Ticket holders will be treated to performances and activities including carnival rides, food trucks, art installations, branded experiences and more.
J. Cole and Usher headlined the 2023 edition. You can sign up for more information on the 2024 Dreamville Music Festival here.
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Source: Activision / Activision
Bas was amongst the gaming pros and influencers on hand for the Call Of Duty: NEXT event that went down on Thursday, October 5. It shouldn’t be a surprise since the Dreamville rapper is a proud gamer and longtime fan of the franchise, and was as excited as anyone else to get to previewing and playing Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
Call Of Duty: NEXT showcased a sampling of the title’s new content including Multiplayer and Zombies as well as announcements about Call of Duty: Warzone—all in celebration of Call of Duty’s 20th anniversary. Bas was happy to be in the building. “I’m a fan man. I’m blessed to be here to get to play the game early to see all the cool callbacks— the maps they brought back,” Bas told Hip-Hop Wired. “I’m excited to see the new Warzone map. I’m just a gamer like anyone else.”
Bas isn’t just anyone considering he’s part of the Dreamville roster, and dropped a heater featuring his mans J. Cole called “Passports Bros” this past summer (more on that later). The Queens, by way of Paris, France rapper actually credits gaming with building chemistry between him and his collaborators, like renowned producer Boi-1da (Drake, Nas). “Me and him were cool acquaintances for a lot of the earlier part of my career but it wasn’t until we started gaming together and really speaking every night that our collaborative bond formed,” explains Bas, who also counts engineer Mixed by Ali, producer T-Minus and sometime J. Cole as among his regular gaming crew for Call of Duty and Warzone, amongst other titles.
He adds, “It’s almost like a business call but we’re playing a game and keeping in touch. 1da might be like ‘Yo, I did this beat tonight I gotta send it to you,’ he’ll text it to me mid-game. It’s a good way to stay present, stay in each other’s lives. We’re all so busy, we’re all in different parts of the country or we’re on tour. That’s kind of the one constant, you can get on, see who’s online, get in the chat with them, run a few games and just catch up.”
Video games and Hip-Hop have long been linked but formulating joints over the system group chat surely wasn’t on the bingo card of any Rap pioneer. But the joy both elements bring make the union inevitable. “We might tour seven, eight months out of the year. So those breaks where we get to come home that’s mostly what I’m doing. I’m gaming, I’m seeing the family,” explains Bas. “I’m not trying to go out and party, I just came off tour. It’s therapeutic to me honestly. Just to get on and talk to my friends. There’s a lot of value in the communication and the community of it.”
And yes, Bas has new music on deck—his new album, titled We Only Talk About Real Shit When We’re Fucked Up, drops…soon, via Dreamville/Interscope. “I was trying to give y’all the date but there’s some paperwork [so] the label’s got me a little hush hush. But definitely before the end of the year.”
For us civilians, the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III Open Multiplayer Beta will be available starting Friday, October 6 and throughout the weekend. XBox and PC gamers will get their turn next weekend. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III proper will launch on November 10, 2023.
Source: Activision / Activision
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Dreamville Festival 2023 wrapped up epically on Sunday (April 2), surpassing the wildest dreams of most of the fans in attendance on the first day of the weekend-long celebration alone. On the final night, Dreamville honcho J. Cole took alongside a certain Canadian superstar, who then brought out a bevy of unannounced surprise guests much to the delight of fans.
Hip-Hop Wired attended Dreamville Fest 2023, adding to the event’s well-established legacy and one of the premier annual music events on the east coast and beyond.
Since the big reveal of the star-studded lineup, most fans in attendance that we overheard were most excited about the prospect of seeing Drake rock the Dreamville stages alongside Fayettville’s native son, and they were not left disappointed.
Cole came out to raucous applause and ran through several fan favorites before pausing his set to give praise to Drake. The two were in top performance mode with Drake truly delighting the masses by bringing out GloRilla, Lil Uzi Vert, and Lil Wayne to perform some of their biggest hits.
Forgive us for the lack of a set list because we were too busy screaming our lungs out taking in the show to take notes. Put it this way. Each of the aforementioned stars has huge songs in their catalog and in that short amount of time, we heard most of the best.
We also have to add that while it is still VERY EARLY in festival season, it will be hard to top what we had the privilege of witnessing in Raleigh, N.C. Kudos to the whole Dreamville staff, label, and crew.
On Twitter, the reaction to J. Cole and Drake closing out the Dreamville Festival with a few of their famous pals is still going strong. Check out those tweets below.
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Photo: @ITCHYEYEPHOTOS/Dreamville Festival/The Parallel Agency
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Dreamville Festival 2023 concluded its weekend-long celebration in Raleigh, N.C., and Hip-Hop Wired took in the festivities on the grounds. Much like the inaugural event which we also attended, the Dreamville team once again provided a safe and enjoyable experience for the attendees while packing the stages with plenty of star power.
As we noted during our first time attending the festival, the Dreamville organizers have figured out how to stagger performances that ensure fans get to hear their faves unencumbered.
From acts like Houston spitter Marqus Clae and his passionate performance, the soulful crooning of SiR, the City Girls, and the always energetic EarthGang duo, fans got more than their money’s worth before acts such as Sean Paul, the beautiful Ari Lennox, and day one closer Usher took to the stage.
Sean Paul
Ari Lennox
City Girls
Usher
Omen, who was also among the day one list of performers, showed and proved that while it’s been some time since he’s released a proper project, his conviction and confidence are unwavering. We spoke with Omen briefly backstage at the event, and he promised that new music was on the horizon.
“It’s always difficult to put yourself back out there because I’m naturally shy and introverted but I try to put all I can into the music and I think this new project will showcase Omen at my best,” the Chicago native explained. Omen said that the album should drop in either the third or fourth quarter of this year.
Omen added, “My focus on this new album is that I want the music to mean something and to live beyond me. While Chicago influences almost everything in my art, this is also about my journey of me as a man. Being away from the scene for these years was hard but trust me, we got something to be proud of and I’m glad to be doing this with Dreamville behind me.”
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to speak to many of the performers on the festival’s first day, but the second day provided grander opportunities.
Reuben Vincent
EarthGang
Baby Tate
Waka Flocka Flame
Before the interviews, the performances from Reuben Vincent, Cozz, Mario, and Baby Tate, along with a rousing set from both J.I.D. and Waka Flocka Flame were mindblowing as evidenced by the roars from the crowd. Of course, most fans packed themselves early in front of the Shine stage for the event’s closing set of J. Cole and Drake, more on that in another post to come.
Backstage, we chopped it up with Jamla Records artist Reuben Vincent fresh after his set. Vincent, who hails from the city of Charlotte, explained to us that his purpose is grander than being a famous musician, especially after releasing the excellent album, Love Is War.
“I created Love Is War to honor my Liberian heritage and what my parents survived during the Liberian War but it’s also just about the fact that love truly can be war at times,” Vincent shared in a quiet tone, a stark contrast from his stage performance.
Vincent continued, “Having the legacy of Liberia within the body of my music and having strong mentors like 9th Wonder and the Jamla team is amazing. I’ve been chasing this dream since I was a teenager and now it’s all coming together for me at the right time. I’m glad I got to share my art with the crowd and that they seemed to get it.”
Baby Tate also delivered a stirring performance at this year’s festival, which was her first and she spared a few minutes of her time to talk about the experience and the resurgence of her track “Hey Mickey!” via TikTok.
“This was my first time rocking this festival but I’m so glad people were vibing with me, especially because I haven’t put a whole lot of music out but that’s about to change,” Baby Tate shared.
“And that’s why “Hey Mickey!” coming back around because of the kids on TikTok is so dope because I know some artists get hate for making songs for [TikTok] but if the kids are vibing with it, why not? That’s why we locked in with Saweetie for the remix. Because of that, we have a lot of stuff in store for y’all,” Baby Tate concluded.
Waka Flocka Flame, another artist who has kept a low musical profile lately, shared with us that he’s got a ton of new music in the can. While Waka says we can expect more of his stadium-rocking anthems, he’s also concerned with continuing his I Can’t Rap mixtape run as well.
“My whole thing right now is putting other people on but not just with music, but also the spiritual aspects of life because this industry will try you if you let it,” Waka explained, exuding the most positive energy of all the entertainers we met during the festival.
“I have so many blessings that were given to me that I have to do more for the people and it’s always more than just music. Yes, we got new music coming, and I’m coming back with that I Can’t Rap series. So many things. I can’t share too much but trust me, a whole lot of Waka is coming to the people and I can’t wait to hit the road,” Waka stated.
Hip-Hop Wired wishes to extend its thanks to Omen, Reuben Vincent, Baby Tate, Waka Flocka Flame, and the entire Dreamville Festival team for sharing a bit of their time with us.
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Photo: K97.5/Getty