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Hot 97’s Summer Jam is a staple event for native New Yorkers. For almost three decades, the annual concert has had the most anticipated lineup of hip-hop’s finest. This was the second Summer Jam since COVID-19 put the world on pause and people flooded the rows at MetLife Stadium eager for hours of performances.
The festival stage, which takes place before the main event, hosts upcoming talent whose careers are so buzzworthy that they will surely grace the main stage in the years to come. This year, the festival stage had acts that should’ve blessed the main stage.
New York City drill music is currently the soundtrack of the Big Apple. The most commercially successful drill rapper, Fivio Foreign, closed out Summer Jam, but he isn’t the only noteworthy drill rapper that New Yorkers have on repeat. Dougie B, 22Gz and B-Lovee performed during the “Drewski & Friends” set on the festival stage when they deserved a Stadium Stage slot.
B-Lovee is surely the prince of drill and had the airwaves on lock with “My Everything” and its two-part remix pack featuring G-Herbo and A Boogie. “Neaky” and “IYKYK” are also notable tracks of his. Dougie B’s “Shake It” is one of the few drill tracks from the gritty genre that has made it on to the radio. If drill rap was given more of a spotlight on the main stage, we would’ve gotten to see Cardi B, who made a surprise appearance to perform “Shake It” with Dougie B and Bory300 on the festival stage. I had hoped that someone would bring Cardi B back out as a surprise on the main stage but that clearly wasn’t a part of the plan.
Even though both stages were male dominated, the ladies held it down during hip-hop’s biggest concert. Brooklyn-based duo Girll Codee, K Goddess and Lady London hit the festival stage.
DreamDoll kicked off the main event with a high energy set. The Bronx femcee performed her hits like “Try Outs,” “Ah Ah Ah” and “You Know My Body,” where she delighted us with a guest appearance by Capella Grey. She also brought out rapper CJ to perform their raunchy collab “Freaks.” For her jaw dropping look, she was wrapped in a pink, bedazzled jumpsuit baring one of her breast with only a New York Yankees logo pasty covering it, obviously paying homage to Lil’ Kim.
The City Girls then took over and received a warm welcome. Their chemistry was undeniable as they performed favorites like “Act Up,” “Twerkulator,” “I’ll Take Your Man,” “Where the Bag At?” and “Jobs.” JT had to take a brief pause to prevent a wardrobe malfunction like the one from the Billboard Awards and then it was back to business. The City Girls didn’t bring out Saucy Santana, who performed on the festival stage. Bringing the Material Gworl out would have gave their set the extra adrenaline boost it needed.
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Shenseea then graced the stage as the only Caribbean act on the lineup. With no backup dancers in tow, she was able to command the stage by herself as she performed “Blessed,” “Rebel,” “Shen Yeng Anthem” and “Lick.”
The highlight of the night was certainly the DJ Kay Slay tribute, who died in May from COVID-19 complications. To celebrate the late Drama King, Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Papoose, Fat Joe, the LOX, Jim Jones, Maino and Juelz Santana took the stage. As she does during every Summer Jam appearance, Remy Ma shined as she performed her verse from the “Ante Up” remix and “Lean Back.” She may not have released new music of her own in a while, but her classics never disappoint. As she rapped her “Ante Up” remix verse, I could hear commentary from concertgoers about how she had the best verse on the M.O.P track.
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Fivio Foreign’s set was one of the most anticipated of the night. After a video introduction, he took the stage with an encrusted crown and suede blue cape with “KING OF NEW YORK” emblazoned on the back.
When it came to surprises, he understood the assignment. When he performed “Say My Name” featuring Queen Naija and Coi Leray, the latter made an appearance and even did the accompanying TikTok dance that helped make the song an internet sensation. Chloe Bailey also came through to perform their track “Hello” and she captivated the audience. From the moment she did her sexy strut onto the stage, she had Fivio Foreign in a trance. Fans couldn’t help but gaze at her as she crooned them with her sultry vocals. The City Girls also re-appeared to do their standout verses on their single “Top Notch.” He also surprised concertgoers with a performance from fellow Brooklynite Rowdy Rebel, Skillibeng and JNR Choi.
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Lil’ Baby, Pusha T and Lil’ Durk had lengthy sets filled with their fan favorites. Lil’ Durk surprised the audience by bringing out Meek Mill, French Montana and Nardo Wick. But for those who weren’t familiar, they were questioning when Burna Boy was hitting the stage. Sadly, the “On the Low” singer missed his flight and therefore was a no-show. Roddy Ricch arrived fresh out of New York City lockup after being arrested for gun possession the night before. He missed his Governor’s Ball performance so we weren’t sure if he would make this one either. The Los Angeles native didn’t disappoint and performed his string of melodic hits like “High Fashion,” “Ballin'” and The Box.”
One thing that has made Summer Jam as legendary as it is are the surprise guests. Jay Z brought out Michael Jackson in 2003. Meek Mill brought out Nicki Minaj in 2015 when they were an item. Remy Ma brought out hip-hop queens and rising stars in 2017 when she brought out MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Cardi B, Young MA and YoYo. A$AP Rocky brought out Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in 2013. Fabolous brought out Chris Brown, Lil’ Kim, Black Rob, Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Fat Joe, Method Man, Redman, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, The LOX and Ma$e in 2015. And the list goes on and on. This year, the surprise guests left the crowd mostly unfazed. The surprise line up during the DJ Kay Slay tribute put the crowd in a frenzy. Each performer has New York classics under their belts, so of course they had the crowd rocking.
Take a look at the highlights below.
