Image via Complex Original
There's a distinct difference between what SXSW once was and what it is now. SXSW used to be known as a place where an A&R could catch a ton of unsigned talent all at once. While that's still the case, that cause seems lost in the midst of superstar cameos and corporate sponsorships in 2014. However, in the past few years, SXSW has gotten people's names buzzing or confirmed that yes indeed, their hype was real and could put on a show.
Complex was down at SXSW for all the music festivities and although we didn't get to attend every show (that's impossible) we did keep hearing a few names over and over again. Sadly, they weren't names we didn't know, but were mostly established stars and rising talent that have already been hyped up enough. When you put thousands of music fans in a small area, they get to talking. So from friends to industry connects to random people we met on line, here's The 10 Artists Everyone at SXSW Was Talking About.
Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)
Young Thug
It's still early in the year, but only a few acts have been buzzing as much as Young Thug. He only has two legit hits that even casual rap fans can swear by, "Stoner" and "Danny Glover," but that's enough to get him on stage to rock out for a 15 minute set. His live show isn't particularly impressive, but he's surprisingly tall and impossibly skinny which makes him quite the sight to see in-person. Either way, he's rap's hottest young name and he made the most of being at SXSW.
Jay Electronica
Although he never stepped foot on any stage at SXSW, Jay Electronica's mere presence is worth more than most rapper's albums. Out of the blue, on Friday Jay Elec blessed us with his first new song in what feels like ages, "Better in Tune With The Infinite." That same night, he popped up at the Mass Appeal show where Nas was performing and took time to snap this photo with Nasir. As if that wasn't enough, earlier that day Just Blaze was spinning at the Nice Kicks party and he played a snippet of a song he produced for Jay Electronica that features Drake. So does this mean we'll finally get to hear Act II: Patents of Nobility (the Turn)?
Jay Z & Kanye West
They only played one show, but that was more than enough. Jay Z and Kanye West had a one-night only two-hour performance at Austin Music Hall where they did cuts off Watch The Throne as well as solo songs. The show was put together by Samsung, which granted entry to select fans who owned Galaxy phones and had downloaded its new streaming music app, Milk Music.
What made the show extra interesting is that Kanye recently took shots at Apple CEO Tim Cook by telling him, "Stop trying to get performers to play your festival for free." Having The Throne take the stage ended up being a bigger deal than Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q playing at the iTunes Festival's show at the ACL Moody Theater the same night.
There were rumors that Jay and 'Ye would perform songs off Watch The Throne 2, but that turned out not to be. But the rumor that they got $5 million to play the show? Well, the jury is still out on that one.
Lady Gaga
Lets face it: Lady Gaga has lost some of her muster as its gotten harder and harder for her to shock people. Headlines about her dresses have been trumped by the Miley's twerking. But we were definitely shocked by this one: While playing Stubb's BBQ for Doritos #Boldstage, Gaga got vomited on (twice!) by her friend and "vomit painter" Millie Brown while performing live. You know why that sounds so disgusting? Because it is fucking disgusting. Now here's the clip so you can watch it. Oh by the way, we hear she got $2.5 million for her performance. So...yeah.
Tyler, The Creator
For better or worse, getting arrested means you're gonna be in the headlines and we're gonna talk about you. That's basically what happened to Tyler, The Creator. While playing the Scoot Inn in downtown Austin on Thursday, Tyler allegedly told fans waiting on line to push their way past venue employees to get into the already over capacity venue.
On Saturday, Tyler was arrested at the Austin airport and charged with inciting a riot, misdemeanor crime that could land him in jail. Luckily, he wasn't arrested until Saturday, which meant he had time on Thursday to come and hang out at the Complex house with ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul.
ScHoolboy Q
A great way to get people's attention is to land a No. 1 album. ScHoolboy Q did just that with his major label debut album Oxymoron. Since the albums release, Q has been working harder than ever promoting the album, doing endless interviews and touring every single day in March. Yet he somehow found the energy to be all over SXSW, rocking crowds from Doritos #BoldStage to SPIN to Fader Fort with his high energy performances. Oh, and he absolutely killed it at the Complex house.
YG
You've got about 30 minutes to get a seat on the YG bandwagon and act like you were down with him since "Toot It and Boot It." His debut album, My Krazy Life, is set to be released tomorrow but it leaked during SXSW. But the initial positive reception to the album leak, along with his multiple performances and appearances on various stages helped YG become a constant presence at SXSW. Plus, he pulled a power move bringing Snoop Dogg on stage at Fader Fort.
A$AP Mob
It's always awesome to see artists who put real effort into their live shows. They give it their all and the fans give it right back, creating that moment of cathartic chaos that makes people say, "That shit was turnt up!" That's what happens when A$AP Mob gets on stage and that's what they did all weekend. Also, special shoutout to A$AP Ferg who did an impromptu performance at the Complex house despite coming down with a cold.
Snoop Dogg
Yessir, Snoop Dogg (sorry, we refuse to call him Snoop Lion) might be 42-years-old but he's still really out here. Sure, lots of veteran rappers can say that they rocked a few crowds at SXSW this year, but how many rappers get pulled out by rising stars like YG, then rock on stage with legends like Damon Albarn? You gotta give it to Snoop, he's still putting that work in.
Lil Boosie
Who says you have to be at SXSW to win at SXSW? After coming home from jail earlier this month, Boosie had a hotly anticipated press conference on Monday, the day before SXSW Music kicked off. All through the week, people speculated about Boosie's past and future. But most of the speculation was about if Boosie would show up at SXSW or not. The rumor was Wayne would pull him out at the Illmore. That would have been an amazing finale for SXSW, but that didn't end up happening.
