“DAY OFF” started as a party in a Soho parking lot 5 years ago. It’s where we bring together all the music we listen to, from FG extended family to artists we’re fans of. We’ve met people hanging out at DAY OFF that we ended up signing to the label — this is where the whole vision of Fool’s Gold comes together. And this year’s events are bigger than ever. Your favorite festival is back!” – A-Trak
The Brooklyn indie label, Fools Gold Records, has been growing beyond its musical boundaries into an entire culture that represents our generation. Hip-hop and electronic dance music enthusiasts across the east coast to Austin, TX were treated with a diverse lineup that switched up artists and even the special guests at each tour stop.
Miami has been on the spotlight more than ever and deserved its very own DAY OFF. Last year during Art Basel was the 2nd Fools Gold DAY OFF event in the Miami area. After attending their event last year, I’ve been eager for their rowdy return. Art and performance were always the forefront factors of a FG showcase. Whether your medium is sound or spray paint, the process and collaboration of creativity fills the air.
Fools Gold Rec’s new comers like vocalist Bosco and Manman Savage tore up the stage early in the day without hesitation from light Florida showers. The swaggin’ R&B talent, Bosco, released a music video for Boy a couple days before the Miami DAY OFF event. She rode along from ATL to NY for this tour, so you definitely need to watch her surreal and sexy music video and get familiar:
Dark clouds didn’t last long when Denzel Curry rolled up on C9 (cloud 9). His hometown, Carol City, isn’t too far from Miami. He’s been on the up-rise for the last few years here in Florida and fused into Super Saiyan. Denzel reached his Ultimate form with the release of 32 Zel / Shroom Planets. Again if you haven’t heard of him, I’d start there.
The “beautiful pimp” from Atlanta took on stage next with his teal bearded realness. Rome Fortune frequently draws his inspiration from jazz. Combining traditional hip-hop and ratchet trap music makes Fortune’s style shine. It’s hard to decide who was more of the lady killer at this point. You can see from the front row who were the most dedicated fans. They knew every word beyond the hook.
American badass, Post Malone, has been one of the most random successful rappers to date with his first single, “White Iverson.” It goes to show that practice makes your dreams a possibility. Next thing to do is put on some spacey holographic kicks and run with it.
Alison Wonderland was next on the decks as she hopped around in her white platform sneakers. This killer lady knows how to work a crowd with synth-pop and transitioned us into the headliners of the night.
As we moved toward the electronic sector of the event, Vic Mensa drops “No Chill” and gave a shout out to the powerful producer, Skrillex. Vic is known for collaborating with several artists like Kanye West in the past and Future more recently.
Did you forget about the special guests? A-trak went B2B with the legendary Mannie Fresh, who produced for rappers like Lil Wayne and Juvenile. I’ve never seen such a long line of twerkers! You can thank Juvenile for coming out and performing “Back That Ass Up” in the flesh! That’s not all. The next thing you know, 2 Chainz pulls up to the scene with the ceiling missing (for real)! It’s great to know such major ballers are backing up the Fool’s Gold name!
Now we went back to the house tracks with Laidback Luke. A sea of L’s were visible from the stage, but not the kind of L’s that light up. His set was definitely more vibin’ than the contrasting hype many other performers had. Especially before the trap kings, Flosstradamus.
Soundclash was in full effect from the start. The bouncy bass brought people to their feet and all the HDYGRLZ on HDYBYZ shoulders. L’s came together to form the danger signs and the smell of smoke started to take over the faithful HDYNATION. There were mosh pits, walls of death, and tits bouncing everywhere. Floss would mirror their audience’s energy with trap tracks until they couldn’t anymore. Josh(tradamus) proudly waved the HDYNATION flag above our heads and everyone held their trap arms high. Some lucky HDYBOY got to take the prized flag home as Josh launched it, pole and all, into the frenzy.
Overall this one-day outdoor music event offered rich talent from two collaborative genres that cannot possibly fit into one day. Of course we would love to see A-Track host a three day festival, but the love needed to be spread across the coast. Almost all of the tour dates were sold out before gates even opened. We have no doubt that DAY OFF is going to be a nation wide spectacle that will make other music festivals run for their money. But that’s not what this is all about. The atmosphere that Fool’s Gold brings is one that welcomes all forms of expression and encourages all artists to work together to make something truly golden! So THANK YOU A-Trak for bringing together all that matters in music, supporting hard-working artists on the rise, and showing us a good time!
Until next time, FOOOOOOL’S GOLD!
