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On Thursday afternoon (March 14), the Fader Fort stage at SXSW was heating up but rapper 10k.Caash was feeling the chill from the crowd. “Damn,” he said. “I know it’s early but can y’all turn up wit’ ya boy?’” A woman in the crowd giggled and then whined, “It’s early…”
And it was, relatively speaking. It was around 3 pm and the stage had been featuring artists since 11, but this was the second day of Fader’s concert series and the fourth day of SXSW Music — fans were still trying to get acclimated and 10k.Caash was feeling the brunt of it.
Caash’s squad tried to keep the energy levels high onstage as he ran through tracks from his The Creator project. Rico Nasty popped out for a bit to join 10k on their “Mutumbo” record. There was a young man onstage “flossing.” Two others from his crew repeatedly chided the crowd about standing too far from the stage. Rico 10k moved on to “Aloha” and “Swajjur Blast,” rapping: “I’m used to skipping outta class / But I’m really, really good at math / Hold on can you add? / Three times three, what is that?” By the time he got halfway through “Swagg Dig,” the crowd grew restless. “I feel like I just started rapping five months ago,” he said this twice for good measure. Then he offered, “But ASAP Rocky took me on my first tour so…”
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Later, Roc Nation’s Q Da Fool made his way to Fader Fort for a quick set. He jumped into “Str8,” “Guns n Bells” and “100 Round Goon.” The crowd was reinvigorated. Q’s set was literally three or four songs — concise but powerful.
Charlotte’s own, Da Baby was next up, unbeknownst to anyone but his crew and the higher-ups at The Fader. There was no special announcement made but the Fort is known for its surprise guests and pop-up performances. He got through the first high octane track before pulling his hoodie off and jumping into the crowd with another shirtless guy from his clique. Instinctively, the crowd held them up high above the phones that recorded every move. Baby jumped down into the crowd and began to move around never missing a bar. Fans enveloped him until he made his way back to the platform where he and his entire squad formed a sort of train and marched the perimeter of the stage. It was a move that could’ve looked corny if anyone else had attempted it.
Dreezy was up next and she gifted fans with her first live performance of the track “Ecstasy” from her most recent album, Big Dreez. She shook, popped and gyrated alongside her dancers while running through “RIP Aretha” and fan favorite “Chanel Slides.” The space had filled in and the stage was set for Big Boi to close the night out at Fader Fort Thursday evening.
“I hope Andre [3000] comes out,” one concertgoer shouted to his companion. The other man shrugged. There’s always a 50% — or less — chance that Dre will do a surprise OutKast reunion. It didn’t happen on Thursday night but Daddy Fat Stacks still managed to put on a very smooth set, beginning with “Miss Jackson” and weaving through “Shutterbug,” “The Whole World” and his latest track with Sleepy Brown, “Doin It.” The two announced that they would be forming an official group called ‘The Big Sleepover.’ The crowd cheered. “We ain’t doing nothing but drinking yac and hitting hoes from the back…,” Big Boi bantered with a laugh between songs. “Well, he is…,” he said, motioning towards Brown before dipping into “Bombs Over Baghdad,” “The Way You Move,” and ending with “Kryptonite.” Big and Sleepy Brown ended the evening perfectly with smash hits from the Dungeon, even without Andre 3000. For now, these two are the perfect pair.
