Once Upon A Time In LA Fest Lineup Has Tons Of Rap And R&B Nostalgia, Looks Amazing
Last year, before the pandemic fucked up everybody’s plans, Goldenvoice announced Lovers & Friends, a Los Angeles festival that was heavy on throwback rap and R&B, especially ’90s stuff. That didn’t get to happen, and there have been no announcements about another Lovers & Friends fest. But today, we get the announcement of a festival that’ll do nicely in its stead: The Once Upon A Time In LA Fest, a festival whose lineup ropes in entire generations of West Coast funk.
LA Fest goes down 12/18 at Banc Of California & Exposition Park, and it’s got Al Green as its main headliner. That’s amazing. Along with Green, the main headliners are all rappers: LA-area legends Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and YG, as well as 50 Cent. 50’s old foe the Game is one of the many other West Coast rap stars on the bill. Along with Snoop and Cube, the show also features Too Short and E-40, the other two members of the new supergroup Mt. Westmore, as well as Cypress Hill, DJ Quik, Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Suga Free, Mack 10, WC, Xzibit, the Eastsidaz, Psycho Realm, and Lil Rob.
The rest of the bill seems to be divided into three subgroups. You’ve got your classic funk and soul stars: The Isley Brothers, George Clinton, War, Zapp, Brenton Wood, Mary Jane Girls, Morris Day, Cameo, Lisa Lisa, Heatwave, SOS Band. In a single line of poster text, you’ve got the Dramatics, the Delfonics, the Stylistics, and the Chi-Lites. I don’t even care how many original members are still around; that’s beautiful. Along with 50 Cent, you’ve also got Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three Six Mafia, rap rap legends from other regions who have maintained strong West Coast ties. And then there’s the whole new generation of West Coast rappers: Dom Kennedy, OhGeesy, Blueface, Drakeo The Ruper, RJmrLA, Kamaiyah, OT Genasis, Berner. This is easily the best 2021 festival lineup I’ve seen yet, and it looks like a great time. I’ve never seen a festival with Rose Royce and the Cover Girls in bottom-of-the-poster tiny font before, and I love it. You can find all the relevant details here.
