Tag: Mala Luna Music Festival

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: G-Eazy

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Hailing from Oakland, California is rapper G-Eazy who Billboard calls “The Young Elvis.” In 2008, G-Eazy started out as a record producer and began working on numerous singles while also attending Loyola University at New Orleans.

However, his real popularity began in 2010 when he became the opening act for well-known rappers such as Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg. Shortly afterwards in 2011 came the release of his mixtape The Endless Summer, which included an updated version of Dion’s 1961 hit, “Runaround Sue.”  This track would end up generating more than 4 million YouTube views and gaining widespread acclaim.

G-Eazy’s debut album titled These Things Happen was released back in June of 2014 and the album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The majority of These Things Happen was produced by Christoph Andersson and G-Eazy himself. With their R&B vibes, “I Mean,” “Shoot Me Down” and “Downtown,” were great standout tracks on These Things Happen.

Lastly, G-Eazy’s second album titled When It’s Dark Out was released in November of 2015. The recording sessions for the album took place during 2014 to 2015, with the album being produced executively by G-Eazy and Christoph Andersson. The 17-track album included high-profile guests such as Chris Brown, Tory Lanez, Kehani, Big Sean, E-40, Too $hort and Keyshia Cole.

When It’s Dark Out featured the hit single “Me Myself and I,” which peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100!

Get familiar with G-Eazy’s music below before you watch him perform at Mala Luna Music Festival. Get your tickets here.

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: Steve Aoki

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Steve Aoki is an icon among electro-house artists. He is best known for his unique live sets where he covers the crowd in birthday cake (yes, legit birthday cake), then gives them a champagne shower (yes, with actual bubbly), and crowd surfs on actual inflatable boats. Aoki’s the definition of rage king!

Embrace the ? #cakefaceseries

A photo posted by Steve Aoki (@steveaoki) on

Steven Hiroyuki Aoki, better known as Steve Aoki, has been a DJ for quite some time now. The 38 year old has definitely perfected his craft. Steve’s well known for his own tracks, as well as his many collab’s and remixes. He collab’d with Kid Cudi for his remix of “Pursuit of Happiness”, that was featured in the movie Project X. He remixed Drake’s “Forever”. He collab’d with Will.I.Am for “I’m in the House”, which was a hit with MTV’s reality series Jersey Shore. Aoki has also worked with Diplo, Tiesto, The All American Rejects, and Bassnectar…just to name a few. Steve founded his own label, Dim Mak, back in 1996 and named it after his idol Bruce Lee. Dim Mak is the home for Aoki, as well as many additional artists such as MSTRKRFT, Bloody Beetroots, Bloc Party, and more. Netflix came out with the documentary “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” based on Steve Aoki, and it’s literally his life motto. He has a ‘can’t stop won’t stop’ attitude, and it’s rooted from his father. The documentary follows Steve, and shows us how crazy his life truly is. Steve Aoki has released several albums over his career, with the most notable being Wonderland, and recent 2 part Neon Future series. Wonderland was released in 2012 and features were stacked with Kid Cudi, LMFAO, Travis Barker, Will.I.Am, etc. It’s the album that Steve blew up off of. Neon Future l was released in 2014, and Neon Future ll in 2015. Notable features include Waka, Snoop, Kid Ink, MGK, Flux, and Will.I.Am.

Stop and look up at the ? & you’ll realize how small we really are A photo posted by Steve Aoki (@steveaoki) on

Steve Aoki continues to go hard, and there’s no sign of him stopping anytime soon. Definitly make sure to catch him at Mala Luna, snag tickets here.

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: Tory Lanez

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Tory Lanez also known as #SWAVEY hails from Toronto, Canada! He started rapping at the age of 15 and gave himself the nickname, Notorious (which is a reference to the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.), and later adopted the name into his moniker “Tory Lanez.”

Recently, Tory’s single “Luv” cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number one on the mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Prior to “Luv,” the first single “Say It” off his debut album I Told You was certified Platinum in April.

“I started doing this just with the singing a couple of years ago, a year and a half ago. The whole I Told You, there’s nothing written. That was all out of the feeling. That’s why the album is so incredible to me – it’s all out of the heart, I didn’t take time to pre-calculate it,” said Tory to Rolling Stones in regards to his new album.

Tory is also known for his impressive single series known as “Fargo Fridays,” where he drops some very hot records every Friday. Continuing his “Fargo Fridays” in what maybe a friendly competition with Drake, Tory remixed Drake’s “Controlla,” which was a summer favorite for everyone.

The amazing thing about Tory is even though he’s a rapper, he’s best known as a singer even though he’s never had any formal training. According to Fader, “one of his highest-profile gigs to date was singing the hook on YG’s “Me And My Bitch,” off My Krazy Life.”

Get familiar with Tory Lanez’ music below before you watch him tear down the stage! Get your tickets here!

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: Kehlani

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It’s only been two years since Kehlani released her first mixtape, Cloud 19, but it feels like much longer. Since then, we’ve watched Kehlani become a huge success story. Her smash, GRAMMY-NOMINATED mixtape You Should Be Here was ranked 16th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 20 Best Albums of 2015. YSBH really established the 21-year-old Oakland native as an artist who’s here to stay. Since its release, we’ve seen this girl everywhere. She signed to Atlantic Records and sold out every single date of her first North American tour. She’s had features on huge records from Zayn, Pusha T, G-Eazy and Marc E. Bassy. Kehlani could also be called a festival pro: she performed at SXSW 2015 and 2016, Austin City Limits Music Festival last year, JMBLYA, and Roots Picnic just to name a few. She’s also recently been given the opportunity to open for her Lauryn Hill, for whom Kehlani has so much admiration that she tattooed Ms. Hill’s face on her arm.

Since YSBH, Kehlani has released some new music, including her hit “Gangsta” from the Suicide Squad soundtrack. Right now, you probably can’t get “CRZY” out of your head, and neither can plenty of other music lovers; it’s currently sitting on the Billboard Top 100.

The line “If I gotta be a bitch, I’ma be a bad one” from “CRZY” is pretty indicative of Kehlani’s writing style. She’s confident, and she tells it like it is without any sugar coating. As for her singing style, Kehlani can mix half-rapping, half-singing like on “Did I” or “Runnin” or go full-on powerhouse. Her breathy, sultry R&B vocals can blend with trap beats and piano melodies alike and make anything she touches turn to gold.

If you’ve never seen Kehlani’s live performances or videos, you may be surprised to learn that she’s a talented dancer. She started out as a ballerina, but her hip-hop choreography on stage is extremely impressive and more complex than that of most other performers out right now. Besides the dancing, what really brings the energy to her live performances is her extremely loyal fan base, known as the Tsunami Mob. The commitment and passion of the Tsunami Mob really says a lot about Kehlani as an artist. They have a relatable artist whom they respect and admire, and they know they’re going to get a good show. Here’s the formula: Noodles, Kehlani’s DJ, hypes up the already anxious crowd and Kehlani and her dancers come out and bring their A-game; and they kill it every time.

Get your tickets to see Kehlani and the rest of the line up here.

Mala Luna Presents: Lil Uzi Vert

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Symere Woods, better known as Lil Uzi Vert, is a 22 year old trap-rapper out of Philly. He’s been rapping since 2014, and was first noticed with his feature on Carnage’s “WDYW”. Uzi’s solo hype recently skyrocketed with his Luv is Rage mixtape and hit single, “Money Longer”.

Uzi’s fresh to the rap game, and has already been recognized as an artist to watch by Complex, XXL, Noisey, Rolling Stone, and Spin, just to name a few. Complex describes him as the “next rap phenomenon”. Noisey describes him as the “center of the trap rap snapchat generation gap”. AND he has been given The 2016 XXL Freshmen Class crown.

A photo posted by @liluzivert on

Uzi’s inspired by A$AP Mob, Mike Jones, The Ying Yang Twins, Wiz, and….Marilyn Manson? Yes, Marilyn Manson. Uzi jumped on that bandwagon during his “rockstar phase” at 13. Manson influenced Uzi’s style, and Uzi views him as “one of the most intelligent people I ever saw in my life”.

A photo posted by @liluzivert on

A$AP Ferg recently released “Uzi Gang” in honor of Lil Uzi Vert. Uzi isn’t an official member of A$AP Mob, but he is heavily affiliated with them and shares a similar style. Uzi is currently signed with Atlantic Records. Cop your tickets to see Lil Uzi Vert at Mala Luna Festival here.

A photo posted by @liluzivert on

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: Jacquees

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R&B singer Jacquees, also known as Rodriquez Broadnax, hails from Atlanta, a city known for breeding talented rappers. In the beginning of his career, Jacquees admitted that he wanted to be a rapper and that “by the time he had turned 12, he was already in the studio and he became the boy everybody knew in his town for singing.”

Jacquees also began to gain more exposure with the release of his first single, titled “Krazy,” which featured rapper T.I that came about as a result of his relationship with Block Entertainment.

Additionally, Jacquees was only 21-years-old when he first signed to Cash Money Records, and Birdman admitted that he “just felt like Jacquees had a lot of swag” during their first encounter. This encounter was made possible due to Rich Homie Quan connecting Jacquees with Birdman leading to a major record contract and management deal.

And back in April of this year, Jacquees released his latest project, Lost at Sea, which was met with positive reviews.

“Lost at Sea is different from all my other projects because this is the first I’ll be doing a whole project with another artist. And I’m really versatile on this project,” Jacquees said. “So you know like records like “Like Baby” where I’m swangin’ – You know, I call my rapping ‘swangin’’ cause it’s not real rap.  It’s swangin’, its melodic. So I’m doing a lot of swangin’ on the project.  A lot of R&B records too.  The music’s just dope. It’s a new wave for Rich Gang.”

Jacquees also recently teamed up with Tink on their collaborative single titled “Outta Line” which premiered on The Fader. “The song happened after a long time of trying to connect with one another,” Jacquees told The FADER in an email. “I had a show in Chicago and flew in a day early and Tink happened to have a session so we just linked up that night to record ‘Outta Line.'”

Get your tickets to see Jacquees and the rest of the line up here. Also listen to Quemix 2 by Jacquees below!

Get your tickets to see Jacquees and the rest of the line up here.

Mala Luna Presents: G Herbo

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Herbert Wright aka Lil Herb aka G Herbo is a youngin’ on his grind. He grew up in East Chicago in what is known as “Terror Town”, but has found a way out. Herbo is currently signed with Cinematic Music Group.

G Herbo collaborated with his bud, Lil Bibby, on “Kill Shit”, and it helped make a name for him/them with nearly 20 million views via YouTube. Drake even chimed in and acknowledged the track as “the future”.

At just 20, the Chicago native has been crowned A 2016 XXL Freshman. He is honored to be part of the class and knows that it will do great things for the future of his rap career.

“I always looked up to big stars on XXL. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, [and those] on the Freshman cover. To be on it, it’s like I’m continuing the legacy. And grindin’ it out. I feel like that’s what it’s about, dedicating yourself to the grind. And it depends on what you do it for, what you in it for. I love the grind. Sometimes it gets overwhelming, I might be a little tired, but then I get on a plane, go to sleep, wake up. I’m on it.”

G Herbo dropped his first mixtape, Road to Fazoland, in 2012. It was then followed by Road 2 Riches in 2013, and Welcome to Fazoland in 2014. The term “Fazoland” honors Herbo’s friend Fazon Robinson who was killed in the midst of Chicago’s gun violence.

G Herbo continued his rap career with Pistol P Project at the end of 2014, and his most recent mixtape Ballin’ Like I’m Kobe in 2015. Ballin’ Like I’m Kobe also honors another one of Herbo’s friends that lost his life to Chicago’s gun violence, Jacobi D. Herring.

G Herbo announced his debut album, Humble Beast, at SXSW 2016. It is expected this fall.

Get your tickets to see G Herbo and the rest of the line up here.

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: Sango

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Here’s a description of Sango’s music in a few words: it’s a mix of everything you love and everything you don’t know you love yet. The Seattle-born producer loves to mix your favorite 90s and 2000s hip-hop and R&B with his own creative instrumentals and… Brazilian baile funk. Sango’s Brazil-inspired Da Rocinha series has gained massive attention, most notably for the wildly popular track “Agorinha.” Since Sango’s name comes from a female character in a Japanese manga series, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out that he loves mixing in international influences. The rare ingredients he mixes together complement each other tremendously; his 229,000 SoundCloud followers can back him up on that.

Sango is no stranger to music festivals; he’s held spots at Coachella, Electric Forest, and earlier this year, Broccoli City. He’s also done countless shows with the rest of his crew from Soulection, the buzzworthy, LA-based producer and DJ collective known for its futuristic sounds, heavy SoundCloud fan base, and Beats 1 radio show.

Aside from his Da Rocinha series, Sango is known for his collaborations with artists like JMSN, Tinashe, and fellow Soulection member GoldLink. His debut album North was released in 2013 and includes the track “Middle of Things, Beautiful Wife” which features frequent collaborator Xavier Omar. He and Xavier Omar also put out a project called Hours Spent Loving You earlier this year.

What’s a Sango live show like? He spoke to Vibe earlier this year about his process.

“I have a set up and in that set up I have my main songs that I’ll play. Then, I have a side library from like literally each city, so when I go to a region I’m already prepared with what moves them.”

It will be very interesting to see what this means for a Texas show. Sango has been known to mix in Timbaland instrumentals, Outkast vocals, and even old Immature samples into his beats, so San Antonio most likely has some delightful surprises to look forward to during his set later this month.

Get your tickets to see Sango and the rest of the line up here.

Mala Luna Music Festival Presents: Kranium

 

MALA_1080X1080_Kranium (1)It’s hard to deny the power of dancehall music as it’s taken over Summer ’16 with dancehall vibes etched into the top songs on the Billboard Charts from Rihanna’s work, Drake’s Controlla to Tory Lanez’ Luv. With that being said, one can’t discuss dancehall music without mentioning Kranium, who is the only reggae-dancehall artist signed to Atlantic Records with artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign and Coldplay on their roster.  Kranium was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and moved to Florida in 2005 but relocated to New York one year later.

Additionally, Kranium is best known for his 2015 summer smash “Nobody Has To Know,” which peaked at number 44 on the Billboard charts. Also, Kranium recently dropped “We Can” with Tory Lanez featured on the track. According to the Jamaica Star, “Kranium has performed in front of audiences in the US, UK, Europe and Africa. This summer, Kranium took part in Drake’s OVO Fest as well as the Redbull Culture Clash as a member of the winning Mixpak Crew, alongside dancehall stars Popcaan, Tony Matterhorn and Spice.”

Check out some of Kranium’s best tracks below, and grab your tickets to see him perform at Mala Luna Music Festival.

Rae Sremmurd – “Black Beatles” feat. Gucci Mane [Visual]

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Yesterday Rae Sremmurd dropped their visual for “Black Beatles” (featuring Gucci Mane) off of their latest record, ShremmLife 2. In the video Slim Jxmmi, Swae Lee, and Gucci unveil their inner-rockstar. The three jam out on guitars while rocking rockstar threads and, of course, getting all the ladies.

We recently announced the full lineup for our Mala Luna Music Festival at Lone Star Brewery in San Antonio this October, where Rae Sremmurd will be making a special appearance. Snag tickets:

Mala Luna Music Festival: Oct. 29 – Oct. 30

Check the visual for “Black Beatles” below: