Recap: Hot 97's Summer Jam 2017
Everybody who is anybody in the Tristate area knows that one of the hottest concerts of the summer is Hot 97's Summer Jam and this year was no different! With a whole day of nonstop performances and surprise guests, Hot 97 knows how to bring the heat to kick summer off right.
The festival stage located in the parking lot outside of MetLife Stadium is a place where not only can you hear some of your favorite lesser known artists but also place to just kick back and have fun, vibing out to the music. People come from all over the Tristate to experience the festival stage and can be seen doing things such as tailgating, selling $5 Nutcrackers, just generally enjoying the experience of Summer Jam. With the heat being turned up in all senses of the term, concertgoers made sure to stay hydrated and some of the acts and DJs tried their best to keep the crowd cool, encouraging patrons to even throw water in the air during Swag Surf (an oldie but a goodie for sure!) Aside from the occasional technical difficulty from the microphones and some artists' sets getting cut short in the interest of time, no complaints coming from me as far as the festival stage. FYI, for the artists who heard booing as they were walking off stage, we weren't booing you, we were booing because your time was cut short. Totally on your side, we don't hate you, we promise.
Now, let's move inside to the Stadium Stage where literally anything can happen! 2017 marked 20 years since the death of New York hip-hop icon the Notorious B.I.G. which drove ticket sales through the roof. If Hot 97 sponsored a show dedicated to Biggie's 20th anniversary, they would make a killing off of that alone. Not only did Doug E. Fresh (... if you don't know who that is, stop reading this and take your butt over to YouTube IMMEDIATELY) and Mister Cee act as masters of ceremony but you had the best that Bad Boy Records had to offer. I mean, Total, Faith Evans, 112, COME ON! You don't have to be over the age of 30 to appreciate a set of that caliber. Speaking of guest appearances, can we talk about Remy and Fat Joe's performance for a sec. Yes, it was advertised as Fat Joe and Remy Ma but Remy took over the show COMPLETELY and with good reason too. She brought out Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lady of Rage, Monie Love, Lil Kim, and Cardi B (which ... if anyone from Hot 97 is reading this blog... PLEASE BRING HER FOR THE FESTIVAL STAGE NEXT YEAR!! It would be greatly appreciated) and to top it off performed Shether. You can't get any better than that.
Those were just some of the highlights from Summer Jam 2017. Don't believe me when I say a concert could be this lit? Buy a ticket for next year and see it for yourself. Also, check out some of the flicks from this year's Summer Jam on our Out & About page!