At New York's Governors Ball

20 Established 1961 Tuesday, June 5, 2018 Lifestyle Music 2 Chainz Halsey US singer Karen O Silk City Top DJs fuse styles at New York’s Governors Ball wo of the most sought-after producers in pop track of old-school, dance-club house with vocals by music, Mark Ronson and Diplo, have walked differ- Australian R&B singer Daniel Merriweather. ent paths, with Ronson reviving retro funk and TDiplo reaching eagerly across the globe. The two Return of 2000s rock have fused their brands of dance music to create a new Coachella in California, the biggest-name US festival, duo, Silk City, which made its debut Saturday to the made waves this year by for the first time not booking any sweaty masses at New York’s Governors Ball. In its eighth rock acts as headliners. Not so for Governors Ball, whose year, Governors Ball-which brings some 150,000 people main stage Friday was led by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs fol- over three days to tiny Randall’s Island, where the New lowed by Jack White. Music nerds quickly noted a histori- York boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx come cal parallel. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, one of several indie together-remains the longest-running of a proliferating bands who revitalized the New York music scene at the number of summer music festivals in the metropolis. turn of the century, played their first show in 2000 as the This year’s festival took on daily themes, with Friday opening act to White’s duo The White Stripes in the city’s rekindling the flame of early cozy Mercury Lounge. 2000s indie rock and In one of their first shows in Saturday drawing a signifi- New York in recent years, the cantly younger crowd with a Yeah Yeah Yeahs tore through heavy emphasis on hip-hop. its back catalog led by the Silk City-so named after a Halsey urges stage-dominating presence of Philadelphia diner where a frontwoman Karen O, her young Diplo built his name as young voice searing through the fes- a DJ-kicked off a set with a tival grounds before switching distinct feel of Ronson as gears for the intensity of funk-infused beats merged generation “Maps,” the breakup roller- with snippets of soul. coaster that has become the deal exactly four years ago-and then had attended Diplo and Ronson-who to stay hopeful band’s most identifiable song. Governors Ball, broke and anonymous. produced for the late Amy White, again proving the The lineup was heavy on hip-hop with Travis Scott Winehouse and collaborated monstrous volume possibilities headlining before a massive audience Saturday, opening with Bruno Mars on block- on a sole guitar, played from with his soon-to-be-released track “Stargazing,” and buster hit “Uptown Funk”-in his proudly weird new album Eminem closing on Sunday. Other rappers at the festival the course of an hour incorporated decades worth of sam- “Boarding House Reach” but closed with White Stripes included 2 Chainz, Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert and Pusha T, ples from artists ranging from disco-era titan Van McCoy anthems-with the festival set-up meaning he could not Travis Scott who performed in the midst of his ever-escalating, social to young rap heroine Cardi B. While bringing in some of enforce his recent diktat that concert-goers surrender media-dominating feud with Drake. The crowd obliged the soaring sheets of electronica and pumping drums now their phones to focus on his music. him by shouting obscenities directed at Drake, one of the associated with Diplo, Silk City shied away from the stage top-grossing stars in recent years. Pusha T passed up on theatrics of Diplo’s Major Lazer project with the two vet- Hopeful message from Halsey the opening to insult Drake other than to perform erans spinning like classic DJs. Halsey found some of the most enthusiastic crowds of “Infrared,” in which he accuses Drake of not writing his Diplo, who has explored the Jamaican and Brazilian the festival Saturday as she showed off graceful dance own music.—AFP dance scenes and more recently crafted a fresh sound for moves and her new flowing blonde hair in a set that fea- Justin Bieber, described Silk City on Instagram as “an tured a stripped-down piano take of dance hit “Closer” homage to some of the greatest dance music cities in the and saluted the gay rights movement on the start of pride world ... Chicago, London, Detroit, Paris.” Silk City ahead month. Urging the young generation to stay hopeful, the of the show released a first single, “Only Can Get Better,” a 23-year-old told the crowd that she had signed a record People attend the eighth annual Governors Ball Music Festival on Randalls Island in New York. — AFP photos Eminem fuels Nicki Minaj dating rumors minem on Sunday fueled rumors that he ship with Eminem late last month when she con- about women-since he emerged in the 1990s. was dating Nicki Minaj, creating an ulti- tributed a verse to the song “Big Bank” by rap- He twice married and divorced Kim Scott, his Emate hip-hop power couple-and one which per YG. “Told ‘em I met Slim Shady / Bag the high school sweetheart from Michigan. few would have anticipated. Eminem, the top- Em / Once he go black he’ll be back again,” she The Trinidad-born Minaj, 35, last year said selling rapper of all time, addressed speculation said, using one of the alter ego character names she had ended a two-year relationship with fel- of the relationship as he headlined the of the white rapper. low rapper Meek Mill. The eight-year-old Governors Ball festival in New York-although Posting the verse on Instagram, Minaj was Governors Ball drew some 150,000 people over his phrasing was odd enough to leave lingering asked by a fan whether she was in fact dating three days to the city’s tiny Randall’s Island. doubts. “I’m going to tell you something about Eminem and she replied, “Yes.” But the unusual- Other performers included garage rocker Jack Nicki that she don’t even know,” Eminem told ly direct response stirred social media chatter White, boisterous rap star Travis Scott and fast- the crowd. that the relationship was little more than teasing rising pop singer Halsey.—AFP “We go together!” he said to cheers. “That’s between the two, and Eminem was coy on the all I wanted to say. Thank you for letting me get subject when addressing an earlier concert. that off my chest.” Minaj, one of the most influ- Eminem, 45, has generated headlines for his tur- ential women in hip-hop, suggested a relation- bulent personal life-and often violent lyricism.

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