As the DJ cued the classic soul vinyl, the lights blasted a massive crowd to reveal Brooklyn’s finest, Mos Def. Thus began my experience at the UCR Heat 2008 music festival.
Katrina-sized raindrops were no match for the fire that scorched the stage. The lineup this year ranged from Moby to Circa Survive, Mos Def to the Clipse and Girl Talk to 311. In total there were three stages and 17 acts!
The festival started at 6 p.m. with performances by Aloe Blacc on the Jam Stage and Low B on the main stage. The crowds were huge, the food was expensive and the floor was muddy, but the music made up for all that.
Mos Def came out rockin’ the crowd from jump. Not only was dude fresh, but he came out spittin’ fresh tracks off his upcoming album, The Ecstatic. Mos Def ended his set with a couple of fan favorites, such as “Umi Says,” “Travelling Man” and “Ms. Fat Booty.”
After the Mos Def set I made my way over to the Jam stage, where the Clipse was going to perform. Highlights from the set were “Grindin,” “Mr. Me Too” and “20k Money Making Brothers on the Corner” off brand new mixtape We Got It For Cheap vol. 3.
By the end of the event my kicks were trash and my ears were gone, but man, was that shit hot.
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