A few months ago, we got the heads up that some of the biggest names in hip-hop were coming to Stockholm this summer. Smash x Stadion is taking over Stockholm Stadion for a two-day festival in July, bringing with them massive names like A$AP Rocky and Migos as well as some rising stars. Smash’s press spokesperson Sulekha Daar says: “The interest in hip hop music is so enormous, so why not book the artists that people have on their playlists and that they follow on social media? We want to show these international and viral artists that they have fans here in Sweden too”. We got Sulekha to go through the booked artists for us.
A$AP Rocky
“Since 2012 A$AP Rocky has been part of hip-hop’s elite. The enormous single Fuckin’ Problems was the thing that launched the gifted Harlem rapper to the level of one of hip-hop’s biggest names. To welcome him to Stockholm for the first time, and to the royal arena Stadion, is magic”.
Bad Bunny
“Bad Bunny is a 25-year-old from Puerto Rico, who in his three years in the spotlight has already topped the charts a number of times. He’s an artist who isn’t shy about collaborating with the biggest artists now – he was on two of 2018’s most-streamed songs; his hit single MIA with one of the world’s biggest artists, Drake, as well as Cardi B’s megahit I Like It feat. J Balvin. Those two songs together have streamed over a billion times!”
Migos
“The Atlanta trio Migos have been, since their breakout single Bad and Boujee, a permanent fixture at the top of the charts. Since then, they’ve released a string of unforgettable hits such as Motorsport (feat. Nicki Minaj & Cardi B), Stir Fry, Walk It Talk It (feat. Drake). With loads more up their sleeves, we can guarantee that you don’t want to miss out on this!”
Juice WRLD
“There’s no doubt that Juice WRLD has taken the music world by storm over the past year. After his debut single Lucid Dreams in 2018, he’s topped the charts all over the world, and his streaming numbers are increasing rapidly. His latest album Death Race For Love peaked at #1 on the well-known Billboard 200 chart for two weeks in a row”.
Jessie Reyez
“Jessie Reyez is making her big solo Stockholm debut at Stadion. Her musical journey has been filled with amazing collaborations, with Eminem, Calvin Harris and Kehlani, to name a few”.
Z.E
“He came from nowhere, he saw and he conquered. Z.E. is a rapper who, without backing from a label or a PR-machine, has become one of Sweden’s most interesting and biggest artists. He is the current holder of ‘Årets Artist (Artist Of The Year) at the Grammis. This summer, you’ll see him at festivals all around the country – this is only the beginning of an amazing journey”.
J.I.D
“J.I.D is an American rapper and songwriter signed to J.Cole’s label Dreamville. He has ever since his debut, topped charts all over the world with his albums The Never Story and DiCaprio 2. He has an impressive list of collaborations during his career, including artists like J.Cole, 6lack, Thundercat and the late Mac Miller.”
Gunna
“Gunna is the artist whose name is on everyone’s lips. In 2016 he was introduced to the artist Yung Thug, who quickly became his mentor and even signed Gunna to his label YSL Records. Since then, he’s released the mixtapes Drip Season, Drip Season 2 and Drip Season 3. Gunna and Lil Baby also released their joint mixtape *Drip Harder*. He started off this year by releasing his album Drip Or Drown 2″.
Future Stars
“At Stadion we’ll also have a number of internet sensations and future stars: ICY GRL-rapper Saweetie from California, Brooklyn’s baddest Rico Nasty, Britain’s R’n’B hope Ama Lou and the underground rap talent Flohio. Even if their musical styles are different, they all have one thing in common – they’ve all had praise heaped on them by critics and tastemakers from all over the world”.
Smash x Stadion, July 2-3, Stadion
Photo: Z.E. Press
