5 most memorable moments from Hot 97 Summer Jam 2023
Review: Here are the most unforgettable moments of the annual Summer Jam concert featuring Cardi B, French Montana, Ice Spice, and more.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
The Hot 97 Summer Jam concert is one of the year’s most anticipated music festivals. With the 50th anniversary of hip-hop this year, coinciding with the concert moving from New Jersey to Long Island, Sunday’s lineup focused heavily on acts that hail from the tri-state area.
Cardi B, The Lox, French Montana, Fivio Foreign, Lola Brooke, Coi Leray, Ice Spice and more brought the heat at Summer Jam with a packed UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Here are five of the most memorable moments of the concert.
Coi Leray Sets The Tone With “Players”
Coi Leray ended her set with a showstopping rendition of her breakout hit, “Players.” Flanked with dancers around her, she performed the smash single using the original sample of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” and the current remix sampling Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.” She then sped things up, ending the set at a fever pitch with the crowd on its feet.
DaBaby’s Surprise Appearance
The most shocking moment of Summer Jam came a little more than halfway through the night. Funkmaster Flex brought out DaBaby. The hitmaking rapper has hardly made stage appearances since a controversial homophobic rant at the Rolling Loud festival in 2021. DaBaby’s presence, however, caused the capacity audience to go wild. He briefly performed three quick songs, including “Shake Sumn,” as he entered the audience, inviting female ticketholders to twerk beside him.
Remy Ma Joins French Montana
French Montana ran through a string of his hit singles, guest features, and mixtape anthems during his 20-minute set. There was no greater moment during his set than when he performed “All The Way Up,” his hit with Fat Joe and Remy Ma. After Montana did his guest verse, Remy casually strolled onto the front of the stage to do her verse, inspiring a large reverberation of cheers.
The Lox Bridges Generation Hip-Hop Gap
The Lox was the most seasoned act on the Summer Jam lineup. Their set was billed as a celebration of 50 years of hip-hop. They made the most of the circumstances by performing their hit material and bringing out Rakim and Scar Lip to perform their songs. Rakim, one of the most influential rappers ever, rhymed “Eric B. For President” and “Paid in Full,” while Scar Lip, a newcomer, had the crowd rhyming during her bubbling single, “This is New York.”
Cardi B Brings The Fire
Cardi B closed the New York-centric Summer Jam fest with, by far, the most elaborate stage set up of the night. Complete with pyrotechnics, fog and stream, a descending staircase, and stripper poles; the Grammy-winning rapper gave fans a performance to remember. She ran through smash hits like “Press,” “WAP,” and “I Like It” while including some prominent names like Latto and 21 Savage.
Matthew Allen is an entertainment writer of music and culture for theGrio. He is an award-winning music journalist, TV producer and director based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s interviewed the likes of Quincy Jones, Jill Scott, Smokey Robinson and more for publications such as Ebony, Jet, The Root, Village Voice, Wax Poetics, Revive Music, Okayplayer, and Soulhead. His video work can be seen on PBS/All Arts, Brooklyn Free Speech TV and BRIC TV.
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