It's already July and we're still hearing about new summer music festivals joining Chicago's already-crowded calendar in the coming months. The latest addition to the slate is the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash, which will take over Douglas Park (also home to Riot Fest) on August 19, with a hip-hop-focused bill headlined by Brooklyn emcee Joey Bada$$, cloud rap phenomenon Trippie Redd and local rapper Vic Mensa.
The festival is curated by Chicago hip-hop blog Lyrical Lemonade, which is run by Cole Bennett, a 22-year-old videographer and artist manager who has established himself as a rap tastemaker, working with rising acts like Ski Mask the Slump God, Yung Bans and Lil Skies (all of whom will perform at the fest). Bennett has helped organize summer concerts at the Portage Theatre for the past two years, but this year's event, presented in partnership with local production company SPKRBX, marks the first time that the one-day festival will be held in an outdoor venue.
Tickets for the fest are on sale now, with general admission passes priced at $55 and VIP tickets going for $100 (the latter includes Lyrical Lemonade-branded goodies). The Summer Smash will take place less than a month before the Breaks Vol. II, another Chicagoland hip-hop music festival that will bring the Wu-Tang Clan and Curren$y to Toyota Park.
Check out the complete Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash lineup below.
