SZA and Migos have been two of the most exciting acts to watch over the past couple of years. The former breathed new life into R&B with her hyper-confessional, hyper-relatable album CTRL, while the latter changed the rap game as we know it with their triplet flows and animated adlibs. On May 12 and 13, both groundbreaking artists with a well-curated lineup of notable up-and-comers come to West Oakland’s Middle Harbor Shoreline Park for Blurry Vision, a two-day festival.
While other Bay Area festivals tend to vie for intergenerational appeal with a mix of older and newer artists, Blurry Vision unapologetically celebrates the new school. The Saturday lineup features rambunctious rap crew Brockhampton, R&B crooners Majid Jordan, poetic MC Isaiah Rashad, and Canadian R&B artist Roy Woods, who is on Drake’s OVO label.
Artists to look for on Sunday, May 13, include Oakland’s own Kamaiyah, rapper and multi-instrumentalist Anderson .Paak’s new project NxWorries, and Rejjie Snow, a new Irish rapper who appears to be highly influenced by the soulful and funky sounds of Chicago and Washington DC via artists like Chance the Rapper and Goldlink.
SZA and Migos are already dominating the charts — and there’s a good chance you’ll be hearing from the other artists on the lineup over the next year. This festival is a good chance to get acquainted.
