- Alex Wroblewski courtesy Chicago Sun-Times
- Common at Aahh! Fest
During Common’s headlining performance at yesterday’s Aahh! Fest the Chicago hip-hop icon called the daylong bash “a breath of fresh air.” Yes, the rapper’s biased—he helped organize the affair, and the phrase “by Common” appeared on festival banners—but he had a point. After three months jammed with multiday events featuring more acts than one person could reasonably expect to see Aahh! Fest provided a pleasantly low-key and intimate end to the busy summer festival season.
- Alex Wroblewski courtesy Chicago Sun-Times
- Common and Kanye
Throughout the day nearly every performer touted Aahh! Fest as something special, but that wasn’t realized until the very end, after a stream of important figures in Chicago hip-hop wound up on stage. It wasn’t all perfect; Lupe had to weather some unfortunate sound issues and his mike got cut off before he was ready to leave the stage; Twista only played three songs. But seeing Common and Rhymefest stand behind West as he performed “Clique” felt momentous for Chicago hip-hop, or at least part of it.
