The Hyde Park Summer Fest 2023 was bigger and better than ever before. Everything from the performances to vendors were top tier. Chicago came out a packed Midway Plaisance two days in a row for the experience. After a few tweaks of the schedule and some beautiful summer weather Midway Plaisance was filled with smiling faces on the first day.
Grammy Award-nominated producer and DJ Terry Hunter got the people on their feet dancing to Chicago house music rhythms on the campus of the University of Chicago. The beautiful songstress Alex Isley serenaded fans with a list of hits. LIBIANCA and Big N brought the continent of Africa to Hyde Park and set the stage for a legendary set by Uncle Waffles from South Africa. Rapper 2 Chainz brought the energy and fresh gear. He lit the stage up all by himself. DJ J Illa continued the vibes. The Clipse closed out the first night with a legendary performance reuniting for a full set after splitting up in 2010.
On day two, the Chicago Hip Hop 50 set kicked off with Shawnna delivering a high-energy performance. She was followed up by Crucial Conflict who came to show the world why they were thrust into stardom with the help of Fab Five Freddy. They did the bulk of their songs from the debut project The Final Tic. When they performed “Hay” attendees sang every word.
Twista closed out the Chicago Hip Hop 50 set with his biggest hits and demonstrated that Guinness World Records speed live.
Robert Glasper brought his unique brand of jazz and chill vibes. Chicago native Lalah Hathaway joined Glasper during his set and performed their Grammy Award-winning song “Jesus Children.” Tobe Nwigwe followed Glasper with a performance filled with color, synchronization and big voices. Kali and Lola Brooke held it down for Gen Z on the second stage.
The final performance of the night brought everyone to the main stage to witness the legendary Lil Kim close out Hyde Park Summer Fest. Lil Kim came ready to perform. Her dancers filled the stage and cleared the way for the Queen Bee to get busy. Lil Cease from Junior M.A.F.I.A. joined Kim mid-set to perform their most notable hits. Chicago rapper Mello Buckz got the co-sign from Lil Kim as she joined her on stage to perform her song “Mouskatool.”
Check out a few pictures from the Hyde Park Summer Fest below.
