'This is just euphoria': Fans find community at J. Cole's Dreamville Festival
Akira Kyles
RALEIGH — Euphoria.
That’s the word Mar Walker used to describe J. Cole's Dreamville Festival.
“Euphoria is the highest moment that you’re happiest at,” he said. “That’s definitely Dreamville. This is just euphoria. It’s amazing."
The 21-year-old from Pembroke said that not only was this his first time attending Dreamville in Raleigh, but this was his first concert ever. He said he was looking most forward to seeing J. Cole and J.I.D.
The inaugural Dreamville Festival, which was was just one day in 2019, expanded into a two-day, multi-stage festival this year.
From selling his mixtapes on Fayetteville streets to creating a festival attended by tens of thousands in his home state, J. Cole brought everything full circle for fans who have supported him since his humble beginnings on Forest Hills Drive
With vendors selling food and merchandise, carnival rides, art structures that made for the perfect Instagram photo, and its star-studded lineup, the Dreamville Festival was a massive success.
The moment the gates opened at Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park each day, festivalgoers turned into track stars to get the best view in the front row. Festival organizers said about 40,000 people attended each day of the two-day, outdoor festival.
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Dreamville Day 1: 'It's awesome'
After two years of cancellations due to the pandemic, 2022 held back nothing.
Saturday’s performances included another Fayetteville native and music sensation Morray, along with Blxst; Earthgang; Fivio Foreign; Ja Rule and Ashanti; J.I.D; Kehlani; Lil Baby; Lute; Mereba; Mikhala Jené; Moneybagg Yo; and WizKid.
Thousands of music lovers bounced between the three stages, Rise, Shine and DJ, singing along as the bass vibrated through their chests.
Many people came from beyond North Carolina to see the show. Kreshundra Casteal, 23, from Maryland, said she was determined not to miss it this year
“I saw the very first one and wanted to come but couldn’t make it, so I definitely had to make it when they brought it back and to see J. Cole definitely was important,” she said.
By what she attributed as sheer luck, she was able to watch the shows from the front of the Shine stage.
“These last few days have been awesome — the energy, the people I’ve been around — it’s awesome,” she said.
Aside from J. Cole, she said she was most looking forward to seeing Lil Baby the first night.
The camaraderie was the strongest within the crowds as festivalgoers made sure to notify a medic if they saw anyone in distress.
In the wake of a deadly November concert in Houston where eight people were killed in the crush at a music festival, performers like Fayetteville's Morray and J.I.D stopped their sets when they noticed someone in distress and wouldn’t proceed until they made sure the person was OK.
In proper North Carolina fashion, toward the end of day one, on the grass field next to the Rise stage, the UNC v. Duke game provided another form of entertainment to attendees.
Some attendees said they were upset when Moneybagg Yo left the stage after only a few minutes of his set because the crowd wasn’t giving him enough energy. Their frustrations continued after Lil Baby started his performance late following Moneybagg Yo.
Dreamville Day 2: 'All good people'
The second and final day of the festival saw lines just as long and packed as the first.
Sunday’s performances included: Ari Lennox; Bas; Bia; Cozz; DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz Featuring: Lil Wayne + Jeezy + T.I.; Larry June; Omen; Rico Nasty; T. Pain; The Hics; Wale; and Wiz Khalifa.
During his set, Bas brought a member of the audience on the stage to perform with him on one of his songs. The crowd cheered for an encore after Bas was done, and he came back out to perform a new single he recorded with Gunna.
T-Pain kept the crowd riled up as he performed some of his hit songs such as “Bartender,” “Two Step” and “Good Life.”
He also performed one of his new singles called “That’s Just Tips” toward the end of his set.
Performers and crowd members continued to work cohesively to get help to anyone who seemed to need medical attention. Rico Nasty had to stop during her performance to notify staff the crowd was signaling for help for an audience member.
Raleigh native Jayden Towe, 17, was among the throngs at the front row of the Shine stage for the second day in a row.
“I’m not here with friends or like family, so I just talked to people around me,” she said. “I didn’t know any of these people yesterday, so I met all these people.”
In addition to the newfound friendships, Towe said she loved how safe she felt at the festival.
“I wouldn’t do this if I was at any other festival, I would always bring somebody with me,” she said. “I would always be aware, but I feel pretty chill. It’s all good people, all the same kind of mentality.”
Towe said once she reunited with the same people the following day, they all got together at the front stage again, with one mission in mind — don’t move until J. Cole arrives.
Right before J. Cole's set, Ari Lennox, along with her all-woman band, settled the crowd with her smooth R&B songs like "Backseat," "New Apartment" and "Whipped Cream."
At one point in her set, Lennox tried to bring out her young nephew, in part to celebrate his birthday, but he got too nervous so instead, the audience of thousands sang the little boy happy birthday before she proceeded with her performance.
J. Cole wrapped up the festival on the Shine stage, starting his performance just before 10 p.m.
The Dreamville Festival founder and platinum-selling artist performed a variety of his hits including "A Tale of 2 Citiez" and "Love Yourz" before bringing out Ari Lennox to perform "Shea Butter Baby."
Then other members of Dreamville joined the two on stage to perform some tracks from their "Revenge of the Dreamers III" album including "Down Bad" and "Under the Sun."
The festival concluded just as it started during each performance — with a bang. Fireworks exploded over the crowd from behind the Shine stage as J.Cole exited and the crowd began to disperse.
Staff writer Akira Kyles can be reached at akyles@gannett.com.