Every year, during a weekend in November, Tyler, The Creator hosts a special carnival at Dodger Stadium. This music festival, called Camp Flog Gnaw (CFG), is a star-studded festival headlined by a variety of amazing artists, full of rap, R&B, indie, and rock music. When Tyler announced that the festival would be having its 10th anniversary back in June, I knew this would be an unforgettable experience I couldn’t miss.
- Tyler’s Chromakopia Set with Special Guests
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Tyler, the Creator celebrated CFG’s 10-year anniversary & CHROMAKOPIA’s success at No. 1 for three straight weeks. When Tyler announced the release date for CHROMAKOPIA, I knew the festival would have a special set this year. He played nine songs from the new album, sharing the stage with guests Doechii, Sexyy Red, Daniel Caesar, and ScHoolboy Q off the album. This felt like a preview for the CHROMAKOPIA: THE WORLD TOUR, starting next February. His Flog Gnaw performance made me even more excited for the tour.
- Camp Flog Gnaw’s Sunset Sets
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Hearing Syd and Omar Apollo during the sunset was an unforgettable experience. Hearing “Hold On” and “Girl” paired with glowing visuals while the sun was setting was a remarkable combination. Apollo played a thorough set with songs from his new album God Said No and the other half from the album Ivory. The sun set with “Want U Around” and “Empty” playing.
- Doechii’s Swamp Princess Set
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Doechii’s been on the rise for the past few years, but now she’s been blowing up even more since her album, Alligator Bites Never Heal, came out earlier this year. She’s been getting a lot more recognition ever since Tyler released “Balloon” featuring Doechii. She has an insane energy, and she never gets tired or out of breath on stage. She has an amazing stage presence and can bring energy out of a crowd. The crowd went crazy when she brought out SZA for their song “Persuasive.”
- Blood Orange’s Angelic Set
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Blood Orange was one of the artists I was most excited about after seeing the lineup. Ever since hearing Negro Swan in 2018, Devonté Hynes has been one of my favorite artists. The performance brought out a fun energy in the crowd, with everyone singing and dancing. He played a variety of songs from all of his albums. Hynes brought out Brendan Yates from Turnstile to sing “ALIEN LOVE CALL” together.
- Daniel Caesar’s Set
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Daniel Caesar brought out the emotion within the crowd before Tyler’s set. He played a majority of the set with songs from Never Enough, opening with “Ocho Rios” and closing with “Superpowers.” Caesar has a relaxed and vulnerable energy on stage. He had an intimate energy with his performance, especially when he played the guitar.
- Erykah Badu’s 20 Minute Set
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Despite Badu starting almost half an hour late, the 20 minutes she played were unforgettable. She opened the set with “The Healer,” played “On & On,” and was cut off during “Window Seat.” She also delivered a speech during her set, declaring that “we have just entered the fourth world war — the war between the people and the mind.” I wonder what else she would’ve played if she had gone on time and her microphone wasn’t cut off. She also was brought out during MF DOOM’s tribute performance to sing Sade’s sample from “Kiss of Life.”
- Playboi Carti brings out The Weeknd
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As expected, Carti was 20 minutes late, but he delivered a fun set. He brought out an insane energy in the crowd. He played newer songs and played his features from “Type Sh*t” and “EARFQUAKE.” Unexpectedly, Carti brought out The Weeknd to perform “Timeless.” That was the last guest I expected Carti to bring out for his headlining performance, but it was amazing.
- Mac Miller’s Balloonerism Album Announced
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One of Mac Miller’s fan-favorite projects was finally announced at Camp Flog Gnaw before Tyler, the Creator’s set. It will be released on Jan. 17, 2025. A trailer for Mac’s unreleased Balloonerism album was screened, and the nearly three-minute animated trailer ended with the word “soon” and the album’s artwork.
- André 3000’s Improv Flute Set
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André 3000 released his debut solo album over three decades after being in OutKast. He performed an improvised flute set after performing “I swear, I Really Wanted to Make a “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time,” followed by a vocal finale. André 3000 is up for three Grammys for his jazz-influenced LP, New Blue Sun, for album of the year and best alternative jazz album. The flute set even inspired a mosh pit throughout the songs.
- Sexyy Red’s Energetic Set
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Sexyy Red brought out a huge crowd performing her top hits on the CFG stage. She performed right after Erkyah Badu, so it was a fun change of energy. Most songs were from her album released in 2023, Hood Hottest Princess. She performed “Bow Bow Bow,” “I Don’t Wanna Be Saved,” “SkeeYee,” “Sexyy Love Money,” and her part from Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy.” She came out the night before for her feature on “Sticky” during Tyler, the Creator’s set, and the crowd went wild.
- “Almost Famous” Exhibit
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Tyler’s photographer, Brick Stowell, paid homage to Odd Future with the “Almost Famous” exhibit. The exhibit featured Odd Future and its members’ memorabilia. The exhibit had a variety of shirts, photos, stage passes, and Polaroids. The exhibit even featured the iconic Cherry Bomb Go Kart. It was amazing to see a museum filled with special moments of the rap collective.
- Mustard & Friends, YG, Tyga, Ty Dolla $ign, Roddy Ricch & More
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Mustard & Friends’ set was an unforgettable one, starting with bringing out Tyga to perform “Rack City.” He played Drake and The Weeknd‘s “Crew Love” and then yelled “Sike,” cutting off Drake’s verse and cutting to Future, Metro Boomin, and Lamar’s “Like That.” Drake slander is always tolerated at the festival, ever since he was booed off in 2019 as a surprise guest. Mustard, YG, and Ty Dolla $ign welcomed Roddy Ricch to perform “The Box,” “High Fashion” and “Ballin’.” He then ended the set by bringing out Big Sean, who appeared for “Big Bank” with YG, and “I Don’t F*ck With You.”
- Concrete Boys bring out Lil Yachty
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Lil Yachty came out and surprised the crowd during the Concrete Boys set. Yachty is opening for Tyler’s Chromakopia Tour next year, so his showing up as a guest was expected. The set featured a few Concrete Boys songs, such as “POINT ME TO IT,” “DIALED IN,” and “MO JAMS” before Yachty came out. The crowd went wild for Yachty. After this surprise on Saturday, I was hoping he would come out and perform “Lego Ring” with friend Faye Webster on Sunday. The crowd went wild for Yachty, and the set was amazing.
Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw has come a long way from originally being known as OFWGKTA Carnival. With each year, the festival gets bigger, and this 10th anniversary was one for the books.
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