BY: Matthew Alvarez
PHOTOS BY: ItchyEyePhotos & Matthew Alvarez

Fool’s Gold Day Off returned to Wynwood this year packing a diverse lineup of music attracting both hip-hop enthusiasts and ravers alike. And of course, it wouldn’t be South Florida show without sunny weather and dark looming rain clouds surrounding the sky, creating just the perfect mix of bright skies without lethal heat. What truly got people sweating were the great artists and amazing energy present throughout the whole day.

Denzel Curry went nuts in the allotted 15 minutes he had, it’s surprising how early in the day his set was since he was one of the most anticipated artists in the lineup – considering it was also in his home turf. He played the classics like “Zone 3,” “Threatz,” “Ultimate,” and “Ice Age,” getting everyone loose, wild and ignorant. His performance was just as good as that friend we all have, who heard about Denzel before you did, told you about. He also managed to squeeze in a song with Loft305 and give an inspirational message before leaving way too soon.

Rome Fortune threatened the crowd to “go get a hot dog” if they were just standing around, and D.R.A.M. performed “Cha Cha” before Post Malone came out, the overnight superstar of underground rap (or maybe R&B, whatever genre you want to call his majestic music). Somehow everyone went from arrogantly thrashing around to getting all slow and emotional; probably having to do with “White Iverson” playing. His whole crew was jumping around behind him as the crowd was getting all saucin’ed up. To top it off he brought out his daughter, who started to dance around while everyone sang along (Not going to lie, it was pretty cute). He played a total of about 4 songs, 2 of which were “White Iverson,” that didn’t stop it from being a memorable experience.

Alison Wonderland immediately switched the entire vibe, transferring the mood to something reminiscent of heavy bass bouncing on top of your face – literally. It’s rare to see a successful female DJ (unfortunately), but what’s even rarer is seeing someone not jumping the whole time in her set. From her mystical buildups, to the vibrant rhythm of sound she drops, there wasn’t a dull moment. The headline rapper of the night, Vic Mensa, was an interesting turnout. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him – slow playful soul rap or the recent aggressive experimental gig he’s been putting out lately. Starting with some of his older catalog, like “Feel That,” he immediately drew everyone in when he played his verse on “Cocoa Butter Kisses” with the whole crowd singing along enjoyably. After some slower songs, he sadly got the crowd stagnant, people weren’t very much feeling it except some old school Mensa fans. Mensa was able to make that up by closing with “U mad” getting everyone back up in the fray, and flailing his body like a maniac. Some random dude even managed to successfully crowd surf.

A veteran of the electronic scene, the OG Laidback Luke played an incredible set of dance music. The crowd was responding with an energy you would see in an Ultra recap video. He started his set with some great house, remixing classics club bangers like “Show Me Love.” As the evening rolled in, the music got harder, putting out more electric and progressive dance. He was able to keep a great vibe the entire way leading up to A-Trak, another electronic legend and founders of Fool’s Gold. The one thing you’ll take away from an A-Trak set is his impressive scratching skills. As he went from hip-hop jams to electronic remixes, his incredible vinyl scratch work left us all in awe, cheers.. He went back to back with powerhouse DJ Mannie Fresh. Mannie Fresh brought out a bunch of his crew, and in a *oh my God it’s ____!* moment, also brought out 2 Chainz: Cue 2 Chainz shouting TRU. Cue everyone shouting back in amazement.

HDY Boyz and HDY Girlz rejoice, Flosstradamus spurred pure chaos to end the night. As always, the trap/hip-hop infused electronic duo was absolutely insane. Being a huge fan of the group, I couldn’t help losing it at every drop; everyone was screaming, jumping, dancing and letting out massive amounts of kinetic energy. Numerous mosh pits doted the crowd, and I definitely found myself within them. Travis Porter even made a cameo appearance to perform “Drop Top.” At the last song, we were warned by Josh Young to commence one last mosh pit. As the buildup grew, everyone mentally prepared for the all out free for all as the circles kept expanding and that crazy look on the bulky 6’ 4” dudes eye got even crazier. Having survived the aftermath, I left talking about all the hilarious and stupendous moments I went through with my friends, making some definite priceless memories. I hope everyone made some too, because Fool’s Gold Day Off went off.