Staff Writer
The annual grand finale of AS Program Board music events, Extravaganza, featured many show-stopping acts this year as famed rappers, indie artists, and DJs graced the stage at Harder Stadium despite the gloomy weather forecast. Among the lineup was Peach Pit, Empress Of, student DJ Miibu, Deorro, Aminé, and Playboi Carti.
Performing for approximately an hour each, Aminé and Playboi Carti served as the highlighted artists for Extravaganza, as displayed by the enormous crowd that had amassed at the end of the show. Aminé, who’s been busy with tours in the UK, played many fan favorites from his recent album “OnePointFive” while Playboi Carti delivered an equally exciting performance with several raps from his “Die Lit” album.
An artist currently under A$AP Mob’s AWGE label, Playboi Carti grew up in Riverdale, Georgia and was known for skipping class to work on his music as a high school student. After uploading multiple tracks to SoundCloud, Carti found fame with his “Playboi Carti” album which featured Lil Uzi Vert and contains hit song “Magnolia” which reached 29th place on Billboard Top 200.
Raised in Portland, Oregon, Aminé attended Portland State University as a marketing major and interned for pop culture editorial Complex as a college student. His love for music started from diss tracks he produced in high school for rival basketball teams and eventually led him to release his first mixtape “Odyssey to Me” in 2014.
Currently, he is on a European tour and his hit single “Caroline” has reached 11th on the Billboard Top 100, proving that a high school kid with a dream can make big strides.
For over a decade now, AS Program Board’s outdoor music festival, Extravaganza, has been held in Harder Stadium, an area often used for UCSB’s soccer games. The wide grass field is surrounded by tall, blue bleachers, which allow for students to stand or sit while enjoying the star-packed show while upholding crowd safety and ensuring that people have plenty of room.
Despite the gloomy clouds, a large audience gradually trickled in to watch Aminé and Playboi Carti near the end of the show.
Following incredible performances from Peach Pit, Empress Of, student DJ Miibu, and Deorro, students were left waiting eagerly for Aminé to perform before his hype man DJ Madison LST held his mic up and yelled, “Are you guys ready for Aminé?” before a video of YouTuber Ricky Thompson was projected as the crowd cheered.
On cue, Aminé ran on stage and spit bars from songs “Spice Girl” and “REEL IT IN” before surprising fans with an acoustic version of his hit song “Caroline,” ending his performance on a sweet note.
After an intermission of about 30 minutes, Playboi Carti stepped on stage to the delight of the crowd, who had been waiting in the cold weather for his arrival. Not only did he perform for an extended amount of time, he played plenty of popular songs such as “wokeuplikethis*” and “Get Dripped,” a collaboration with Lil Yachty.
The crowd remained hyped for the entire performance as Playboi Carti occasionally held out his mic to cue the crowd to yell his lyrics and left the crowd buzzing with excitement as they dispersed out of Harder Stadium.
This year’s Extravaganza, despite being plagued with rough wind and light rain, helped end the year on a bright note with music performances spanning many genres from indie music to rap to EDM. Aminé and Playboi Carti especially helped bring a sense of excitement to the student population with their engaging raps and left students excited for next year’s musical events from AS Program Board.
Playboi Carti will continue performing gigs throughout the United States and his next performance will be in New York City at The Governors Ball Music Festival on Jun. 2. Continuing his Europe tour, Aminé is planning to play at several stops in Belgium but will return to play at the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, Washington on Jul. 19.
Author’s Recommended Songs: “Invincible” by Aminé
“No Time” by Playboi Carti
I like this type of music events Keep it up !
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