[Review] MIK Festival London hip-hop day
Jessi’s incredible fan service was next to none and Jay Park stunned the crowd with his tattooed abs (but who’s surprised)?
Jay Park closed the weekend with an incredible energy-filled set. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
This article would not have been made possible without the media passes gifted to us by MIK Festival.
After a scorching day of K-Pop, Made in Korea (MIK) Festival’s Hip Hop Day was set to keep the heat with some of the best Hip Hop artists Korea has to offer.
The incredible line-up, pH-1, DOK2, Jessi, Epik High, Lee Hi, GRAY, Loco and headline act Jay Park, kept the audience on their toes throughout the day on Sunday 31 July.
Smooth and stylish, Park Jun-won – known by his stage name pH-1 – was the perfect opener for Hip Hop Day. He performed many of his hits, including “Nerdy Love”, “Different Summer”, and “Cupid”, as well as crowd-favourite “Achoo”. With a unique sound and an endearing personality, it was not surprising to hear loving chants of “pH-1” throughout the set.
Many fans had signs adorned with “pH-1” and his name could be heard echoing around the crowd. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
Following pH-1 – satisfyingly, in numerical order – was Filipino-South Korean artist DOK2, who brought some furious energy to the stage, and verses as fast as artillery.
Known for being a controversial character, DOK2 hyped up his set by proclaiming, “I don’t care who performs before me or after, I rap better than everybody.” Of course, our next act Jessi had something to say about that.
Jessi began her set by exclaiming, “there’s a lot of good artists out here tonight,” giving Jay Park, Loco and Lee Hi as examples, and calling out DOK2 for his comment – and indeed, the talent at MIK Festival just kept coming.
Jessi kept the crowd engaged with her sassy and fearless performances. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham
Effortlessly charming, Jessi chatted to the crowd and took pictures with front row fans until her set ran twenty minutes over. Her performance was explosive, and deserving of the extra time (whether it was allotted or not).
She performed several big hits, including “Cold Blooded”, “NUNU NANA” and “ZOOM”, bringing energy reminiscent of a solo concert rather than a forty-minute festival set. In fact, Jessi took the opportunity to promote her upcoming tour, ‘Beyond Your Imagination,’ which will see the rap star stop at Berlin, London, Paris, Oberhausen, and Barcelona this October. She also announced her new makeup line ‘UN2 Beauty’, which she explained would be launched with a pop-up store in London – and is apparently very affordable (you could buy everything for less than $100).
Other highlights of the set included a magnificent pink cowboy hat being given to the singer – prompting a comparison to cowgirl character Jesse from Toy Story – an adorable interaction with an audience member who had brought a poster of Jessi’s dog, Chewie, and an utter failure to stick to the no-swearing rule. Jessi may have only been the third act on stage, but it felt like a headline set in itself.
Upon running considerably over her allotted time, Jessi comically apologised to hip hop trio Epik High who were waiting backstage, deeming them the “OGs of Korea.”
Epik High kept the energy flowing. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
Since their debut back in 2003, the group – composed of Tablo, DJ Tukutz, and Mithra Jin – have released eleven studio albums, including “Epik High Is Here (Part 2)” in February this year. Despite being almost two decades into their career, their set was electric, with leader Tablo giving a particularly spirited performance.
Alongside their music, the group kept the crowd thoroughly entertained with comedic introductions to the members and a near-constant spray of water bottles into a grateful Golden Circle – many of whom had been on their feet for several hours in the dense London heat. They created such a great atmosphere, it’s no wonder they were the first Korean group to be invited to return to US music festival Coachella in 2022 after first performing there in 2016. We were certainly glad to have them here at MIK Festival.
The following three acts, Lee Hi, GRAY, and Loco, felt like another trio – each bringing their own flavour but fusing together seamlessly.
Lee Hi stunned with beautiful makeup and even more beautiful vocals. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
Lee Hi’s gorgeous vocals brought a splash of pop to Hip Hop Day, with lively renditions of songs such as “Red Lipstick”, “ONLY” and her 2012 debut single “1, 2, 3, 4”. The singer even apologised for not having many Hip Hop tracks to play, but the crowd made it clear they were thrilled to have her perform regardless.
After a delightful breather courtesy of Lee Hi, GRAY whipped up the crowd within seconds, performing songs such as “Change”, “Stay”, “In My Head”, and “TMI”.
GRAY whipped up the crowd within seconds. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
Renowned producer for artists including Jay Park, Loco, Wanna One and Simon Dominic, GRAY showcased his mastery of rhythm and kept the crowd’s energy flowing as we entered the evening.
Loco’s set was filled with charm and exuberance; the rapper did not stop smiling for the entire set, and neither did the audience. Proving why he won the 2012 rap competition Show Me the Money which brought him into the limelight, Loco performed a catalogue of songs such as “OPPA”, “Hold Me Tight” and brand-new single “Lemon”, which came out on July 25th and features K-Pop star Hwa Sa.
Loco was smiling from ear to ear throughout his set. Credits: Chelsea Cheetham.
GRAY and Lee Hi joined Loco on stage to perform their 2021 collaboration “Party For The Night” – and with one more act to come, the atmosphere was certainly set for a party.
With incredible dancers, a huge repertoire of hits, and Jay Park’s signature stage presence, the headline set felt somewhat like a fever dream.
The rapper, producer and songwriter performed a whopping eighteen songs, including “Need to Know”, “Forget About Tomorrow”, “GANADARA (Feat. IU)”, and “All I Wanna Do”. There were collaborations a-plenty, with pH-1 coming out to perform “Iffy” and “The Purge”. The latter, a song from the H1GHR : RED TAPE album never performed since its 2020 release thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, had blistering energy from start to finish, punctuated by erratic yellow lights for extra intensity.
Reuniting the AOMG family – one of Jay Park’s music labels, established in 2013 – GRAY and Loco also returned to the stage to perform “Who You – Remix” to a very excited audience.
The set was brought to another level by Jay Park’s outstanding dancers. The show featured dance crew MVP (More Vision Project), who are part of Jay Park’s own newly-launched record label More Vision, as well as Street Woman Fighter stars Holy Bang. The groups even had a chance to showcase their talent with mid-set solo performances.
The iconic fan-favourite, “MOMMAE”, was one of the night’s top highlights, with Jay Park and his male dancers opting to go shirtless for a truly fiery display. The rapper later posted a clip of the performance on Instagram with the caption, “When ppl gon get sick of this? Lol…” The answer: Never.
The night ended with a slowly fading chant of “Jay Park” and an exhausted crowd fuelled only by the adrenaline of the weekend’s fantastic performances.
Here’s hoping that MIK Festival will return to London for another sensational weekend of Korean music next year!
Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.
