10 Of Dreamville Fest’s Most Unforgettable Moments

Dreamville Fest, J. Cole’s North Carolina-based fête, is officially wrapping up on April 5 and 6. Earlier in the year, organizers dropped the fifth and final lineup featuring Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, Erykah Badu, and of course, the “Power Trip” rapper himself. Whether or not the list stacks up to past editions is up for debate, but one thing’s clear: since its official launch in 2019, the festival has delivered more than a few unforgettable moments.

Though originally announced in 2018, the inaugural Dreamville Fest didn’t happen until the following year due to Hurricane Florence. When it finally kicked off, the lineup delivered. Big Sean, 21 Savage, 6LACK and SZA — who would later come back as a headliner — joined Dreamville Records’ own Bas, Omen, Cozz, Ari Lennox and JID onstage. The COVID-19 pandemic brought another temporary pause, but once it returned, the event came back swinging with headliners like Usher, Burna Boy, Drake, 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj and more taking the stage over the next few years.

With its final edition on the horizon, Rap-Up took a trip down memory lane to highlight 10 of Dreamville Fest’s most unforgettable moments — in no particular order. Check them out below.

1. Drake And J. Cole Give Each Other Their Flowers On Stage

Closing out day two of the third annual Dreamville Fest, Drake and J. Cole delivered what many would call the weekend’s defining moment. “My brother asked me to show up here like a year ago. I’m trying to do the best I can do for you,” the Canadian hitmaker told the crowd. His “First Person Shooter” collaborator returned the love in a major way: “I’m such a fan and I feel like I’m speaking for all of us when I say this, bro, we are f**king wowed, amazed [and] blown away by your greatness.”

2. Usher Tricks The Crowd With A Beyoncé April Fools Prank

Usher had Beyoncé in his back pocket, or so festivalgoers thought during his headlining set in 2023. “I said I would have a special surprise for you tonight…You guys wanna know what that surprise is? Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, put your hands together for the one, the only, Beyoncé,” the “Yeah!” singer said as the crowd erupted with deafening excitement. He then milked it for a full minute, pacing the stage and hyping up someone in the shadows, only to finally reveal the gag: “April Fools.”

3. Big Sean Honors Nipsey Hussle With A Powerful Tribute

Nipsey Hussle’s death was felt around the world, and Big Sean made sure to honor the Crenshaw rapper in a powerful way during his set at the inaugural Dreamville Fest. Rapping over Amir Obè’s somber piano chords, the I Decided artist reflected on the late musician’s passing at 33 and shared the quiet heartbreak of a reunion that would never happen.

“Texting each other like, ‘We gon’ get up soon’ / Tell me how the f**k you think I feel now knowing we didn’t,” Big Sean rapped. Moments later, he shared, “Nipsey, I just wanna say, bro, thank you for teaching everybody so much. Thank you for the inspiration.”

4. J. Cole Publicly Apologizes To Kendrick Lamar

The moment that probably traveled the furthest online from Dreamville Fest 2024 was J. Cole’s public apology to Kendrick Lamar. Notably, Might Delete Later had just dropped, and with it came the lukewarm “7 Minute Drill,” his measured, almost reluctant response to the Pulitzer Prize winner’s “Like That” verse.

“That’s the lamest s**t I ever did in my f**kin’ life,” the Dreamville Records founder said about the track. He later continued, “I pray that my n**ga really didn’t feel no way, and if he did, my n**ga, I got my chin out. Take your best shot. I’ma take that s**t on the chin.” Interestingly enough, copping out of the year’s biggest rap beef kind of worked in J. Cole’s favor, even if it did bruise his legacy for a few months.

5. Summer Walker Returns To The Stage After Welcoming Twins

Summer Walker cycled through every stage of love, loss and healing during her 2023 Dreamville Fest set — and did it all just months after giving birth to twins. She breezed through fan favorites like “Over It” and “Session 32,” brought out her Love Renaissance labelmate 6LACK, and before closing with “No Love” and “Insane,” she dropped one last surprise: CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP was coming soon. We found out a few weeks later that the nine-song effort housed her first collaboration with J. Cole as well as “New Type” featuring Childish Gambino.

6. Meek Mill Gets A Surprise Spotlight During J. Cole’s Headlining Set

On the very first night of the inaugural festival, J. Cole brought out Meek Mill for his headlining set. The Philadelphia rapper wasn’t officially on the bill, but he made the most of the moment by tearing through “Uptown Vibes,” “Going Bad” and the ever-reliable “Dreams and Nightmares.”

“This next dude that I want to bring to the stage, he’s a dude who I feel like I want to give him his flowers right now,” J. Cole said while introducing Mill, who, by then, had been home for about a year following his 2018 prison release. He continued, “This is a real n**ga in life [who’s] been through a lot, standing for something, really devoting his life to changing some s**t, changing his life, and he’s one of the best rappers out.”

7. JID Ignites The Crowd With A Ferocious Rendition Of “Stick”

“The words to this song [are] really easy. It’s really f**king easy,” JID said during 2022’s fête, and he certainly wasn’t lying. “Stick” is one of the many standout cuts from Dreamville’s often-forgotten project, D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape, thanks in large part to Kenny Mason and Sheck Wes’ chant-heavy chorus. Given how straightforward the track is, there should be no surprise that it also sounds great in a festival setting. The crowd erupted, the pit opened up and even through the livestream, the energy was damn near tangible.

8. Lil Uzi Vert Crashes The Fest With “Just Wanna Rock”

Among the growing list of artists who weren’t technically on the lineup but absolutely should’ve been, Lil Uzi Vert made a surprise splash with a live performance of “Just Wanna Rock.” He practically brought full Rolling Loud energy to Dorothea Dix Park.

9. Kehlani Brings A Fan Onstage To Sing With Her

Kehlani is one of those once-in-a-generation talents, but she’s not above handing the microphone to someone else chasing their moment. “I was just standing over there and getting ready, and this boy was just singing his a** off,” she said before inviting a young man in a lime green T-shirt to join her. He wasn’t familiar with her discography, but she gave him the stage anyway, and in under a minute, he delivered some of the strongest vocals to come from a crowd all weekend.

10. J. Cole And Lil Yachty’s Chemistry Shines In Their Live Debut Of “The Secret Recipe”

Alongside high-profile features like Lil Durk’s “All My Life” and j-hope’s “on the street,” one of the more unexpectedly rewarding moments in J. Cole’s 2023 feature run was “The Secret Recipe,” his first time linking up with Lil Yachty on wax. The two talents were a natural fit when it came to performing the record on stage. Later, the Atlanta rapper even commanded the crowd with “Strike (Holster),” which J. Cole called a song he prayed Lil Yachty would be “down to do for Dreamville Fest,” which is about as high a co-sign as it gets.