Vince Staples will headline this year’s Sun God Festival, announced after UC San Diego AS Concerts and Events (ASCE) posted a banner featuring the artist on Hopkins Parking Structure earlier this morning. The full lineup, which includes Joji, Hayley Kiyoko, Whipped Cream, and HUNNY, was unveiled on the Sun God Festival’s website shortly after.
Vince Staples is a North Long Beach-based rapper; his more notable songs include “Norf Norf” and “Blue Suede.” His second studio album, Big Fish Theory, was critically acclaimed for his experimentation with electronic club music and rap. Staples also has an outspoken social media presence, which has been a source of both praise and criticism. This past year, Staples created a GoFundMe campaign where he promised his critics that if the $2 million goal was reached, he would shut up forever. His most recent album FM!, a 22-minute long ode to Long Beach, cemented him as one of today’s best West Coast rappers.
Other artists include Joji, a former YouTube personality previously known as Filthy Frank, turned R&B artist; Hayley Kiyoko, a singer-songwriter who is known by her fans as “Lesbian Jesus”; Whipped Cream, a Vancouver-based DJ; and HUNNY, a San Diego-based band.
The festival will include the return of the 51-foot water slide, a silent disco featuring underrepresented genres, such as K-pop and reggaeton, a chill tent, photo booths, various listening stations, food vendors, and activities from sponsors such as La Croix, Postmates, and Brew Dr. Kombucha.
ASCE’s intention behind the banner reveal was to create conversation and hype in a meaningful way. Kyoko Ishikawa, the Marketing Director of ASCE, didn’t want to just “drop a graphic online” again because it’s “stale and overdone…it becomes background noise, something people take for granted and don’t pay attention to.”
Sun God Festival is on Saturday, April 27 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on RIMAC Field. Students must register to enter the festival and have a valid student ID. Registration is now live at https://sgfregister.ucsd.edu/.
Sabira Parajuli is the outgoing Arts and Culture Editor.