Andrew Callaghan's trip to a Utah rap festival went exactly how you imagine
Utah rap festivals—where sociopolitical and racial awareness go to die
There are a number of themes running throughout Andrew Callaghan’s already prolific gonzo journalism work, first with All Gas No Brakes, and now with his ongoing Channel 5 project—MAGA death cultist rabbit holes, protest movements, American outcasts, furries, et cetera—but perhaps the most consistent motif we’ve seen in nearly all his dispatches has been white dudes’ desperate attempts at proving their skills as rappers. In nearly every instance it’s been… painful, to say the least.
And yet, we’re not sure any of Callaghan’s past examples could prepare us for his journey this past August to Hive Music Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah—a two-day rap and hip hop rager that featured Post Malone, Jack Harlow, Denzel Curry, and the recently incredibly screwed Fetty Wap. If imagining the kinds of racial tone deafness that occurs during a rap fest in a state that is 90% white makes you uncomfortable, just wait until you see the actual footage.
To paraphrase a certain Bluth family member, “Well, we don’t know what we expected.” All of Channel 5's bingo entries are on display in this one, folks: QAnon truthers, Jeffrey Epstein references, sexual and pharmaceutical braggadocio… and, of course, white dudes rapping terribly.
In terms of cameos, this episode features one of best in a long time—ZillaKami, of the extremely intense horrorcore duo, City Morgue. It’s hard to describe the facial expressions that pass across the young rapper’s face upon being presented a white 17-year-old guy’s dreadlock as a gift, but God bless ‘em for it.
As usual, Callaghan also manages to find rare moments of humanity within some of America’s darkest, oddest recesses. In this case, his closing interview with an admirably candid 15-year-old kid with a genuinely decent flow.
It’d be easy to simply rag on every single attendee at Hive Music Festival, but once again Callaghan proves he’s the professional roving reporter this country needs right now.
Send Great Job, Internet tips to [email protected]