Photo: Shane Drummond for BFA.com/ Getty Images / Gnazzo Group
Art Basel has always brought out art fans and celebrities alike to Miami, but this year everyone flocked to the 305 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop.
Some of the most influential MC's of the past, present and future hit up Art Basel this past week for numerous reasons. OG rappers like Fat Joe, Rahzel and Raekwon pulled up to perform at a slew of events that saluted Hip-Hop through art and music. Meanwhile, the city's hometown heroes Trina, Trick Daddy, DJ Laz and 2 Live Crew were honored during several galleries and exhibits throughout the week.
Others like Will Smith and The Notorious B.I.G.'s son CJ Wallace came to enjoy all of the incredibly creative works of art that were on display all week. Ask anyone who attends Art Basel, and they'll tell you that it's nearly impossible to hit up ALL the amazing events that happen throughout the week. That's why we've gathered some a list of all the best moments that went down during Miami Art Week. Scroll below to see all the jaw-dropping dropping scenes from the parties, galleries and other events that made Art Basel unforgettable.
Rahzel, Statik Selektah & more perform at Crazy Hood Productions' 30th anniversary party
Basel officially kicked off at Crazy Hood Productions' 30th anniversary celebration at Esquina de Abuela in Allapattah. The outdoor event, hosted by DJ EFN, was held in the heart of the venue, which features graffiti art from over 90 artists from around the world. There were various DJ sets by Got Now, DJ Klassik, DJ Craze and Statik Selektah as well as performances from local artists like King Tetris and Shottie. Veteran acts like Mother Superia and Rahzel also blessed the stage.
Fat Joe performs at Museum of Graffiti's 'The Art of Hip-Hop' Exhibit
Fat Joe was everywhere during Art Basel but his stand-out moment was his night at Museum of Graffiti's "The Art of Hip-Hop" exhibit. Joey Crack visited the exhibit and got to enjoy all the amazing pieces that were posted up. Graffiti artist Disem made a new work of art inspired by Joe while the rapper was in the building, and Joe loved it. He got to see the finished product after he hit the stage for a energetic performance of some of his biggest hits from "Lean Back" to "All The Way Up."
Trick Daddy & Trina perform at Slip N Slide Records & Andrew exhibit
Trick Daddy and Trina were honored everywhere they went during Basel. They were saluted during the VIP Museum of Graffiti Anniversary party before they hit the stage together. They were also the guests of honor during their home label Slip-N-Slide Records' event with clothing brand Andrew. The private event had artwork scattered throughout Soho Pool House in South Beach along with apparel that featured Trick and Trina's classic album covers and SNS' logos. The Miami legends also hit the stage to perform their greatest hits with plenty of fans cheering them on.
Offset performs songs off his Set It Off album at D'USSÉ's party
Offset put on a dope solo show during Art Basel weekend. The former Migos rapper hit the stage during D'USSÉ's event at Eden Roc on Miami Beach. 'Set delivered numerous tracks off his new album Set It Off all while he sipped on his own bottle of the French cognac.
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne debut visual film for Welcome To Collegrove album
2 Chainz had a busy time at Art Basel before his unfortunate car crash. Prior to the incident, Tity Boi debuted a visual film for his latest joint album with Lil Wayne Welcome 2 Collegrove during a special event at The Urban. The visuals were all inspired by each song on the album including "Transparency" featuring Usher, and featured narration by 50 Cent. In between the visuals, 2 Chainz also performed a couple of songs off the album. Special guests who attended the event include DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia and Statik Selektah.
RCA ARCADE shows off fresh artwork and launches first line of merch
Photo: Joshua “midjordan” Farias
RCA Records hosted its extravagant launch of their first-ever line of merch during a lavish exhibit at Art Basel. Ahead of the grand opening, the iconic record label hosted a lavish VIP opening party at the gallery featuring a DJ set from RCA artist Channel Tres and performances by Barbara Doza, DRE WHO and Mellow Domingo. Attendees got to see archival images of RCA’s vast history of chart-topping artists and artwork by Doja Cat, which appeared to be inspired by visuals from her recent album Scarlet album. Celebrities like artists Fousheé, Skillibeng, Bktherula, Perris Howard, Gen Venom, Kev Mansfield, and super producer Yeti Beats also attended the event.
DJ Paul & Freddie Gibbs perform at Legends Only
As usual, Clockwork Music and Essentials Gallery Miami put on another dope edition of Legends Only during Basel. This year's special guests were DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia and Freddie Gibbs, who both performed on their respective nights. While fans waited for the acts to arrive, they got to browse their the gallery which was surrounded by magnificent works of art that fans could buy on the spot.
Salaam Remi debuts new artwork for Trina, The Notorious B.I.G. and Celia Cruz
Salaam Remi's MuseZeum in Wynwood was extremely busy throughout Art Basel. During its various events during the weekend, Remi debuted brand new works of art inspired by Trina, The Notorious B.I.G. and the legend Celia Cruz. Trina and her team invaded the gallery to witness the unveiling. Meanwhile, Biggie's son CJ Wallace and Lil Cease pulled up to the gallery to see the brand-new pieces Remi made for his pops, and Cruz's family also attended the unveiling for Celia's pieces. One of the pieces of Celia Cruz also had an interactive AR feature that was fueled by Meta Spark. The animated feature made all of her album covers come to life while offering glimpses into her life in Cuba and Miami.
Jeezy speaks at YouTube Avenues finale
YouTube brought its "Avenues" event to Basel. The event helped teach artists how to use YouTube Shorts and other functions on the video streaming website to further their careers. Midway through the event, host Tuma Basa brought out Wallo and Jeezy, who held a conversation about the Atlanta rapper's rise to fame and his promotional strategies that he still uses to this day.
Raekwon performs at Jack Daniels' Art, Beats & Lyrics
Jack Daniels' "Art Beats & Lyrics" celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special event featuring Raekwon. The lively event that combines art and music hosted its Basel event at Marlins Park not too far way from the action in Wynwood. Attendees got to experience life-size art pieces by visual artists like Kevin "WAK" Williams, Oneil Scott, Tim Okamura, Malik Roberts and more while the sipped on cocktails by Jack Daniels. Towards the end of the night, Raekwon pulled up to perform a few of his familiar hits for the people.
Swizz Beatz teams up with LEGO to host 'Center For Creative Flow'
Swizz Beatz switched things up for Basel this year. The super producer along with D-Nice and Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy teamed up with LEGO to head up its "Center for Creative Flow" event where attendees got to make their own works of art by using LEGO blocks. Of course, they got also got to enjoy free food and drinks
Rick Ross celebrates the launch of SpringHill's Zine
Rick Ross helped celebrate the launch of SpringHill's Zine, The Program, Vol. 2 during Basel. The creative and entertainment branch of LeBron James and Maverick Carter's company recruited the MMG boss to perform all his hits at an exclusive launch party at Pharrell Williams' Billionaire Boys Club store in Wynwood. Rozay popped a bottle of Belaire before he blessed the crowd of performances of "Aston Martin Music," "I'm Not A Star" and more.
Will Smith invades Art Basel
Will Smith made waves all throughout Art Basel (without Jada Pinkett Smith). The actor and rapper was spotted at several hotspots like SCOPE Art Show where he chopped it up with artist Connor Tingley about his installation in The New Contemporary. Smith also hit up the Museum of Graffiti's "The Art of Hip-Hop" where he got to check out all the nostalgic memorabilia, photos and art pieces.
The Hip-Hop Museum Tour makes its final stop in Miami
Mass Appeal's The Hip-Hop Museum ended its year-long tour in Miami during Art Basel. The incredible exhibit allows fans to step inside a time machine into Hip-Hop's past with artifacts from the early days of Hip-Hop following its birth in The Bronx in 1973. Fans saw rare memorabilia from some of rap's pioneers like The Sugarhill Gang, Slick Rick, the late Biz Markie and more. There's even a section dedicated to 2 Live Crew, who helped protect free speech in Hip-Hop and helped make the genre what it is today. The Hip-Hop Museum and Ciroc hosted events throughout the weekend that honored the genre's 50th anniversary including a live painting by Jorit, sculptures by Danny Cortes and fireside chats with Paradise Gray, Prime Minister Pete Nice, and Trina.
DJ Khaled, Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign close out Basel at LIV Miami
DJ Khaled closed out Art Basel as he usually does at his massive party at LIV Miami. Khaled had plenty of special guests in the building like Teyana Taylor, Lil Wayne, Mack Maine, and Fivio Foreign. He also performed his hits like “For Free”, “All I Do is Win”, and “Shining." Following his lively set, the Miami DJ surprised the crowd by bringing out Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign and Bump J to perform their song "Vultures." The performance would serve as the official kickoff for the rollout of their joint album Vultures. Check out scenes from their set below.