Tag Archives: Kendrick Lamar

Eight festival headliners that will mark the summer of 2018

‘Oh, when I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever’

Let’s suppose the summer of 2018 will be just as legendary as the summer of ‘69. Then, who would be our new Bryan Adams? This festival season a few fast-moving, stage-hopping musicians are working hard to provide the soon-to-be nostalgic soundtrack for the summer of 2018.

‘And if I had the choice
Yeah, I’d always wanna be there’

While we fight off our burnout symptoms with relaxing festival vibes, these festival headliners juggle through dizzying tour schedules. No hangover or sleep deprivation will hold them back. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

With temperatures rising up to a 100 degrees Fahrenheit and sudden summer showers lurking around every corner; the 2018 artist makes her/his way through muddy backstage areas, while they plough through heaps of journalists and groupies to entertain one steaming crowd after another.

‘Those were the best days of my life’

Which names are center stage on this year’s posters? Perusing the lineups of the festivals, we notice some recurring headliners. These 8 artists are the architects of the soundtrack of the summer of 2018.

1 Dua Lipa

Roskilde (Denmark), Ruisrock (Finland), Mad Cool Festival (Spain), Tomorrowland (Belgium), Lollapalooza (France/USA), Osheaga Festival (Canada), Sziget (Hungary), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Lowlands (The Netherlands), Reading/Leeds Festival (UK), Electric Picnic (Ireland), TRSNMT Glasgow Green (Scotland).

2 Arctic Monkeys

Southside Festival (Germany), Hurricane Festival (Germany), TRSNMT Glasgow Green (Scotland), Open’er (Poland), Rockwave Festival (Greece), Rock Werchter (Belgium), NOS Alive (Portugal), Madcool Festival (Spain), Lollapalooza Festival (VS), Osheaga Festival (Canada), OYA Festival (Norway), Way Out West Festival (Sweden), Flow Festival (Finland), Sziget Festival (Hungary), Austin City Limits (USA).

3 Gorillaz

Rock Werchter (Belgium), Open’er Festival (Poland), Roskilde (Denmark), Gurtenfestival (Switzerland), Lucca Summer Festival (Italy), Monte Kobetamendi (Spain), Paleo Festival (Switzerland), Vieilles Charrues (France), Lollapalooza Festival (France), U-Park Festival (Ukraine), Park Live Festival (Russia), Sziget (Hungary), BoomTown Fair (UK), FM4 Frequency Festival (Austria), Lowlands (The Netherlands).

4 Kendrick Lamar

Øya Festival (Norway), Lowlands (The Netherlands), Sziget (Hungary), Way out West Festival (Sweden), Flow Festival (Finland), Zürich Openair (Switzerland), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Fuji Rock (Japan), Reading/Leads Festival (UK).

5 The Killers

O Son de Camino (Spain), Rock in RIo (Portugal) Open Air St. Gallen (Switzerland), Rock Werchter (Belgium), TRSNMT Glasgow Green (Scotland), Lattitude Festival (UK), Paleo Festival (Switzerland), Benicassim (Spain), Deichbrand Festival (Germany), Lollapalooza Festival (France), Panorama Music and Arts Festival (USA), Skookum Festival (Canada).   

6 The War on Drugs

Ottawa Bluesfest (Canada), Festival D’ete de Quebec (Canada), Hallifax Jazz Festival (Canada), Forecastle Festival (USA), Sloss Music & Arts Festival (USA), Pitchfork Music Festival (USA), Panorama Music and Arts Festival (USA), XPoNential Music Festival (USA), Sziget (Hungary), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Lowlands (The Nederlands), Green Man Festival (UK), Open Air (Switzerland), Todays Festival (Italy), Skookum Festival (Canada), Grandoozy (USA).  

7 Fever Ray

Body & Soul Festival (Ireland), Tauron Nowa Muzyka Festival (Poland), Down The Rabbit Hole (The Netherlands), Roskilde (Denmark), Rock Werchter (Belgium), Exit Festival (Serbia), Melt Festival (Germany), Øya Festival (Norway), Way Out West (Sweden), Flow Festival (Finland), Sziget (Hungary), Pitchfork Festival (France), Club To Club Festival (Italy).  

8 Travis Scott  

Longitude (Ireland), Benicassim Festival (Spain), Super Bock Super Rock (Portugal), Lollapalooza (France/USA), Osheaga Festival (Canada), Hard Festival (USA), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Blockfest (Finland), Festival Cabaret Vert (France), Reading/Leeds Festival (UK), Austin City Limits (USA).

Obviously this is just a small selection of all the fantastic music out there. The nice thing about festivals is discovering new acts as well. For more festival inspiration check out the festival survival guide. 

Step outside your comfort zone and jam along with these top three Billboard hip-hop tracks

If you’ve been jamming with Chordify long enough, you know that our catalogue can seem infinite. Which of course means that your jamming possibilities are as well. So now it’s time to get out of your comfort zone and play along with a genre in which guitar or piano are not the first instruments that come to mind: hip-hop.

Don’t get us wrong, we totally understand that you love to incorporate Ed Sheeran in your Saturday afternoon jam. But don’t you ever feel the need to play that one Post Malone song, or jam to a Kendrick Lamar tune? “That’s hip-hop right? There are no guitars and pianos, that’s just beats”, we hear you think. But think again!

Hip-hop dominates the Billboard top 10

Let’s take a look at the Billboard ranking list. Drake is number one with God’s Plan, followed by the king of groove, Bruno Mars, in third place. Scrolling through the charts we see that the top ten is packed with cool hip-hop tracks. Two Kendrick Lamar songs for example, one on which he collaborates with The Weeknd.

And those are not the only hip-hop songs in the Billboard top ten. How about Post Malone’s Rockstar, another Drake song, or last but not least Migos with Stir Fry in tenth place. You’ve got to admit that your fingers are starting to get itchy, right? That’s why we’ve selected three top ten hip-hop songs you can jam to.

1 – Drake: God’s Plan

Canadian rapper Drake has conquered the world since his debut album Thank Me Later that appeared in 2009 on the Young Money Entertainment label of colleague Lil Wayne. That same year the album became number one in the Billboard top 100. From that moment on, the rapper could not be stopped.

With his laid-back flows and wavy beats Drake belongs to the top of the popular music scene. Try to jam along with the song God’s Plan and you’ll understand why. The track is a nice mix of basic chords and barre chords. Perfect for training your grip. Check it out.

2 – Bruno Mars: Finesse

Peter Gene Hernandez from Honolulu, better known as Bruno Mars, has regularly been in the top 10 of the pop rankings in recent years. With songs likeBillionaire and 24k Magic, this artist has shown that he can play both funky and super poppy.

Besides being a singer and rapper, Bruno Mars is also a hell of a guitar player. His track Finesse currently peaks at number three on the Billboard charts right under Ed Sheeran. For the advanced guitar player this song is a challenge, due to all barre chords. And, if you’re a beginner, you can practice less-used chords like Dis and Es minor. Try it and jam along.

3 – Kendrick Lamar & SZA: All the Stars

When we talk about rappers, the name Kendrick Lamar must not be omitted. The man who grew up in the same place as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Coolio maintains an image of renewal in rap music. His lyrics build on stories from the hood, but from a contemporary perspective.

Like Bruno Mars’ previous track, this song is for the advanced guitarist. Once you’ve mastered the tricky grips, another challenge arises. The beat is very important in hip-hop, that’s why you should pay close attention to your right hand. That’s your strumming hand, that keeps the rhythm. Try it yourself. Happy jamming!