Skrillex headlines – Day two of Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview played out like a cultural argument—and a crowd-pleasing answer—after Skrillex’s EDM headline drew surprise, then his set was cut short by storms around 10:30 p.m.
By the time Skrillex stepped onstage at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, the question hovering over day two was already louder than the music: why an EDM icon was headlining a hip-hop festival.
When the 2026 Summer Smash lineup put electronic music. hyperpop. and rage prominently in the mix. the confusion landed fast enough that Lyrical Lemonade put it on a T-shirt. The slogan—“Why Are They Playing EDM At A Rap Festival?”—was a tongue-in-cheek jab at the polarizing reaction. Nick Johnson of Halftone Agency. who helps produce the festival’s merchandise. said the shirts were meant to reflect what everyone seemed to be feeling. He was surprised too. But he also believes rap and EDM naturally belong together.
“Honestly, I was shocked, but it was fire because I feel like they’re trying to include more genres to the festival and really just boost the longevity for everything, and I think it was great. I think rap and EDM go hand in hand,” Johnson said.
That fusion wasn’t theoretical once Saturday began. With Skrillex becoming the first EDM artist to perform at Summer Smash. electronic music sat near the front of the crowd’s attention. And still. the event didn’t feel like hip-hop had been sidelined; it remained the center of gravity as Baby Keem returned bigger than before. Keem, who had debuted at the festival in 2021, delivered one of the night’s most compelling, creative sets.
The day’s sound landed on the same shared vocabulary between genres: energy, momentum, and a willingness to cross over. Chicago rapper BossFTR (From The Raq), a longtime affiliate of Lyrical Lemonade, set the tone early. He said his EDM-influenced sound pulls from Chicago and Detroit house music and juke music—sounds he argued have always traveled alongside hip-hop.
“Hip-hop and EDM, to me, always went hand in hand. I think that this is what music is about. It’s about pushing boundaries and seeing how things can cross collab and make sense. On the other side. people don’t realize that a lot of songs on the EDM side have a similar BPM to the songs the f— with on the rap side. ” BossFTR said.
For his set, he said he aimed to highlight Black Chicago’s contributions to electronic music—specifically juke music—and he made that intention clear in the way he built the show. He described the fast BPM, the drums, and the crowd-friendly urgency that comes with it.
“My set was juke heavy on purpose and I realize that the kids that wanna mosh and jump around and everything f— with juke music. the fast BPM. the drums. All I wanted to do today was bring the music that brings the energy that comes with juke music to an audience I knew who would be receptive to it.”.
His comments landed in a wider picture of where the festival seemed to be heading: younger artists moving hip-hop forward by borrowing from electronic styles without treating the swap as an experiment. Between leaders of the online underground like Slayr and veterans like Waka Flocka Flame—who was one of the first known rappers to infuse EDM into trap music—the lineup mapped a multigenerational wave. The connections reach back further. too. to Mantronix and Kraftwerk. according to the festival’s broader framing of how hip-hop and electronic music have overlapped over time.
Jon Barlas, social media editor for Complex, put the emphasis where the crowd felt it most: on how the younger generation responds to the hybrid sound.
“With the new up-and-coming generation, they’re so influenced by it because it’s so energetic. It’s so out there, it’s very experimental, it gets the crowd and excitement going,” Barlas said.
That emotional mix of spectacle and belonging showed up in the performances themselves. Hyperpop artist 2hollis—described as the North Side’s No. 1 White Sox fan and hyperpop prince—was red hot from the start. As soon as he stepped onto the main stage. the crowd rocked to his hits. including “Poster Boy. ” “Crush. ” and his joyful collab with singer-songwriter Nate Sib. “Afraid. ” whom he brought out onstage.
He then performed “Jeans” five times in a row, with at least one remix. The set’s most surprising highlight came when 2hollis brought his culturally diverse fanbase together by playing Chief Keef’s underground hit “Save That S—.”
On the viewing tower near the stage. 2hollis’ mother and Biz3 founder. Kathryn Frazier. watched with the kind of pride that doesn’t need a spotlight. She and fellow Biz3 partner and friend Dana Meyerson cheered and recorded the moment like family gathered at a milestone. After 2hollis ended his set, he hopped off stage and walked toward the tower to hug his mother. The scene—simple and unguarded—offered a reminder that even when music pushes you forward. you’re still someone’s child.
Later, Swedish rappers Yung Lean and Bladee performed together on the SPKRBX stage, washed in dim, dark blue lights and fog from dry ice. When the two friends arrived, the crowd turned them into a scene. They performed together first, then Yung Lean took a solo set while Bladee returned to close.
Yung Lean was the dominant presence of the duo, driven by his shirtless performances of “Storm I & II,” “Kyoto,” and “Agony.” By the end, the brotherly chemistry between him and Bladee—embraced as the night moved toward its conclusion—echoed the festival’s underlying theme of family.
Then came Skrillex. His headlining set was cut short due to storms. Around 10:30 p.m., security began to clear the stadium. Fans kept dancing among each other for a brief stretch. but after about 10 to 15 minutes. Skrillex’s sound cut off when several other characters from Skrillex’s camp rushed to his DJ booth.
The crowd booed, unable to hear him. When it became clear the set wasn’t simply pausing, Skrillex raised his hands in the air, made the heart sign, and left the stage.
Even shortened, the performance still hit the festival’s cross-genre pitch. Skrillex’s show delivered an EDM-meets-hip-hop wonderland through a dazzling, colorful light show. He performed a multigenre mix of EDM infused with reggae. pop. and hip-hop. and he also incorporated songs from other Summer Smash performers. including Playboi Carti. who closes out the fest on Sunday.
Still. the moment carried a specific kind of disappointment—less about the music itself than about what didn’t fully arrive. Unlike festivals like Pitchfork. where electronic DJs like Jamie xx would incorporate Chicago music into their mix. Skrillex didn’t as much. If anything. the night felt like Black Chicago’s electronic contributions were treated like a guest in its own city as he took the stage.
Summer Smash Lyrical Lemonade Skrillex EDM hip-hop Bridgeview SeatGeek Stadium Baby Keem BossFTR 2hollis Yung Lean Bladee hyperpop juke music
This is why I hate those crossover festivals.
Wait so did Skrillex get kicked off because of the crowd like… or was it literally weather? The headline made it sound like some drama.
That shirt is hilarious though, like why are they playing EDM at a rap festival? I mean I get it’s supposed to be inclusive but half the time it just feels like two different crowds. Also the set got cut short around 10:30 so maybe he “stormed off” literally from the power outage? Idk.
I saw “EDM met hip-hop” and immediately knew people were gonna argue in the comments all night. The part about it being on a T-shirt… that feels like marketing because everybody already has opinions. And if it was storms then why are they saying it like he rage quit? Sounds like clickbait version of weather delays.