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Holy Smoke! Festival is a special place—a music festival hosted in Nashville, TN that's artist-owned and operated, giving artists and creatives a platform to shine in front of the most dedicated and loving community.
The Christian hip-hop scene boasts many well-established artists like Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, KB, nobigdyl, and Aaron Cole, to name a few. Holy Smoke! offers many artists, who have not yet had the chance to perform with full production, the exact opportunity to truly showcase their art. Among the amazing artists featured at the festival, some who have smaller but growing followings, are Sarah Juers, Aklesso, DKG Kie, and bødy wash
I'm grateful to have been part of the broadcast team this year and for the time I got to photograph my favorite artist. But more than anything, I'm thankful for all the cool people I connected with this weekend—the community is what makes it special.
The performances continually blew away not only the fans but also those of us on the media team. I can't count how many times I’d look at one of my fellow media bros, and we’d both be in shock at what we were witnessing on stage and in the crowd. To list a few memorable moments: Aklesso was the first to stage dive into the crowd, and the fans were all for it. His energy spurred on the fans for a night full of fun.
My most anticipated performances were from nobigdyl and indie tribe. nobigdyl, a hip-hop artist, festival director, and podcaster, has been in the game since 2016 and continues to develop his craft with each new release. I remember being excited to see him in 2018 at the Better Late Than Never Tour, where he opened for Lecrae & Andy Mineo. The growth he and his fan base have experienced since then is incredibly encouraging, as his art has always had deep-rooted meaning but is also uplifting to listen to.
Indie Tribe is a collective comprised of nobigdyl, Mogli the Iceburg, Jon Keith, DJ Mykael V, and Torey Deshaun. They headlined this year's festival for the first time, and it wasn’t just because they put it on. Their debut album, Upperhand, was amazing, yet they have since ascended to insane heights with just one more album, Lowblow, and their EP Indie500. These artists create music that is so thoughtfully crafted, from the lyrics and instrumentation to the album art and music videos. They do this while keeping it clean, glorifying God, and still making it off the charts! (Seriously, they’re notorious for hitting Billboard.)
Trip Lee is one of those artists who delivers emotionally and spiritually powerful songs, but he isn’t afraid to surprise the crowd with a "bit" of excitement. He sent the crowd into a frenzy when the end of his song Manolo switched from its normal hip-hop vibe to a hip-hop/EDM rager. I attempted to take photos, but I kept getting distracted by how Trip turned it up to 11!
A monumental peak of the festival was the return of Andy Mineo, after fans had been missing the artist due to his inactivity in releasing music or even being active on social media. If Andy closing out the festival wasn’t the icing on the cake already, he brought out his counterpart, Wordsplayed, and the two performed songs from their highly favored project Magic & Bird. The excitement was through the roof, and we even got to hear the debut of new music from them—you had to be there!
Getting such positive feedback from festival organizers like nobigdyl, the director himself, and Mogli, who was overseeing the media team I was on, meant the world to me. Having both of them message me about my work was so encouraging after a very dry creative season.
Having nobigdyl share one of my photos on his page as the main “recap” of the festival for him was incredibly meaningful. I am grateful for high-level artists who appreciate other artists and creatives.
Another meaningful victory was seeing many of the artists and other creatives I met engaging with my art through likes, comments, and even shares. I sometimes wrestle with the need to feel validated on social media, but knowing these people actually appreciate my art, even though we have different styles and are at different stages in our careers, was something that really warmed my heart.
Holy Smoke! 2024 really served as a spark in my business and creative headspace. As you may have heard me say, it’s been a dry season creatively after 1.5 years at an isolated military base with my wife; I am stoked to be back in San Antonio with our great friends and family. Getting to jump back into in-person ministry alongside my business is a gift I do not want to take for granted.
Thank you to all the artists, creatives, and people I met at this year's festival, it wouldn't be what it is without you!
If you have an event coming up and need media coverage, hit that contact button—I’ll be ready to help!
Holy Smoke! is the best time of the year
The GIFs are so fun 🥳