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Dreamland festival started out as Cmplx Music and Arts showcase in 2014. The inaugural event primarily featured artists from Tulsa, Oklahoma City and two artists from Houston. This year, in its 7th edition, the festival headlined Grammy nominated artist, Rapsody.
When the DJ introduced Rapsody to the stage, she walked straight to the mic and started spittin’; no self-introduction nor crowd interaction. Her stance was firm, lyricism sharp, and her overall presence screamed Hip-Hop:
It was nearly 12:45 a.m. by the time Rapsody hit the stage. The crowd had slightly dwindled, but she performed with the same energy as if she were at the Garden, or Staples Center, two of the most prominent hip hop arenas. Her energy was felt throughout her performance, all the way up to the Cipher with native artists and the end of her show.
Tulsa artist Bezel365 ended Rapsody’s show with a knockout freestyle spanning two beat changes. Rapsody stared at Bezel365 with a turnt up face of approval as he wrecked the two tracks.
“I feel amazing. You know, one thing about when you of the culture and for the culture, no matter how big or small the crowd or stage is, you do it for the feeling.” Rapsody told The Black Wall Street Times. “Tulsa has a lot of energy and love, I could tell the creativity, you know the energy here is beautiful, it was dope to even end my set with a cipher with local artists. That’s what it’s about, you know, community,” she added.
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Rapsody takes stage with local artists
Larussell, an upcoming artist from northside of Vallejo, California performed right before Rapsody. His youthful energy captivated the crowd. He bounced, he rocked, and engaged the crowd, often pausing to let the audience finish the lyrics. He had punchlines for days. Notable lines:
“I just split the (pi) like 1.5” .
“You can set ya own pace when you first/ got it out the dirt/ prolly find mud in my hearse/ it’s priceless/ I’ll tell you what it’s worth.”
“Black boy go get yo shine on/ you can do anything you put yo mind on”
The Dreamland festival had 15 artists on the flyer in its infant stages in 2014. In 2016, the name changed to World Culture Music Festival, an extension of the brand created by Keeng Cut, a pioneer in Tulsa’s hip-hop scene. In 2017, the musical festival was featured on the front page of the Tulsa Voice.
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Now, in 2022, approximately 113 artists, including Rapsody, performed over the course of three days. The festival has transcended past just music and arts. There were panels of speakers in the financial and tech industry, film presentations and a community run with professional boxer Jeremiah “Dreamland” Milton, a North Tulsa native.
Dreamland Festival is Homegrown: Everything is us
Steph Simon, community leader and creator of the Dreamland Festival mentioned the festival being run by Tulsa natives and how the feeling from the festival is more important than the amount of artists performing.
“It’s us doing this festival,” Simon told the Black Wall Street times. “Volunteers is familiar faces. Everything is us, just the homies, so long as that stays intact it’s always going to have that feeling when you come.” He added.
Brandis Jones, Tulsa native, mentioned her excitement from the festival. “The Dreamland festival was exhilarating.” she told the Black Wall Street Times.
“To witness such various aspects of black excellence was very inspiring and nothing short of amazing. The artists were exceptional, and the entire experience was just beautiful,” she said.
Angelo Estes, Tulsa native and prominent producer in the city, was excited about the appearance of Rapsody and the musical progress in Tulsa. “I’m hype for the growth of the city, and I’m glad I get to witness the creation of the Tulsa music industry.”
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