Despite cancellations only weeks out from this year’s installation of JMBLYA, Scoremore Shows brought the heat to Houston – both in terms of the weather and the lineup of performers – for the inaugural installation of JBMLYA in the city.
First, Cardi B cancelled her remaining tour dates this summer due to the pregnancy, which included the bill for JMBLYA in all three cities – Dallas, Austin, and Houston. Already combating the Cardi B PR nightmare with a clutch addition of Young Thug to the lineup, JMBLYA was yet again tossed into the fire when Kevin Gates backed out of the festival a mere few days before commencing the weekend. In search of who best to fill the void, promoters landed on prestigious Atlanta rapper, T.I., and quickly regained their prowess on the 2018 festival list before gates opened on Friday afternoon in Dallas.
Even with the stellar lineup – which ultimately included the likes of Trippie Red, Playboi Carti, Houston’s Bun B and Trae That Truth, as well as Migos, Young Thug and main headliner J. Cole – festival promoters were tossed yet another curveball, this time by mother nature.
Young Thug performing on stage at JMBLYA. | Marshall Heins II/Cooglife
With the Texas heat finally descending upon Houston, fans struggled to survive the entirety of the nearly nine hours of scheduled music on Sunday. For those that arrived early to get the most out of their ticket, they may have gotten a bit more than they bargained for with the extreme crowds and sweltering heat.
Shortly after the opening set, fans began to trickle out of the mosh-pit of, general admission area and take a seat anywhere on the festival grounds they could find shade.
Some unlucky few even had to pulled over the tops of the crowd barricades and escorted or frequently carried by security and medics the nearby medic tents to receive ice packs, water and simply a little shade from the sun. By the time Migos and J. Cole ultimately took the stage to close out the festival, however, the crowd had recovered and seemingly built in size for the top two headliners. Both skyrocketing to prominence as of late due to recent album releases – J. Cole’s “KOD” and Migos’ “Culture II” – fans certainly got their money’s worth with an extended set by Migos and an energetic showing by J. Cole, including songs off his highly regarded “KOD,” despite rumors of being too sick to perform circulating that evening.
Despite the suffering endured throughout the day, likely just to see these two performances, fans appeared to leave the festival grounds more than satisfied with their experience. The question remains, however, whether JMBLYA will bring the festival back to Houston in 2019.
J. Cole performing on stage at JMBLYA as this year’s headliner. | Marshall Heins II/Cooglife
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