Written by: Kate Phuah  Photos by: Kate Phuah

      When I used to hear the word “jambalaya,” I would think about that Hank Williams song that my grandpa used to play in the car while driving me home from kindergarten. But now when I hear Jambalaya, I think of the packed, high-energy hip-hip music festival, and when I hear of Hank Williams, all I can think of is that Walmart kid.

      This past weekend I attended the annual JMBLYA festival in Austin, Texas. It was hot, it was packed, but it was so, so fun. The location was spacious, they had plenty of photo-ops, food, and free water stations. The stages weren’t too far apart and the crowd had ample room to view the performances.

      That’s not to say JMBLYA went without any hiccups though. Two original artists (Cardi B & Kevin Gates) were unable to make the fest and thus replaced by Young Thug and T.I., which I wasn’t so mad about but a lot of other people seemed to be. I can’t complain- the lineup was still really hot.

      The artists I saw were all pretty high energy, which is really important for the overall vibes of the music festival. If an artist seems kind of bored or like they don’t want to be there, the audience can tell and they feed off of that energy in this sort of cycle of negativity. Fortunately, the JMBLYA performers were all pumped up and gave their sets a lot of effort. I really enjoyed Playboi Carti and Ski Mask the Slump God a lot! I was a fan before, but their sets really solidified my love of them. They both encouraged mosh pits and got the crowd super pumped up. I will say, Ski Mask got tired after about 20 minutes of his set (understandably) and left kind of early, but he really brought it for those first 20 minutes, so I wasn’t too bummed.

      If you enjoy hip-hop or EDM, hot Texas weather, big audiences, and even bigger performers, then you should definitely mark your calendars for JMBLYA next year. With separate shows in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, there’s surely a location that is most convenient for you! I wish I could go to all three, but  I’d probably get a sunburn.