Andrew Callaghan's trip to a Utah rap festival went exactly how you imagine
Utah rap festivals—where sociopolitical and racial awareness go to die
There are a number of themes running throughout Andrew Callaghan’s already prolific gonzo journalism work, first with All Gas No Brakes, and now with his ongoing Channel 5 project—MAGA death cultist rabbit holes, protest movements, American outcasts, furries, et cetera—but perhaps the most consistent motif we’ve seen in nearly all his dispatches has been white dudes’ desperate attempts at proving their skills as rappers. In nearly every instance it’s been… painful, to say the least.
And yet, we’re not sure any of Callaghan’s past examples could prepare us for his journey this past August to Hive Music Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah—a two-day rap and hip hop rager that featured Post Malone, Jack Harlow, Denzel Curry, and the recently incredibly screwed Fetty Wap. If imagining the kinds of racial tone deafness that occurs during a rap fest in a state that is 90% white makes you uncomfortable, just wait until you see the actual footage.