After months of planning, yesterday July 7th Joey Bada$$ and the entire Pro Era crew brought to life the first annual #STEEZDay Festival in honor of the late Pro Era member Capital STEEZ on what would have been his 22nd birthday. Although the night opened up with a downpour rain shower, not one person left without soaking in the immense positive vibes that enveloped Central Park. With an impeccable roster of performances and surprise guests, thousands of devoted fans filled the Rumsey Playfield to show Pro Era an extent of love.
Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg was the honorable host of the evening as the night warmed up with opening acts Dyme-A-Duzin, Smoke DZA, Saint Heron favorite Phony Ppl, and more. While the event continued, backstage and the general admission area filled with special guests including Mick Jenkins, songstress Justine Skye, Bodega Bamz, and more. Alongside Pro Era, The Underachievers and Flabush Zombies headlined the event while running through booming fan favorites and even debuting a few new jams. It the midst of throbbing mosh pits and crowd rages, Joey Bada$$’ DJ and longstanding producer Statik Selektah took the stage to prepare for the Pro Era takeover. Decked out in attire fully dedicated to the life of Steelo, Joey and the Pro Era crew, including Kirk Knight, CJ Fly, Nyck Caution, A La $ole, Dessy Hinds, and more, hit the stage for fan favorite singles including “Paper Trail$,” and “Big Dusty,” before the entire roster bombarded the stage with uproar and positive energy for a mashup of Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” alongside Joey’s own “Hardknock.” Even more special appearances flooded the night, including a surprise performance from TDE’s Ab-Soul and A$AP Mob’s A$AP Ferg. Shouting out love to both STEEZ and A$AP Yams, a moment of silence began for a video tribute to STEEZ projected across the energy filled park before the youthful squad broke out into Joey’s hit single “Survival Tactics.” Featuring STEEZ, the track is lifted from Joey’s breakthrough and acclaimed 1999 project. The night ended with nothing less than pure hip-hop bliss.
Catch photos below provided by photographer and creative Elijah Dominique! May Capital STEEZ continue to rest in paradise.
