Following a successful inaugural festival in 2022, which boasted performances from Lil Jon, Juvenile, K Camp and more, T-Pain brought back his Wisco-themed festival – inspired by his 2008 rhyming of mansion and "Wiscansin" – for an even bigger night of live music for his Milwaukee fans at The Rave last night.
With sets from a number of artists and T-Pain collaborators, fans packed the two biggest rooms of The Rave to enjoy performances from names like Chance the Rapper, Bow Wow, DJ Paul (of Three 6 Mafia), Tobi Lou, Taylor Bennett and more. If that wasn’t enough, of course T-Pain again blessed the stage for a lengthy headlining performance to close the night.
Check out some of our favorite images from the second annual Wiscansin Fest below:
1. We can’t believe it
We still can’t believe that T-Pain took his meme of a lyric from his 2008 track “I Can’t Believe" and turned it into an entire music festival in a city and state where he has no real ties. And it’s even harder to believe that the Atlanta singer/rapper doubled down by bringing the festival back this year with an even better lineup.
2. The festival started on a high note
Rap OG Afroman gave fans plenty of reasons to get to the festival early on Saturday. Performing a number of tracks – including his two mega hits from the year 2000, “Because I Got High” and “Crazy Rap” – Afroman made for one of the most entertaining sets from the festival.
3. Chance returns
Chance the Rapper is no stranger to the Eagles Ballroom, as the Chicago rapper has performed at The Rave a number of times throughout the years. From his opening set in support of Mac Miller’s "Space Migration" tour to his headlining performance in 2015, Chance always owns the crowd in Milwaukee.
4. Out of this world
T-Pain’s space theme for this year’s Wiscansin Fest was out of this world. From the alien-themed merch to his mascot decked out in an astronaut suit, the whole night was space-themed.
5. Tobi Lou "dresses funny because of John Malan"
Nigerian rapper Tobi Lou must have googled Wisconsin’s weather before packing for his Wiscansin Fest performance. A month ago – or even today – the outfit might have actually been a smart choice.
6. Summerfest preview
DJ Paul performed for the Milwaukee crowd last night, giving fans a taste of what they can expect in a couple weeks when the rapper returns with Juicy J for Three 6 Mafia’s set at Summerfest’s UScellular Connection stage.
7. "Wait a second …"
Saturday’s performances weren’t completely without issue, as Bow Wow set was delayed nearly a half hour. Lucky for fans, his set wasn’t cut short – but it did lead to delays for the night’s remaining performers, aka Chance and T-Pain. T-Pain wasn’t going to let his set get cut short, though, as he performed well past midnight to make sure that everyone got their money’s worth.
8. Chance praises T-Pain
One of the highlights of the evening came as Chance the Rapper took time between tracks to praise the kind of guy that T-Pain is. Earlier this year, Chance brought a music festival to the people of Ghana, and he told the Milwaukee crowd that T-Pain was one of the first artists to emphatically donate their time to the cause. It’s no secret that T-Pain is one of the nicest artists in music, and Chance and T-Pain’s Wisconsin fans can definitely co-sign that title.
