Rapper Jesty Beatz returned from his self-imposed creative exile in Los Angeles to find fans screaming his name and chanting one more song as he tried ending his set at 7Fest Saturday.
Ohio University 2006 alumnus Darrel Greene, who performs under the name Jesty Beatz, obliged the mud- and beer-soaked crowd and later was swarmed by fans.
7Fest is definitely a big thing
but it's so much more with Jesty here. He takes it from a five to a 10 said OU sophomore Jordan Strohl. He makes it a lot of fun and incorporates everyone.
Strohl and Jacob White, an OU freshman, waited anxiously for Greene to come offstage for a photo, and White asked him to sign a dollar bill.
The legend of Jesty Beatz lives on in the hearts and mind of students the rapper said afterward.
Jesty Beatz was joined by bluegrass band Mt. Carmel, Cleveland hip-hop group iPhonic, Downplay, Mike Posner, DJ Edski and several other artists at the fest.
It's a cool mix. There's a little something for everyone
said Matt Gibson, guitarist for iPhonic, which will release its new, as-yet-untitled, album in July.
DJ Edski said the crowd, which included attendees bonging beers from plastic owls and crows with the beaks cut off, is what made him come back for his third fest performance.
I come from California
so people are just wild out here; it's crazy
Edski said. They just go nuts. ... I like doing festivals
so I might venture toward that because right now I do clubs a lot in Hollywood and high residencies.
Greene used 7Fest as a chance to reconnect with his fan base, as he prepares to release his new album Sept. 23. The untitled work will be his first since 2007's Deal or No Deal.
(On the new album) I don't know if I'm going to be this crazy rapper guy or this crazy other guy because I could do it all
I could do anything
he said. You cannot put Jesty Beatz in a box
because the box would disintegrate. The particles of matter would fall away.
The rapper credited Athens with his development as an artist and plans to return in the fall to promote his new album.
I graduated from here
I feel a sense of pride
