Editor’s note: This is Round 2 in our 2017 fest rumor round up report. This round of rumors comes from @ATXconcert. Keep up with who to follow on Twitter for fest news with our list of best users to follow. We’re also updating the party calendar daily as event information is released – want to sign-up to get on the list for every unofficial party? Sign-up today. The list of official artists keep growing daily with over 800 bands and musicians on the list so far, but this list is more about who hasn’t been announced yet, but might play at the fest. By looking at tour schedules and following artist rumors, @ATXconcert brings you the top guesses for fest additions.
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We are 30 days away from the fest! As we inch closer to our favorite week in Austin, we want to keep you updated on who might show up. Here are a few rumors to quench your thirst.
WHO is being rumored?
WHY is the fest possible for them?
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WHO: THEY. is an American R&B duo consisting of Dante Jones and Drew Love from Los Angeles, California. The duo started their career in 2015, releasing debut extended play, Nü Religion, which received critical acclaim. In the same year THEY. released the commercially successful single “Working for It” in collaboration with Zhu and Skrillex. In 2016, the duo started touring with singer Bryson Tiller. In February, the duo will release their debut studio album, Nü Religion: Hyena.
WHY: Their tour schedule has them in Texas during the fest and with off days to show up on 3/13, 3/16, and 3/17.
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WHO: Kodak Black is an American hip-hop recording artist who began rapping at the young age of 12. In 2013, he began to release mixtapes Project Baby, Heart of the Projects, and Institution. Kodak’s popularity sky-rocketed when Drake posted a video of himself dancing to his single “Skrt” in October 2015. As a result, Kodak signed a deal with Atlantic Records the very same year. The rapper was even featured on French Montana‘s single “Lockjaw” in 2016, before landing a spot on XXL Magazine’s Top Ten Freshman List. In August, “Skrt” became his first lead single to secure a spot on Billboard for the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.
WHY: He is slated to perform at Clayton’s Beach Bar in Padre Island on 3/17. He has nothing else scheduled during music week.
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WHO: 21 Savage is an Atlanta rapper who kicked off his career with the crew Slaughtergang. He hit as a solo artist with his 2014 single “Picky.” A year later he released his debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape. The Free Guwop EP with Sonny Digital landed that same year, as did a second solo mixtape, Slaughter King. In 2016, he joined Metro Boomin for the collaborative LP Savage Mode.
WHY: He is slated to perform at Clayton’s Beach Bar in Padre Island with Kodak Black on 3/17. He has no other tour dates scheduled.
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WHO: Cold War Kids make music with roots that go deep and wide, embracing influences as diverse as Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley, and The Velvet Underground. Vocalist/guitarist/pianist Nathan Willett, bassist Matt Maust, drummer Matt Aveiro, and guitarist Jonnie Russell began crafting their soulful, blues-inflected take on indie rock as Cold War Kids in 2004. The band’s unique sound and impassioned live act generated a buzz, particularly from bloggers, that grew with each tour and release.
WHY: Cold War Kids have a spring tour scheduled with confirmed a showcasing act Middle Kids. They could show up in Austin on 3/13 or 3/16.
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WHO: The Lox, which is an acronym for “Living Off Experience”, are a Yonkers, New York-based rap trio who worked their way up through the Bad Boy training camp, writing and rapping on hits by the likes of Puff Daddy, the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey before releasing their debut album in early 1998. Sheek, Jadakiss, and Styles began rapping together in their childhood. By the time they reached their late teens, they had settled on the LOX name (from their original moniker “The Warlocks”).
WHY: They are in Houston on 3/16 and in Dallas on 3/19. They have all the surrounding dates open to pop up at the fest.
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WHO: Little Simz is a tough-rhyming rapper whose approach is equally effective over jagged and smooth productions, Little Simz is also known as an actor, for her recurring roles on the BBC’s Spirit Warriors and E4’s Youngers. Born Simbi Ajikawo in Islington, England, she gained notice through her television gigs but saw music as her real calling long before she reached the screen. She released her first mixtape in 2010 and continued to issue freely available material, including Blank Canvas, a mixtape supported by Jay-Z’s Life+Times website, for several years. Her 2014 was prolific, a period during which four EPs came out and impressed peers and DJs alike. In early 2015, she was crowned Breakthrough Artist of the Year at BBC DJ Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards. That September, she released her first proper album, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons, through her own AGE 101 label.
WHY: It wouldn’t be the fest without Little Simz. She has been the past couple of years. She recently dropped her “Welcome To Wonderland” tour, and has 3/11-3/19 open.
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WHO: R. Kelly and his supporting band Public Announcement began recording in 1992 at the tail-end of the new jack swing era; yet he was able to keep much of its sound alive while remaining commercially successful. While he created a smooth, professional mixture of hip-hop beats, soulman crooning, and funk, the most distinctive element of Kelly’s music is its explicit carnality. He was able to make songs like “Sex Me,” “Bump n’ Grind,” “Your Body’s Callin’,” and “Feelin’ on Yo Booty” into hits because his production was seductive enough to sell such blatant come-ons. As his crossover success broadened, Kelly also developed a flair for pop balladry that helped cement his status as one of the biggest-selling male artists of the ’90s and 2000s.
WHY: His current tour has him ending in Houston on March 4th. He has no other dates scheduled.
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WHO: Texas guitarist Gary Clark, Jr. has been compared to guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and his playing is a powerful and inspired mix of blues roots with contemporary soul and hip-hop, and when he’s rolling at his best, he sounds like nothing so much as a natural hybrid of both the past and the future of the blues. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Clark first picked up a guitar at the age of 12 and spent his teens playing whatever gig he could get in the Austin area, eventually meeting Clifford Antone, promoter and owner of Antone’s, the city’s premier blues club, who began featuring Clark at his venue. An amazing live performer, Clark soon became one of the brightest players on Austin’s blues and rock scene.
WHY: His new album Live North America 2016 will be released on 3/17. His tour, which starts in March, leaves him with open dates from 3/11-3/18. Its very likely that he will show up, and probably at Antone’s.
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Follow @atxconcert on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat to stay informed and up to date on all SXSW rumors, RSVPs, artist announcements, party/event announcements and so much more. Get to know the artists playing the fest with our playlist on Spotify.
