All About the ComplexCon 2023

ON: November 20, 2023 BY: Isabela DESTINATION

Last weekend, our team attended the exciting ComplexCon, the two-day convergence of pop culture, music, art, food, sports, innovation, activism, and education at Long Beach. In its seventh annual festival and marketplace, their musical programming provided buzzworthy performances and DJ sets for attendees throughout the day. Kid Cudi was the headliner on Sunday, closing the festival with a nostalgic and electrifying set.

The much-anticipated ComplexCon(versations) panels discussed the current state of art and culture. We were able to hear from some of today’s most impactful cultural commentators and creatives including Joe La Puma, Speedy Morman, Bimma Williams, Lil Yachty, DJ Clark Kent, Kristen Noel Crawley, Tip “T.I.” Harris, and many more. 

The First We Feast Lagoon also returned with 30+ restaurants and eateries from across the US. ComplexCon also invited 150 brands featuring exclusive merch and new drops, including the relaunch of Kanye West’s first brand PASTELLE. The show floor included a variety of special guests across over 100 activations, such as Hype Willams, Michèle Lamy, Sean Evans, Coi Leray, Takashi Murakami, Paloma Mami, Chris Brown, Xzibit and many more. 

 

 

Music Highlights: 

  • Zack Bia and Field Trip Recordings put together a full slate of DJ sets, including Lil Yachty, Luka Sabbat, SoFaygo, DJ Scheme, Favela Worldwide, Killthemessenger, and Quinn Blake. Zack Bia‘s set featured surprise performances from YG, Don Toliver, OhGeesy, SoFaygo, and Eem Triplin. 
  • During a rare DJ set, Lil Yachty previewed new music, including an unreleased song called “Gimme The Light” and debuted a new song he recorded two days before the event.
  •  Lyrical Lemonade celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the brand with a showcase that included sets by BlaccMass, GloUP Jake, F1lthy, ZacFTP, and DJ Scheme. Plus standout performances from Luh Tyler and Kalan.FRFR, and DJ sets from Kerwin Frost.
  • Kid Cudi hit the stage in Long Beach ahead of his new album INSANO to preview new music for fans—including an unreleased song called “Superboy.” Throughout the rest of the set, Cudi performed a mix of early-era standouts like “GHOST!” with new songs like the BNYX-produced (and SoundCloud exclusive) “MOST AIN’T DENNIS.”

ComplexCon(versations) Highlights:

  • Speedy Morman sat down with Funny Marco for a special live edition of Complex’s 360 With Speedy to talk about his rise to fame and how awkward interviews have become the internet’s favorite format. 
  • Nike SB x Air Jordan 4 was officially crowned Sneaker Of The Year in a heated debate led by Complex’s Joe La Puma
  • GRAMMY Award-winning rapper T.I. detailed his journey to producing and acting in his independent film debut, Da‘Partments, in conversation with King Harris, Erica Duchess, Tyler Chronicles, and moderated by Jordan Rose.

First We Feast Lagoon Highlights: 

  • Hot Ones host Sean Evans toured the 30+ eateries, taking selfies with fans and stopping by the Espolòn Cantina—an immersive experience celebrating the vibrant culture and modern innovation of Mexico.
  • The L.A. Chargers celebrated season two of its Hot Ones spinoff Truth or Dab – LA Chargers Edition by hosting the second annual Hot Ones Tailgate.
  • Fans experienced the DMV’s famous Mambo Sauce courtesy of Chicken & Mumbo Sauce 
  • The Hot Ones x Hot Pockets samples were a hit spicy fan experience and featured a covetable merch collab from ComplexCon staple Carrots.
  • And the longest line all weekend: Bun B’s Trill Burgers!!

Exclusive Marketplace Shopping Drops:

  • ComplexCon 2023’s artistic director CACTUS PLANT FLEA MARKET’s much anticipated Levi’s collab with Denim Tears debuted on Saturday.
  • Jae Tips debuted its second collab with Saucony – the Grid Shadow 2..
  • First released in October, Nipsey Hussle’s The Marathon Clothing brand’s “Triple Whites” Puma Clyde collaboration returned at ComplexCon.
  • Los Angeles’ Gallery Dept continued its Asics collab at ComplexCon with a new GT-2160 colorway.
  • Vandy the Pink x Clarks “Wallabee Burger” shoes also saw another release at Complexcon.

For more details on this year’s programming, activations and performances, visit here, download the official ComplexCon app, follow @complexcon on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram. 

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