Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Chief Keef and Baby Keem to headline Summer Smash 2026

Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sun-Times —

Chicago rapper Chief Keef will headline the 2026 Summer Smash festival.</p><p>He's pictured here performing at the music festival at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview in June 2024. https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/89a64f4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7365x4912+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F77%2F01%2F982feb7e4b4faa7a8ee3a134eb34%2Fsummersmash-061724-26.jpg" />


Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Skrillex, Chief Keef and Baby Keem are among the Summer Smash music festival’s headliners, organizers announced late Monday afternoon.

Taking place June 12-14 at SeatGeek Stadium in southwest suburban Bridgeview, Summer Smash also features JT of the City Girls, St. Louis hip-hop artist Sexyy Red, rapper Fetty Wap, Swedish rappers Bladee and Yung Lean, Waka Flocka, Bigxthaplug and North West, the 12-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

In addition to South Side drill rapper Chief Keef, Chicago talent on the lineup includes G Herbo and Adamn Killa, https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/11/10/chicago-rapper-adamn-killa-tells-cops-to-arrest-me-daddy-getting-arrested-wont-stop-him" target="_blank" >who went viral last year for his “arrest me daddy” videos amid the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement campaign.





















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Fans cheer and dance while Lil Yachty performs at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash music festival in 2024.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times










Lil Uzi Vert and Playboy Carti return as headliners to kick off and close out the fest, respectively.

Notable this year is Saturday night headliner Skrillex, as the festival “broadens its genre-spanning footprint” with the producer and Grammy Award-winning DJ, organizers said.

Also on Saturday, Baby Keem performs as a “special guest.”

The Summer Smash was founded in 2018 by https://www.lyricallemonade.com/" target="_blank" >Lyrical Lemonade, a Chicago-based multimedia company.

Video director Cole Bennett and SPKRBX owner Berto Solorio started the festival as a way to give local artists a platform.

Since then, Summer Smash has showcased both up-and-coming talent as well as hip-hop headliners, drawing more than 100,000 fans over the weekend from around the world, according to organizers.

Tickets go on sale at 2 p.m. Tuesday at http://thesummersmash.com" target="_blank" >TheSummerSmash.com.

Read full article at Chicago Sun-Times →