With over a decade of bringing Hip-Hop heads together to celebrate the art of DJing, Skratch Bastid is back with his Bastid’s BBQ festival in full effect. Having expanded to multiple cities, each with their own unique festival lineup, the 2025 hometown edition in Toronto would return to The Bentway for the third year in a row, once again being expanded to two days for a weekend of fun. One of the top Hip-Hop festivals Toronto has to offer, Bastid’s BBQ is known to bring those outdoor summertime vibes with quality food on the grill and world-class DJs on the turntables, the slogan being good music, good food, good people.

Although the festival went on all weekend, we only attended Day 1 on the Saturday, which had a stacked lineup featuring local emcees Daniel Son, Rich Kidd, Tona and Adam Bomb, DJ Skratch Bastid himself, comedy legend Russell Peters, and world-renowned producers/DJs 9th Wonder and DJ Premier. Whether you were there to support the local underground scene or to witness a piece of history between 9th Wonder and DJ Premier’s iconic catalogues of classic Hip-Hop records, this was set to be an epic event.

The Bentway is always a good time for a music festival setting, the outdoor space providing a variety of areas for sitting, standing and dancing, with the Gardiner Expressway acting as a roof to keep the party covered from the rain. We arrived a few hours into the festival and took some time to get a meal from Burger Drops while the breakdance competition was going on. While dancers competed throughout the day to take home a cash prize, the dance cypher stayed open even outside of the competition, as 3x DMC Champion DJ T-Jr played a dope set mixing classic Hip-Hop records over alternate beats, plus some Toronto classics by Saukrates and Kardinal Offishall.

With the Hip-Hop elements of DJing and breakdancing being front and center for the early part of the festival, it was time to bring some emcees on stage, the first up being Daniel Son. There would be plenty of surprise guests joining Daniel Son on stage throughout his set, as he’d enter with Asun Eastwood performing their throwback collab “Underbelly,” and soon brought out Raz Fresco to rock “What’s The Mission” with him, bringing back memories of when they rocked it at last year’s festival. Daniel Son would be sure to make Brampton’s presence felt, as he’d continue on with a few more joints, including the single “No Man’s Land” off his 2024 Bushman Bodega album, and brought out fellow Brampton artist Saipher Soze to perform their throwback “Graveyard Shift,” putting a new twist on it by performing the track over a DJ Premier beat. Closing out the set with a couple more joints with Asun Eastwood, Daniel Son definitely brought that raw rap energy to the stage.

Peel Region would continue to shine, as we went from Brampton to Mississauga with Rich Kidd gracing the stage next. With a new slimmed-down look, Rich Kidd would begin his set behind the turntables, hyping the crowd up by spinning some of his own records like “Syke” as well as joints he’s produced for other artists, including k’os’ “I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman (On The Run).” Besides being a solo artist, producer and DJ, Rich Kidd is also one third of the Juno award-winning group Naturally Born Strangers, and with fellow members Tona and Adam Bomb also on the festival lineup, we knew this would eventually turn into an NBS reunion. Rich Kidd would bring out Scarborough’s own Big Tona to get on the mic, who’d start by doing a tribute to the late Bishop Brigante, playing Bishop’s song “About 2 Change” before getting into his own music. Tona would then be joined by Adam Bomb, and along with Rich Kidd, the trio would proceed to move the crowd.

The Naturally Born Strangers set was short but action-packed, as they got into the decade-old throwback single off of their Juno award-winning self-titled album, “Jameson Ave,” followed by newer joints from the 2020s, including “Sriracha.” While Tona & Adam Bomb simply nailed their verses on the mic, Rich Kidd went above and beyond to hype up the crowd, as he’s known for. He’d have a water gun to spray on the crowd throughout the set, and at one point jumped down into the crowd and ran around the dance floor as he rapped. After a hype performance of “Let’s Go,” Naturally Born Strangers would make their exit, Rich Kidd promoting an upcoming community fundraiser/BBQ he’d be throwing in Mississauga August 10th.

After taking some time to crown the winner of the breakdance competition with the final round taking place, the next artist to grace the stage would be Brampton’s own Russell Peters. While the comedy legend is known to appreciate classic Hip-Hop, having curated his own concert at the Just For Laughs Festival in 2022, little did we know that he’d been taking it a step further by actually trying his hand at DJing. There would be no standup comedy, and not even any talking from Russell, as he simply stayed behind the turntables and rocked a dope set of ’80s and ’90s Hip-Hop. Rocking a Blue Jays cap and a Big L t-shirt, there was a sense of seriousness as Russell kept it underground and hardcore, playing songs by Wu-Tang, Cypress Hill, Mobb Deep, A Tribe Called Quest, and Pharoahe Monch, getting the crowd turned up with every hit that he played. Although he had some guidance on stage from his mentor, DJ Starting From Scratch, Russell Peters showed that he could be taken seriously as a DJ despite his background in standup comedy.

Announced just a couple days before the concert, Russell Peters would be joined by some special guests during his set, Smif-N-Wessun. The Brooklyn, New York duo consisting of emcees Tek & General Steele were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Dah Shinin’, and also the release of their newest 2025 album, Infinity. They had a short time on stage, but they had the crowd absolutely turned up as they performed classics like their feature on Mary J. Blige’s “I Love You (Remix)” and the war anthem “Let’s Git It On.” With Russell Peters continuing to back them on the turntables, Smif-N-Wessun kept the energy levels high, getting arms waving to the 2025 single “Medina” and the crowd shouting out the hook with them on “Bucktown,” but the most hype moment of the festival came next.

To close out their set, Smif-N-Wessun did their usual routine with the 1995 classic “Sound Bwoy Burreil,” except this time they both jumped into the crowd to perform the track surrounded by fans, then had Russell restart the track as they returned to the stage and ran it back a second time. This crowd was turned up for the moment, shouting out the lyrics with Tek & Steele and joining in on their chants throughout the track. With Toronto’s Caribana Festival just a week away, the Caribbean flavour in Smif-N-Wessun’s style of Hip-Hop was definitely appreciated.

Keeping up those Caribana vibes, Skratch Bastid would surprise us with another special guest, Toronto’s own Kardinal Offishall! Although Kardi is known to turn the party up with his live performances on the mic, he would keep it behind the turntables this time, doing a DJ set spinning strictly Reggae, Dancehall and Soca, getting the crowd dancing to chunes by Damian Marley, Dawn Penn, Vybz Kartel and Pressure, to name a few. With a tight time slot before Skratch Bastid needed to take over, Kardinal energized the crowd in his short time on stage and closed out by rapping his verse from “Ol’ Time Killin” over an alternate reggae beat.

As Skratch Bastid got his gear set up on the adjacent set of turntables, he’d adapt his set to blend nicely with the Caribana vibes Kardinal Offishall put us in, kicking things off with a version of “Murderer” that had his name dubbed into it. After a few Reggae joints, Bastid would take us back to the Hip-Hop, picking out dope samples to isolate and use to transition between songs, like the phrase “get down!” on the Clipse & Pharrell’s “When The Last Time” going into the James Brown sample on Nas’ “Get Down.” Showing off his ability to do live cuts and flip between records, Skratch Bastid would take us through hits by A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B & Rakim, and Black Sheep. He wouldn’t be afraid to blend eras either, going from the ’80s and ’90s to brand new music that’s less than a week old, playing Tyler, The Creator’s “Don’t Tap That Glass.” The crowd stayed energized and dancing throughout, even when Bastid remixed a few Kendrick Lamar tracks like “Squabble Up” and “TV Off,” and would be captivated with the way he cut up the Star Wars theme in epic fashion to close out his set.

9th Wonder had shown up early and could be seen vibing out on stage to Skratch Bastid’s set as he got ready to rock on the adjacent set of turntables. When it was his turn to rock, the North Carolina-based producer/DJ would play a ton of Hip-Hop throwbacks, although there were a few songs he played that we had just heard during the Russell Peters set. Still, the crowd got down as 9th dug up some classics by LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes, NORE and Jay-Z.

While 9th Wonder spent a lot of time playing songs by other artists, he did dedicate a segment of his set to highlighting his own contributions to Hip-Hop. As a producer, he’s been responsible for a lot of underrated hits by some major artists, and he’d own that spotlight by playing songs like “Girl” by Destiny’s Child,” “Think Good Thoughts” by Drake, “Threat” by Jay-Z, “Face The World” by Nipsey Hussle, and “Duckworth” by Kendrick Lamar. “Yeah, I did that!” he’d exclaim once the crowd recognized the song.

It appeared the headliner for the evening, DJ Premier, was late getting to the stage, and so 9th Wonder would continue playing for an extended set. He’d take it back to classic Hip-Hop, playing tracks by Biggie, Lil’ Kim, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Black Moon. Throwing some curveballs into the mostly Hip-Hop setlist, 9th would get us grooving to Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” before abruptly going full Rock with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” then brought back the bounce with Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin'” and Purple Ribbon All-Stars’ “Kryptonite.” He’d also dig into a Reggae pocket, playing a few of the same songs we heard Kardinal Offishall play earlier, and even played Smif-N-Wessun’s “Bucktown” and “Sound Bwoy Burreil” with the duo vibing on stage next to him.

After rocking the crowd for a solid hour, 9th Wonder made way for DJ Premier to take the stage. Preemo was about a half hour late getting to the stage, but that only meant the party would keep rocking longer. He’d appear wearing a mask as he set up his gear, leaving some doubt that maybe he was still backstage, but then he’d take the mask off and toss it into the crowd, getting everyone turned up for his set!

In contrast to 9th Wonder’s set, where he only played a few of his own productions in the middle of a diversified setlist, DJ Premier’s set would be entirely made up of his own songs. With an extensive catalogue that puts him among the most elite Hip-Hop producers of all time, DJ Premier is of course responsible for decades of hits, with a signature sound that is synonymous with raw, underground Hip-Hop. In fact, he would start off his set by highlighting the fact that he’s still using vinyl records on his turntables, and would proudly proclaim “I’m from the underground!”

With an endless list of collaborators, DJ Premier would play a ton of Hip-Hop classics he’s produced over the years, including joints by D.I.T.C., KRS-One, Royce Da 5’9″, Group Home and Jeru The Damaja, to name a few. He would use his turntables to play with the samples used to create the beats, hyping up the crowd as he slowly built the beat up and looped the sounds, until it became the recognizable hit we all turned up to. One highlight was when he asked the crowd if we were ready for the new Nas album, which he’s been rumoured to be producing entirely, and he’d actually play a preview of the new album with a never-before-heard Nas verse over a beat he made on the spot. [CORRECTION: DJ Premier played the single “Define My Name” released in 2024.] It sounds like Nas & Preemo are cooking up another classic!

Working the crowd, DJ Premier would get us all to chant “Torontoooo!!” as he built up the beat for Nas’ “NY State of Mind,” and the crowd turned up as he dropped the track. He’d continue on with Jay-Z’s “Friend Or Foe,” making sure he had real fans in the building by cutting the track for the crowd to fill in the lyrics. The hits would continue and he’d show off the range of legendary artists he’s worked with, recreating the beats for C-N-N’s “Invincible,” Nas’ “Nas Is Like,” Mos Def’s “Mathematics,” The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Unbelievable” and “Ten Crack Commandments,” with Skratch Bastid being seen joining the crowd and jumping around to the beats. DJ Premier had us all throwing our L’s up as he played the intro to Big L’s The Big Picture album, and turned the energy all the way up when he eventually flipped it to Gang Starr’s “Full Clip.”

Of course with DJ Premier being one half of the group Gang Starr, fans had been waiting for him to play some of those songs, and they’d get their wish during the final segment of his set. With Guru not here to see Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary celebrations and all the milestones each Gang Starr album has reached, it’s only right that we get to celebrate that music with DJ Premier. Using the same technique of building up the beats by looping the samples in person, Preemo would go in with several Gang Starr hits, including “Code of the Streets,” “Work,” “Above The Clouds,” “DWYCK” and “Mass Appeal,” even throwing the M.O.P. joint “On The Front Line” in the mix. With time running out, Preemo would end the set there, thanking the crowd for their time and shouting out all the DJs surrounding him on stage to witness the performance.

Overall, Bastid’s BBQ 2025 was another fun-filled event that celebrated Hip-Hop in its purest form. The emcees and break dancers were on point, but of course Skratch Bastid puts emphasis on recognizing the DJs when curating these festival lineups. Between all the DJs we saw, there was a wide range of techniques seen on stage, from remixing songs with alternate beats to raw cuts/scratching, highlighting the producer’s ear for sampling, and curating the right blend of songs to go together. Combine that with setting provided by The Bentway, being able to enjoy the summer weather while being covered from the rain, along with the BBQ vibes, and the festival definitely lived up to its slogan. Good music, good food, good people.

For me, the biggest highlight was seeing Russell Peters pull off a DJ set and successfully back Smif-N-Wessun on stage, although it was also dope seeing DJ Premier go through the endless hits he’s produced. I would’ve liked to see Preemo keep going with more Gang Starr and M.O.P. tracks, but with limited time, he did touch on the essentials and had the crowd turned up throughout his set. Bastid’s BBQ has been consistently serving up some epic, historic Hip-Hop moments, and the 2025 edition of the festival was no different.

Skratch Bastid will be bringing his Bastid’s BBQ festival to Vancouver next! Tickets and info can be found here!

Check out this playlist of concert videos from all the Bastid’s BBQ festivals I’ve attended over the years!

Check out the SYpherSights Youtube channel for more concert videos.

Also follow SYpherSights on social media below:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram