By: Play Too Much

If you weren’t out celebrating the fifth anniversary of the “Hydrate The Hustle” concert series, don’t sweat it because we’ve got ya covered. If you’re not familiar with the concept, the FADER  and vitamin water have teamed up for the fifth anniversary of their award-winning music series, #uncapped. This year, the annual event spans five consecutive nights in New York City, and features performances from a collection of artist alumni including Matt and Kim and JoJo, along with talent new to the #uncapped stage including Alessia Cara, Chance the Rapper, Willow Smith, Kehlani and many more.The night started with Harlem producer Austin Millz warming up the crowd with a snare-adorned blend of hip-hop, R&B, and twisted club sounds.

Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos amped up the proceedings with chime-fuelled tunes including Rihanna’s hit, “Rude Boy,” and it was Passion Pit’s collaboration with Madeon, “Pay No Mind,” that had the crowd with their hands in the air and feeling like it was a Friday. Even the security guard was snapping pics.

Toronto popstar-in-the-making Alessia Cara was next and she belted tracks including “Seventeen” before proclaiming “This next song is about body image—there’s so much pressure to look like girls in magazines,” she said as a means of introduction to “Scar,” a feminist anthem about remembering that there’s no better you than the you that you are. After a couple of enjoyable covers—The Neighborhood’s “Sweater Weather,” for which she strapped on an acoustic guitar, and James Brown’s “I Feel Good”—she closed her set with her debut single, “Here.”

It’s always fun to see mega brands and blogs team up to bring people great live music, and it seems like after 5 years The Fader is still hydrating the hustle in a big way.