Hot 97's annual blowout at the Meadowlands is a rap and R&B version of Wrestlemania, where bookers and promoters pull out all the stops to orchestrate a surprise-guest-packed spectacle to justify outsized ticket prices and a year of expectation.

The signature feature of the event is what has been come known as "Summer Jam Moments," which, for all the obvious artifice involved, are genuinely exciting, when they work. Hot 97's influence has waned since New York's status as a rap capital began to slide in the early 2000s, when regional independent powerhouses like Louisiana's Cash Money and No Limit record companies stormed the industry, and it slipped further as the internet enabled artists without pop sensibilities and industry connections to sell and communicate directly with fans. The cracks in the Hot 97 edifice couldn't have been more apparent this weekend with Drake, one of the select few stadium-filling rappers out there, headlining Governors Ball over on Randall's Island.

Method Man and Raekwon graced the stage at Summer Jam in a surprise appearance amid Fabolous's set. (Pete Monsanto/Hot 97)

The democratization of distribution is what allowed stubbornly non-commercial Kendrick Lamar to seize the spotlight, and a spot on this year's Summer Jam stage, on the strength of a level of conceptual and musical experimentation not seen on the top of the charts since Lil Wayne's mid-2000s ascendancy. But this being Summer Jam, the powers that be also foisted a full set by personality-less, permanently mid-card Brooklyn rapper Fabolous on the crowd. The blow was softened by a string of surprise appearances that left Fab performing just two of his songs, giving the rest of his set over to a kind of high school reunion from the class of the mid-'90s-early-2000s, when New York was still a major force in rap. Joining him on stage were Black Rob, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Mase, Remy Ma, Method Man, Redman, Raekwon, Mobb Deep, and Li'l Kim—in other words, a lot of artists who have either moved onto reality TV and acting, or have been pushed aside by the hype machine and life complications but get trotted out a few times a year to stoke the nostalgia of fans. And it worked! It may be corny, but it was genuinely exciting to see those people take the stage! These kinds of events are what enables the station to consistently sell tens of thousands of tickets to an event that has been going on for 21 years.

Jovaughn Reid, right, of East Flatbush, came to see Fabolous, Meek Mill, and hoped for a Mase appearance. Les, also of East Flatbush, was there to see Meek. Both agreed that Jay Z bringing out Michael Jackson was untoppable. (Tod Seelie/Gothamist)

Others, though, have simply written the whole thing off.

SummerJam had to riot to stay relevant
— IG: @Dallas_Penn (@Dallas_Penn) June 8, 2015

"Summer Jam Riot" embodies everyone's worst fear of being trapped in Jersey with a bunch of 2015 Fabolous fans.
— Otto Von Biz Markie (@Passionweiss) June 8, 2015

I would have more to write about the concert, but I left at the beginning of Kendrick's set upon hearing about a riot happening outside. Before the main event got going, I trawled the parking lot with photographer Tod Seelie to find out who people were excited about seeing, what their favorite past Summer Jam moments were—Jay Z bringing out Michael Jackson in 2001 and last year's G-Unit reunion were popular—and what they hoped might happen onstage. We learned some surprising things, including the fact that there are some real Fabolous fans out there.

Here are some music moments from the show:

Before The Riot: Summer Jam Fans Tailgated & Shared Their Favorite Festival Moments