On the morning of March 20th, music festival fans were met with a Lollapalooza lineup unlike any they’d seen before. Fans did not see the classic poster with the array of artists they’re accustomed to; instead, they saw a poster with a single “phrase” repeated throughout reading: “lofi hip hop – beats to relax/study to.”

This unorthodox lineup was revealed to be the result of a collaboration between Chicago city officials, Chicago Public Schools executives, and Lollapalooza organizers. “It is our duty as the leaders of Chicago to keep our children safe this summer,” Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel announced at a press conference last week. “But keeping them safe from gun violence is not enough. We must also equip them with the tools they need to succeed in their studies.”

Further breaking with tradition, the festival will be offering a student discount, making it more accessible to those who “need it most,” according to Lollapalooza organizers. By using their school organization email addresses, students will be able to purchase discounted 4-Day and 1-Day General Admission tickets. To much discontent however, all students will be required to wear their school identification cards in addition to their Lollapalooza wristbands.

College students will also be able to obtain a discount at checkout and will be subject to the same rules as high school students. College students, however, will also be able to purchase discounted GA+, VIP, Platinum, and Cabana tickets.

Wednesday’s mysterious reveal left most fans with more questions than answers. “I don’t even know what lofi hip hop is,” Young High School student Mia Almond, ‘19, complained in a conversation during 4th period Honors Drawing and Painting. Lofi hip hop is a genre of music that blends traditional hip hop and jazz elements. The genre is characterized by certain aesthetic choices including the purposeful inclusion of production imperfections, like vinyl crackle; audio quality below today’s standard (the term “lofi” is an abbreviation of low-fidelity); angsty audio clips from popular media; and visuals depicting anime characters and landscapes, especially from Studio Ghibli films, and coffee shops. Recently, lofi hip hop has risen to prominence as the perfect background music for relaxation and studying. At this year’s festival, fans will be able to study and complete their summer school work while listening to lofi hip hop. Those attending are encouraged to bring their own materials—including desks, chairs, stationery, and textbooks—with which they wish to study.

“Stay tuned for lineup specifics later this week,” organizers announced via the Lollapalooza official Twitter account following a bombardment of angry tweets from fans. Fans on popular forum site Reddit have begun speculating about the full lineup. Likely performers include Nujabes, jinsang, shiloh, potsu, peachy!, and City Girl. An insider source, who would prefer to remain anonymous, has revealed that fans will be able to enjoy lofi hip hop beats at several different stages sponsored by lofi radio channels like ChilledCow, Chillhop Music, Private Chillout, Ryan Celsius Sounds, College Music, Ambition and the bootleg boy.

Despite the initial outrage, many frequent festival attendees are slowly opening up to the idea of a “lofi Lolla,” as it’s been dubbed by followers. Bella Cerda, ‘19, who has attended Lollapalooza for the past five years, explained that although she was initially “a bit shocked and disappointed by the sudden change,” she is “intrigued by the idea of a refreshing shift in Lollapalooza music entertainment. Those who have never attended Lollapalooza before, like Marci Perez, ‘22, are “excited to experience music festival history.”

On the other hand, longtime lofi fans, like Arihana Figueroa, ‘19, are rejoicing in this “opportunity to relax and study while listening to lofi hip hop beats in a communal outdoor setting,” as opposed to the solitude of their bedrooms. “I’m sure this will be the most memorable music event I’ll ever attend.”