After my successful outing at Afropunk last year, I decided I start my foray into the music festival game a little earlier this year. I thought I’d head south to D.C. and engage in the much-heralded Broccoli City Festival. I packed a bag, assembled the team and got active. Here’s a visual summary courtesy of @andrew_kung of what we saw, felt, experienced and heard.
THE MUSIC
BJ the Chicago Kid
The way you start something is generally indicative of the quality you plan on bringing, and BJ the Chicago Kid doesn’t do anything but great work. He doesn’t just have “it.” He IS IT. He is everything his music gives the casual listener and the die hard fan: Honest, transparent, complicated, and sonically unique. We told you to buy his album for a reason.
Anderson .Paak
.Paak came with the juice. His set was pure energy from start to finish, and he had everyone rocking. The Aftermath signee was a pure lituation, start to finish.
Sango
Vibes, vibes, vibes. I was Milly rocking indefinitely throughout his set. Anyone can put two tracks together and call it a mix. It’s another thing entirely to put together a global soundscape that takes influences from everywhere and makes them immediately relevant. Sango does it and does it well. He also blessed us with a surprise visit from GoldLink and SPZRKT, which was a welcome treat.
The Internet
Any stage they touch becomes a playground of creativity, dope instrumentation and smooth vocals. Syd was in rare form, as usual, and gave us a set to remember.
Jhéne Aiko
Charisma isn’t distributed evenly across performers. Jhéne has always had it, and she let us bask in it. She also paid homage to Prince with a dope rendition of “Diamonds & Pearls.” We were still sailing and enjoyed every minute of it.
Future
…you already know what happened here. We got caught up living lavish and left the camera in Nassau with the other 12,000 people next to us. We did manage to a good sense of the feelings, though.
MOOD:
THE ATMOSPHERE
Every event is only as good as the energy you feel when you’re moving around. BC Fest had a great mixture of turn up and chill, which let you mill about from the main stage and wander over to a few more low-key but equally engaging activities.
Everybody had their fresh right and teams were assembled.
Music was abundant outside the main stage, and beats were plentiful.
The Purple One was still on everyone’s mind, and because creativity was blooming, we found him getting his face touched up.
The vendors were also helping you get fresh (and stay conscious), which is always appreciated. I almost got lost in the hemp butter myself, but my #teamnatural application is still pending, so I had to chill.
When my phone was on E, I simply hopped on a stationary bike (good looking out Toyota!) and pedaled my way back to 30%. The bikes weren’t immune to the flex either.
A BRIEF MISSIVE ON TRAP KARAOKE:
There are few feelings greater than finally living your dreams of performing that song that you play as you aggressively walk to work, waiting for someone to try and knock you off your Ultralight Beam. I found myself screaming the Intro off of Dreams & Nightmares ,and giving not naan single care about whether there was a recording of it or not. In fact, I hope there is. Why, in the midst of screaming that the Aston Martin was not, in fact, rented, I decided to grip the microphone like it’s a number 2 pencil during the SAT Verbal section, we may never know. When Trap Karaoke comes to your city (and it probably will) get involved. The classic Ja Rule hits won’t perform themselves. Being young, black and free? Great look.
On doing things that matter in places that get forgotten
I’m insecure about a lot of things. Food as a resource is not one of them, and that’s a blessing I don’t take lightly. The same cannot be said for many residents of Southeast D.C. The most impressive part of Broccoli Fest to me wasn’t the music, the people, or even the gumbo I ate that warmed my heart and spirit.
It was the decision to have an event in space that other people actively avoid with their eyes, ears and dollars. Bringing something meaningful to places where hope appears limited is an act of significance. There are many places Broccoli Fest could be, but it is exactly where it needs to be at a time like this.
This year, “Power of One” was introduced. Take a look at the impact you had on our community & the people in it! pic.twitter.com/2WFMKIU9yO
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) May 4, 2016
THE VERDICT
BCFest 2016 was dope. It was part festival, part open-air market, part fashion show, part food adventure, and all parts lit. Mission accomplished.
