AFROPUNK Festival 2018 was everything a true fan of urban music could ever ask for. a line up of insanely hype artists including the most influential PHARRELL WILLIAMS! Celebrating annual festivals since 2002, of anti-hatred, anti-judgmental, ANTI-NEGATIVE vibes, here are some of my favorite acts of AFROPUNK FESTIVAL below!
My top 3 favorite acts of AFROPUNK will be reviewed.
N*E*R*D.. This was the focal point of AFROPUNK. Pharrell Williams, front man of hip hop/funk band N*E*R*D, stopped hearts of many hardcore “Star Trak” stans, and completely rocked the stage as you should expect when seeing someone with such powerful influence and magnitude as Pharrell! this was a show that I personally will never forget. As someone who has been influenced by the man himself, to have such relevancy, impact, and talent on the highest level of artistry speaks volumes. People traveled from all over the country to watch him perform live at AFROPUNK (such as myself), it was a beautiful and rewarding treat! The introduction of their set began with the unapologetically honest political standpoint of Donald Trump, “Deep Down Body Thurst”, followed by “Killjoy” off the fan favorite album Seeing Sounds, versatile with each and every performance, it was the highest peak of TRUE performance.
California based experimental hip hop band DEATH GRIPS also performed, what can I say other than their music screams liberty and freedom of speech. Not only was it an ear busting, riot filled show, it was my first time seeing them ever perform, and I was extremely impressed. It is the very definition of putting emotion into the music and I’d absolutely recommend anyone who is a lover of outspoken and impulsive mosh pitting to see this incredible band composed of lead singer MC Ride, drummer and producer Zach Hill, and recording engineer Andy Morin to see what it’s like to dive into an entirely different world, the world of DEATH GRIPS!
Lastly, the under looked, underrated, but very talented BENJAMIN BOOKER. Okay, so my very initial impression of this artist and his band were, “this looks promising, but not quite sure what to think.” within the very first two songs, I was really enjoying the passion, work, emotion and style in which the characters on stage were performing. Hailing from Virginia Beach, this Blues and Garage Rock artist known as Benjamin Booker was demonstrating such versatility it was truly a show to enjoy. Don’t take my word for it, Be sure to check his album “Witness” on all music platforms, as well as N*E*R*D’s latest album “NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES“, and last but not least Death Grip’s recent album “Year of the Snitch“.
AFROPUNK ATL was a beautiful festival, full of amazing artists and people coming together for music and UNITY! Be sure to stay tuned for next year’s lineup here!
