AFROPUNK Atlanta Strikes Again!

AFROPUNK came back to Atlanta for another weekend with a line up that had the small lot on Windsor St. packed out! The energy shifted the moment we walked through the entrance greeted by all of shades of unapologetic blackness. This traveling festival made its way back to the South and had everyone riding a wave of good vibes and music. Next to the stage were banners saying phrases like NO SEXISM, NO HOMOPHOBIA, NO FATPHOBIA, and our personal favorite NO HATEFULNESS. The diversity, rawness, and realness of it all is what brings numbers to AFROPUNK every year.

Day one on Windsor set the tone for the weekend. Once we walked past the graffiti wall, there was nothing but love paired with mixes of our favorite tracks blasting throughout the vicinity. Everyone embraced themselves in their own skin, laughed, danced, and came together producing nothing but what we can only describe as a TRUE VIBE.

Our favorite moment was anticipating each artists’ set. This year’s line up included eccentric creatives like Leikeli47, FKA Twigs, DUCKWRTH, Smino, Danny Brown, Earthgang, Anderson Paak, Brittany Howard and more! People dripped out in their fire threads laid their colorful mats and blankets on the concrete anxiously waiting for the next artist to break the stage.
Two stages, one on the main lot and another inside of a warehouse, hosted the artists’ and…SHEESH. Being hot, crowded, and even rained on was well worth the experience.

Let’s talk about Leikeli47, a vibrant and truly slept-on lyricist from Brooklyn. She captivated all of us once she took the stage. Her face covered with a bandanna, her signature look. DOPE! She performed tracks from her most recent project, Acrylic, along with a mix of popular songs based out of Atlanta. Picture this…POSE, but make it Atlanta. She welcomed the best dressed festival goers on stage to model their creations during her set. Category is…ACRYLIC QUEEN!

Earthgang continued the night by performing high octane renditions of songs from their new album, “Mirrorland.” The Atlanta natives were easily crowd favorites. The duo kept the crowd on their feet and had everyone rapping along with their rapid fire lyrics. Throw in guest appearances by Smino and Buddy and you have a highlight performance.

Brittany Howard. What can we say about this soulful bluesy artist from Alabama? She had the crowd grooving to her singles from Jaime, like “Stay High” and “History Repeats”, moving in sync to every note she sang with ease. Her performance was full of energy coupled with her amazing and equally soulful backup singers and band. Her sound is bold and direct, yet soft at the same time.

As more people filled the front of the stage, we all knew who was next. The stage went dark before a blazing trumpet intro filled the speakers. Anderson .Paak and his band, Free Nationals, came on stage with expected high energy. He had us mesmerized by his playing the drums while simultaneously spitting lyrics from Oxnard and Ventura. It was crazy seeing him switch between rocking the sticks and the mic with no hesitation. We howled at the moon and continued to enjoy his stimulating performance. After a few songs, he surprised us with a duet with Musiq Soulchild and performed ‘“Just Friends”. He ended his set with TOO MUCH EMOTION by posting a picture of him and the late Mac Miller on the big screen and the crowd went crazy. Way to end the weekend, .Paak. Salute!

Musical frisson, basically a skin orgasm after hearing music extremely pleasing to the ear. That’s how we would describe AFROPUNK in a nutshell. In a time where a love like this is needed, this open and free space needs to be experienced by everyone. For one weekend, take a break from mainstream, take a trip to downtown and witness real love, real people, and most importantly, raw music. Check out all the photos below!

Lekeli47 Photo by Arnault Simon
Johnny Venus of Earthgang Photo by Arnault Simon
Brittany Howard Photo by Arnault Simon
FKA Twigs Photo by Arnault Simon
Sir Photo by Arnault Simon
Smino Photo by Arnault Simon
Anderson .Paak Photo by Arnault Simon
Photo by Arnault Simon
Photo by Arnault Simon
Photo by Arnault Simon
Photo by Arnault Simon

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About the Author

The Rap Hippies The Rap Hippies consists of a group of like minded curators that cherish, respect, and appreciate Rap & Hip-Hop in its true form. Based out of Atlanta, Georgia we are the crate diggers who love lyrics and a dope beat, along with discussing music through this generation. We are the counter culture of Hip-Hop building a community for others that value the culture just as much as we do.