Smino by Nat Da Goat

I walked into Afropunk on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The annual arts and music festival has found a home in Mechanicsville, a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. It sits in the shadow of downtown Atlanta. The neighborhood is bounded by I-20 on the north, across which is Castleberry Hill and downtown Atlanta. On the east, it is bounded by the I-75/I-85 downtown connector, across which are Summerhill and Peoplestown. Lastly, on the southwest, it is bounded by the Southern Railway lines, across which is Pittsburgh.

On that same Saturday, FKA Twigs was set to entertain the throngs of attendees soaking in the good vibrations. Earthgang cemented their status as their hometown of Atlanta’s preeminent duo, earning their presence in the festival lineup. In its entirety, the festival felt more regulated, controlled and made to resemble a music festival more than anything.

What threw me off was Atlanta underground punk rock heavy metal / thrash rock band Upchuck earning a slot on the bill to play on Day 2. Amongst many heavy hitters who are big names in the music industry, Upchuck was the outlier. Nonetheless, it’s a good sign for Afropunk in supporting its host cities’ bands, and a better sign for Atlanta.

Smino didn’t quite deliver the rap-heavy performance I was sheepishly expecting from him. Of course, there’s enormous pressure. Here’s a cat who’s coming out of the same place Nelly put on the map, and doing so tastefully. On stage, he’s not nearly as calculated or even coherent. His set was discombobulated, messy and more about impromptu showmanship than it was about the actual art. For those who argue that there is beauty in every little thing, Smino’s set at Afropunk is a fantastic primary source for your lengthy argument on behalf of that credo.

Anderson .Paak and his band lit up the night as I walked away from Afropunk, my soul satisfied with the pop, funk and soul it witnessed over the past two moons. .Paak’s effort was evident, as his gigantic band commanded the stage, leaving no stone unturned, no inch uncovered. All in all, Afropunk delivered one of their most focused sets this year.

See images shot by from Afropunk Atlanta in the gallery below. Every image was shot by Nat Da Goat.

The Afropunk Festival is an annual arts festival that includes live music, film, fashion, and art produced by black artists. The festival made its first debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2005, and has since expanded to other parts of the world.

2019 Afropunk Atlanta began at 12:00 PM on Saturday, October 12 and ended on Sunday, October 13.