June 21, 2022
It was 88 degrees on Sunday afternoon when I pulled up to Sheridan Park in Northeast Minneapolis, the temporary home of the inaugural Planet Afropunk: Minneapolis festival on Sunday, June 19.
Afropunk began in 2005 as a music festival in Brooklyn, New York, and eventually expanded to Atlanta, Paris, and more locations. Minneapolis is their first attempt to break into the Midwest.
The lead-up to the event was marked by social media controversy, including reports of lower-than-expected payment to the local talent, which formed most of the day’s lineup, along with discussion about the ethics of staging a concert in a space formerly occupied by a homeless encampment that was removed by the City of Minneapolis in late 2021.
Concert Review
Afropunk’s lineup was a showcase for the amazing talent on display in our backyard, with headliners Noname and Ari Lennox added as a cherry on top. The performances on Sunday were incredible. From EVV to Miloe, Minneapolis artists showed up and showed out.
It was great to see Minneapolis artists take different approaches to their performances. Take for example Essjay TheAfrocentricRatchet’s grand production - including eight background dancers dressed in matching all-white outfits. She began her set by sitting down and getting her braids organized in a bun by one of the dancers, then launched in a breathless, commanding set with production values rivaling those of national acts.
BLOOD $MOKE BODY flaunted their chemistry as a group of performers, being joined by a backing band that added a new sense of urgency to their energetic tunes.
Dressed in a regal all-white gown, papa mbye’s nonstop energy was unmatched. Toward the end of his set, he even went as far as to grab the instruments of his bandmates on stage, plucking the bass and almost slamming it on the ground.
Ricki Monique’s and XINA’s ethereal poise shined through their performance. Ricki’s skills as an MC were the perfect complement to XINA’s heavenly vocals. Their backing band brought a level of vibrancy to the tracks from Ricki Monique’s Good Seeds EP that gave them new life.
I was also struck by rising star Miloe’s youthful joy as he wildly strummed his guitar and leaped across the stage. The well-rounded lineup showed the diversity in musical expression of Minneapolis’ local artists.
Between sets, local DJs Kwey and Yasmeenah spun tracks that kept the crowd moving. Creative remixes of popular songs and deep cuts kept the energy flowing throughout the day.
As the heat slowly cooled through the evening, Mereba, Noname and Ari Lennox built upon the foundation that local artists built throughout the daytime performances. Each bringing a unique, healing energy to the enthused crowd. It was beautiful to see a crowd of Black faces enjoying themselves on a day like Juneteenth. Headliner Ari Lennox gave an especially strong performance to close out the evening, performing tracks from her latest album Shea Butter Baby to the joy of all the crowd.
Logistics Challenges
Getting into the event itself was a hassle. I spoke with several fans, who shared that they stood in line for more than an hour to get inside after the event started. This was especially true for those who arrived after 3 p.m. When I briefly stepped out to switch shoes, the line to validate or buy tickets was two blocks long, with at least 100 people standing in 90-degree weather.
Sunday’s heat was brutal, to the degree that several fans fainted during the afternoon. It begs the question, why did Afropunk organizers not better prepare for this? Water was available, but there were few places for shade. Only three food trucks were on-site, leading to long lines where fans waiting for food or a cold drink were forced to wait in the sun.
One fan spoke about their confusion about the Afropunk two-day festival. Sunday was for the concert and Saturday was slated for a series of community conversations with “Black city leaders and innovators,” and mayor Jacob Frey, for some puzzling reason. This fan arrived on Saturday, thinking the events would be hosted at the Sheridan Park site, but instead learned they were being hosted at another Minneapolis location the day before.
Perspectives from the crowd - what Afropunk means for the Twin Cities
Leading up to Afropunk, there was controversy in the community regarding two key issues. Multiple local artists came forward on social media, alleging that Afropunk was trying to pay them below their worth and had refused to negotiate. Then there was the homeless encampment at the edge of Sheridan Park’s parking lot that was removed by the City of Minneapolis in the months leading up to the event. . These events lingered in the minds of those in attendance, as well as some who decided to opt out altogether, on Sunday.
Searching for perspective between sets, I found a mixed bag of excitement, concern over the controversies, and optimism that Afropunk could learn from the errors of this year’s event and still grow in Minneapolis.
I ran into photographer Clarke Sanders and poet Jandeltha Rae. Sanders was excited to see a festival like Afropunk make its way to the Twin Cities. “I'm excited to see all the looks that people are serving today. I honestly came to people watch this a little bit, like in the best way. I wanted to see how Minnesota served at Afropunk because it's an iconic moment and it’s Juneteenth, baby,” she said.
Jandeltha Rae shared her excitement. “I miss live music and there are so many dope local artists hitting the stage, including big names, Mereba, Noname, and Ari… It's a moment, like, we went from not knowing what Juneteenth was about to now doing this like this. This is a step up for Minnesota,” she added.
In spite of their overall excitement for Afropunk, neither Sanders nor Rae shied away from their critiques of the organization.
“One of my first thoughts was that Afropunk was doing this for show. With all the politics and murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis has gained a lot of popularity, but I didn't think about how it could an opportunity for artists to do their thing,” she said.
Rae added, “I think the conversation needs to be continued… I think Afropunk actually saying something, doing something, and making a change. If there is any way that people aren't feeling seen and connected, let's talk about it, let's bring it together so that the next time it can be even bigger and better, because that's what you do step by step, chunk by chunk.”
Ismael Khadar, a 27-year-old photographer and staffer at the East Side Freedom Library, was also there covering the event. Like Sanders and Rae, he was excited to see local acts and discover new artists but also had concerns.
“I think it is the responsibility of Afropunk, one which celebrates Blackness, to make sure that they are serving every aspect of the Black community… I'm hoping that in the future, there's a little bit more community input as to where and when and how this event happens,” Khadar said.
Nadirah McGill of the Gully Boys performed with EVV earlier in the day. I asked them and their friend, Sierra, their thoughts on Afropunk Minneapolis. They were enthusiastic about Afropunk but kept a degree of skepticism.
“This has been a kind of stressful experience… but it is nice to be out here with a lot of beautiful Black people on Juneteenth. I understand that there’s a first time for everything and sometimes you got to iron out the details, but it did come at the expense of putting stress on the artists. Also, it's 100 degrees. I could use a little more shade. They could have provided us a little more shade on this asphalt parking lot. Otherwise, I'm having a good time,” McGill said.
Sierra added, “I appreciate Afropunk recognizing that Black people live in Minneapolis because oftentimes, people think of it as a white state. Like, it is a white state, but Black folk live here too. Also, as a person who lives in this city, who has watched houseless folks be stripped away from their place has been really painful. And to see and hear that Afropunk was the impetus for making that happen, was a really painful thing.”
McGill made it a point to highlight that they and EVV’s band were so disappointed to learn of the displacement of homeless folks at Sheridan Park that they set aside 40 percent of their performance earnings to the houseless encampments.
“It's really upsetting to me that this space that should have been for Black celebration on Juneteenth has to be on the backs of removing houseless people. There are so many spaces that could have been available. If this was so imperative to use this space, then there should have been something implemented to give resources to those houses,” they explained.
McGill added, “There's a lot of people here and they paid $80 for a ticket. And this shit is sponsored by Target. I know that there are resources available – they were handing out free tickets, so the fact [those funds] couldn't have been used to give back is crazy. It feels like they are not taking consideration of the climate of the community here and all the shit that we've gone through since George Floyd, but it's beyond that. So, it just feels kind of nasty. I almost feel guilty for enjoying myself here and participating in this.”
Final Thoughts
Despite Sunday’s blazing heat, fans in attendance generally seemed to enjoy themselves. Local artists like MMYYKK, EVV, and DJs Kwey and Yasmeenah gave them a reason to face the heat and music to remember.
As an organization, Afropunk made several mistakes in its first event in Minneapolis. They lost the trust of some members of the artist community due to their alleged low payment of local talent. The removal of the encampment at Sheridan Park leading to the event, regardless of the responsible party, was another transgression against the city and fans wanting to participate in a positive event. Afropunk must continue to develop its approach to joining new markets as they expand across the country if they want to be an event that can bring communities together rather than create divides.
Before his set, I caught up with local Senegalese-American artist papa mbye, who brimmed with excitement at the opportunity to perform at Afropunk
“It's amazing. I mean, the whole community gets to come together and see us do what we do best. Everyone playing Afropunk is amazing. I feel like it's a privilege to be here and watch all these amazing musicians,” he said.
On whether Afropunk is good for Minneapolis artists, he added, “I feel like [performing on this platform] just gives us a reason to keep going. We get this stage, and we get this platform, and I feel like we're all just gonna grow from here.”
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