In a saturated industry, it’s no small feat for a music festival to continually feel fresh and subversive, let alone one that spans multiple annual iterations around the globe. But Afropunk, the music and art festival celebrating alternative Black culture, has consistently done so since its inception in 2005.
Its Brooklyn event is Afropunk's de facto flagship, and this year's iteration saw several major changes. Afropunk 2023 moved from Fort Greene’s Commodore Barry Park to Greenpoint’s Terminal Market, a more compact venue located on the East River waterfront that gave the performances a stunning skyline backdrop. Held Aug. 26 and 27, the festival was an ideal end of summer event.
The festival's theme was "Circus of Soul," and populated with stilt walkers, trapeze artists, and acrobats that gave the two-day event a whimsical surreal feel. (It helped that many members of the Afropunk audience — consistently one of the best dressed music festival crowds — brought their own spin to the carnival motif.)
But a music festival can’t be considered a success without strong performances, and Afropunk managed a diverse, genre-spanning lineup highlighting some of the most exciting artists in Black music. From headliner Teyana Taylor to rising stars like King Isis, these are eight standout performances GRAMMY.com saw at Afropunk Brooklyn 2023.
Durand Bernarr Brought Theatricality To Day 1
Cleveland-born vocalist, songwriter and producer Durand Bernarr is adored within the industry, but is still working to match that level of acclaim with casual audiences. But Bernarr's Afropunk set made a compelling case for Bernarr as a future star.
The "Next Big Thing" alumni showed jaw-dropping versatility, seamlessly transitioning from brash ‘90s funk on "Summons" to steamy balladry with "Stuck." Bernarr also offered one of the day’s more poignant moments when he performed his collaboration with the late composer Daniel Jones, who passed tragically last month.
Tobe Nwigwe Seized His "Momint"
It makes sense that Houston’s Tobe Nwigwe is finding success as an actor, because his music has a truly cinematic bent. Dubbed "A momint at Afropunk," his set at the festival delivered, with the vocalist,and his band emerging on stage clad in crisp, mint attire. With an army of backup singers, and a choir on the screen behind him, perhaps the best use of the video monitor all weekend, Nwigwe ripped through songs from his moMINTs album, rapping ferociously on songs like "Lord Forgive Me" and "Catfish Blackened w/ Grits."
The vocalist and his band have plenty of experience translating his bombastic music to a performance setting — Nwigwe even released a live LP in January 2022 — and his Afropunk performance had terrific pace, slowing down with his live show staple "Hydration Reprise" before ratcheting the energy back up.
The GRAMMY-nominated rapper brought out a few guests, including Earthgang’s Olu, but the standout was Nwigwe's young daughter, who originally came on stage to help perform "Wildlings" (her favorite track of her father’s, per Nwigwe). She didn’t wind up singing, but it was one of several memorable moments in a captivating set that illustrated why Nwigwe’s star power transcends artistic mediums.
Madison McFerrin Played A Bernie Sanders Breakup Ballad
Capping day 1’s lineup on the smaller stage, New York singer/songwriter Madison McFerrin played one of Afropunk’s most enchanting sets, the kind that has audience members adding tracks to their Spotify playlists before McFerrin has even finished performing them.
McFerrin performed several standout cuts from her 2023 album I Hope You Can Forgive Me, including the vulnerable "(Please Don’t) Leave Me Now" and "Stay Away (From Me)," which McFerrin and her band slyly shifted into a bossa nova groove. The crystalline vocals that makes McFerrin's studio projects so captivating translated to the Afropunk stage, with feathery melodic runs aplenty.
Between tracks, McFerrin’s banter managed to be both effortless and effervescent. After making a corny joke about her bandmate Brooklyn coming to Brooklyn to perform, she punctuated the clunker by imitating the DJ airhorn sound. While introducing "Hindsight," McFerrin explained that the track is not a run-of-the-mill romantic ballad, but an encapsulation of her feelings when Bernie Sanders didn’t secure the 2020 Democratic nomination. "If you’ve also had your heart broken by an 80-year-old white man, this song’s for you," she said.
Vince Staples Offered A Mellow Sunset Soundtrack
Early in his career, Vince Staples’ songs had a menacing, jagged quality that reflected his vivid stories of dog eat dog life in Long Beach, California. Staples has settled into an interesting niche on his last two LPs, slowing the tempos down and offering more melodic raps atop languorous percussion and moody synths.
His 2023 Afropunk set had a mellow contemplativeness that made Vince a smart fit for the sunset slot. Staples took the stage solo, and while he’s not a conventionally big personality — it’s one of the reasons he’s building a successful side career as deadpan comedic relief in "Abbott Elementary" and the White Men Can’t Jump remake — his relaxed demeanor is captivating, particularly juxtaposed with the vividness of his lyrics.
Staples’ set largely showcased last year’s Ramona Park Broke My Heart, opening with the drumless "The Beach," a fitting showcase for his technical skills and breath control. He transitioned into a few more propulsive tracks like the Juicy J-assisted "Big Fish" and "Rose Street."
Understatedness has always been key to Staples’ appeal both in the studio and onstage, so the stripped-down nature of his Afropunk set felt character consistent, especially since it was followed by the trippy maximalism of Flying Lotus.
King Isis Proved They're One Of Afropunk’s Most Talented Newcomers
Performing on the smaller of Afropunk’s two stages, Oakland’s King Isis showcased their genre fluency during a captivating set that spanned avant-garde jazz, alternative rock, and bedroom pop. Songs like "141827" recall the guitar work of Jonny Greenwood on early Radiohead projects, while the blistering "I’m Fine, Thx 4 Asking" is a thrilling spin on ‘90s garage rock.
Their voice fits nicely into the acclaimed crop of contemporary indie artists like Nilüfer Yanya and King Krule, who place bluesy, world-weary vocals atop instrumentation that emphasizes washed-out guitar chords. (Isis even covered Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit" during their set.)
Baby Tate Showcased Her Undiminishable Star Power — And Vulnerability
If the music industry was a true meritocracy, Atlanta’s Baby Tate would be a chart-topping superstar. Her performance at Afropunk was a typically ambitious, enthralling set from the underrated rapper and singer. In her time on stage, Tate spanned genres, rapping over Ciara’s "1, 2 Step," showing the heft of her voice on the steamy "What’s Love," and previewing an upcoming record where she dives into the Jersey club sound.
One particularly powerful moment came when Tate addressed backlash over her outfit at Afropunk Atlanta in 2021. Tate spoke frankly about how the situation affected her as cruel social media posts flashed on screen — as well as messages of support from stars like Rihanna. "Last time I came to Afropunk, they was talking a lot of s— [and] had me feeling insecurities I didn’t even know I had," she said. That led her into last year’s standout "Pedi," a rollicking track on which Tate skates atop a Miami bass-inspired beat.
Tate and her DJ, Sky Jetta, had a terrific rapport throughout the set. Even when the MC left the stage briefly, Sky Jetta held the crowd’s attention, reeling off Panic! At the Disco’s "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and Paramore’s "Misery Business," tracks that didn’t feel out of place in Tate’s genre-jumping performance. When Tate picked up the mic again, she punctuated a standout set with hits "Eenie Meenie" and "I Am."
Joey Badass Persevered To Deliver A Joyful "Homecoming"
There was some palpable tension during Joey Badass’ banter, as he lambasted Afropunk for taking so long to book him, and criticized the festival for technical difficulties that delayed his performance. "It wasn’t the most professional s— I’ve been a part of, but it’s the most beautiful-looking thing I’ve been a part of," he said.
Those moments stick out, because the festival's penultimate set had a pervasive positivity. After opening with early career records like "Righteous Minds" and "95 Til Infinity," Joey dove into a segment of slower, romantic tracks as part of his goal of "celebrating Black love in the best motherf—in’ way." Some of these tracks, like the languid "Show Me" and the dreamy "Love is Only a Feeling" sound flat in studio form, but worked live thanks to the depths of the sound and the rapper’s impassioned delivery. The performance proved a suitable platform for Joey to showcase his technical skills with an impressive acapella rap to cap "Make Me Feel" that earned a strong reaction from the crowd.
Raised in Bed-Stuy, Joey seemed moved by the situation, referring to it as both a "family reunion" and "a homecoming moment" at different points during the set. He offered a poignant tribute to late peers like Juice WRLD, Nipsey Hussle, and Pro Era’s Capital Steez before doing his XXXtentacion collaboration "Infinity (888)," and closed the set with "Devastated," arguably the biggest hit of his career.
Teyana Taylor's Conceptual Set Drew From ‘50s Gangster Films
The inclusion of Teyana Taylor was announced less than two weeks before Afropunk, as original headliner Jazmine Sullivan canceled her set in order to continue grieving the death of her mother. But Taylor — an incredibly compelling performer whose career has been consistently waylaid by label issues — put on the festival’s most cinematic, high-concept set to cap the weekend.
An extension of her Last Rose Motel Tour, Taylor’s performance included hotel-themed visuals, gilded bellhop luggage carts, and even a brief blip of elevator music. True to her "Rose in Harlem" moniker, the set featured a jaw-dropping amount of flowers, including a dancer emerging from a wedding cake made entirely of roses. The best narrative moment of the set came when Taylor, clad in a suit and yellow trench coat, appeared to suffocate a man on stage–a reference to her "Bare Wit Me" music video. She was questioned by backup dancers dressed as police officers, all within the natural flow of the set.
Taylor appeared to fight through significant technical difficulties, eventually switching from a headset microphone to a handheld. Yet the sound quality problem did little to dim her overall star power. Taylor performed an array of songs from K.T.S.E. and The Album, sounding particularly sharp on "1800-One-Night" and "Hurry."