Although sweltering heat and sporadic rain caused the weather conditions to be unfavorable for the first half of the 10-hour event, the attendees who stayed for the entire show were treated to great performances. Headliners of the event included Goapele, De La Soul and Common.
Goapele sang her hits “First Love,” “Back to You,” and the crowd’s favorite “Closer.”
By nightfall, De La Soul brought back the essence of hip-hop with their B-boy certified set. The trio ran through a string of hits from their 10 album discography.
Common closed out the show by performing his biggest hits and taking fans on a journey through hip-hop by covering songs released by Biggie Smalls, 2 Pac, Wu Tang Clan, OutKast, and Lil Wayne. Common also performed an awe-inspiring five-minute freestyle that proves that he doesn’t need a pen to create dope lyrics.
“I love being among people who love music,” Common said before his performance. “I’m performing with some quality acts. This is good energy out here. There are a lot of young black people who are putting this event together, so I’m happy to be a part of this.”
Put on by King Plow Events, One Stop Productions and Sol Fusion, portions of the proceeds from the show were donated to the James Brown Foundation. –amir shaw
