Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Kelis and Raury were highlights at Afropunk 2015

Grace Jones at Afropunk | Photo by Morgan Smith | phobymo.com

Nearly 30,000 people filled the Commodore Barry Park last Saturday and Sunday with brightly colored afros, amazing fashion and good vibes for this year’s Afropunk Festival. What started off as a small local event celebrating black arts and culture in Brooklyn has now become a festival that draws visitors from around the country. And with a sign on the stage that read “No Sexism, Racism, Ableism, Ageism, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Transphobia, NO HATEFULNESS”. the crowd at Afropunk 2015 was full of nothing but love and acceptance.

Performing on Saturday, SZA brought her soulful vocals, bubbly personality and bountiful red hair to the stage. Also rocking red locks, a very pregnant Kelis gave a great performance that included a mash up of the infamous “Milkshake” , Cyndi Laupers “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and Madonna’s “Holiday”. Celebrating motherhood, a clearly pregnant Kelis danced across and commanded the stage for her entire set.

As the night went on, the crowd began to surge to the MainStage in anticipation for the incomparable Ms. Lauryn Hill. The anticipation grew and grew as Hill was nearly an hour late for her set time and even though the crowd seemed irritated by the wait, it all melted away when Hill assumed the stage; all was forgiven. Hill gave a powerful if aloof performance that included “Peace of Mind” and “Ex-Factor” but was unfortunately cut short, via the sound and light techs turning off the sound and lights, as to not cut into Grace Jones’ time on stage.

With all of the energy that’s sustained her for her 67 years, Grace Jones gave the performance of a lifetime. Sneering from behind a gilded, coronal skull with her body painted titanium-white, shrouded in a topless bustier and flowing black shawl, she demanded the audience’s attention. She changed her outfit for nearly every song and had a scantily clad man pole dancing next to her. As she changed outfits in the back of the stage, she continued to engage the crowd. At one point, acknowledging that there were children in the audience and that she shouldn’t be swearing followed by “But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop”. The Jamaican songstress pulled out every stop, and even hula hooped for her performance of “Slave to the Rhythm”. Jones was a headliner for a reason.

Sunday’s lineup included newcomer, Raury, whose unique style is a fusion of HipHop, Folk and Indie Rock. Despite coming onto the scene just last year, his performance garnered the largest crowd for the second stage on Sunday. He gave an energetic performance that included him removing his shirt, jumping off the stage and into the pit to greet fans, banging on some drums and holding a moment of silence for those killed by police this past year.

Preceding Lenny Kravitz, blues musician Gary Clark, Jr. delivered an electrifying performance. during his solos and you could see the passion written all over his face. Really got the crowd relaxed after a long day of performances.

Syndicated seam failures notwithstanding, Kravitz stuffed his now-famous junk into his signature leather pants as he strutted across the stage on Sunday night. Whether he was belting out hits like “American Woman” or “Fly Away” or hopping off the stage to walk through the crowd, Kravitz gave a true rock star performance. Happy to be back in his hometown of Brooklyn, where it all began, Kravitz closed out the festival on a high note.