If anyone wondered how ONE Musicfest’s stellar performances at Piedmont Park on Saturday could have been topped, all they had to do was go to ONE Musicfest on Sunday. El DeBarge had people in tears on Sunday afternoon, and Killer Mike took them to church. Fans at nearly every set were singing along as the day wore on.
And this was after a Saturday afternoon and evening that featured Janet Jackson, Megan Thee Stallion, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, Lil’ Kim and many more. Kendrick Lamar capped the two-day music festival on Sunday night.
Pioneering DJ Kid Capri electrified an early afternoon crowd at the Sprite Hip-Hop 50 stage with rap classics like Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” Digital Underground’s “The Humpty Dance” and Black Sheep’s “The Choice is Yours,” warming the hearts of old-school hip-hop fans.
“Some of y’all may be too young for this,” he joked during the set.
- DeAsia Paige
Kendrick Lamar closes out the fest
Kendrick Lamar’s first studio album, “Section.80,” came out in 2011. In the 50-year history of hip-hop, he is still a baby.
Still, with 17 Grammy Awards, including three best rap album wins and a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album, “DAMN.,” he is already getting compared to the greatest emcees of all time. And in some circles, people call him the greatest.
Which is likely why the Compton-bred rapper was chosen to close out the massive ONE Musicfest, which had already showcased, among others, Janet Jackson, Megan Thee Stallion, Killer Mike, Brent Faiyaz, T.I. and Tems.
And the final act of the festival, Lamar commanded the main stage in front of a sea of thousands of people either packed into the VIP sections or camped out along the park’s grassy hills.
Against a white backdrop, Lamar walked out to Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You,” which Kendrick interpreted in 2022 into his “The Heart Part 5,” prior to the release of his fifth album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.”
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
But the Gaye song served only as a tease and never developed into Kendrick’s version. Instead, Lamar is first heard on “N95,” his searing cultural critique in the wake of the pandemic, where he raps about people who wore masks to go with expensive clothing rather than the N95 respirator.
Using a setlist similar to his The Big Steppers Tour, Lamar’s performance was in stark contrast to most all of the big production sets over the weekend. Simply because, while it was big, it was, well, simple.
Lamar has reached a point where his concerts are less concerts and more art pieces.
The white backdrop became an ever-changing canvas featuring paintings of Black subjects. There was no deejay, hype-man or band visible. Although a group of guys, all made to look like him with braids and beards, occasionally joined him on stage. I guess technically they were dancers as they multiplied onstage, starting with just two, then ballooning to seven by the end of the show. But instead of dancing, they seemed to interpret Lamar’s lyrics, serving as either apparitions or his psyche, as therapy and mental health have been themes of his latest tour and album coming out of the pandemic.
“I’ve been goin’ through somethin’/
One thousand, eight hundred and 55 days/
I’ve been goin’ through somethin’/
Be afraid,” he raps on “United in Grief.”
Lamar’s simple stage design means there isn’t much to look at besides him. But that is fine, because his presence is so massive that the stage never felt empty.
Dressed in a red sweatsuit, Lamar mostly stood in the middle of the stage and rapped.
No running around. Not jumping.
The lighting bathed him in darkness, and you could barely see his face, his eyes covered with shades, even on the big screens.
But as is Lamar’s trademark, each number was high-energy.
Lamar’s song setlist was split between “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” songs and older songs, from his first four albums, including “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” and Barack Obama favorite, “To Pimp a Butterfly.”
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
The older songs, like “DNA,” “Element” and “Loyalty,” seamlessly augmented the newer album’s therapy theme. Those older songs, which also included, “Humble” and “Alright,” and introduced Lamar to the world, got large ovations.
Lamar seemed to be in a good mood all night, joking with the crowd and appearing shocked when he sang, “I am a sinner, whose probably gonna sin again/ Lord forgive me.”
Before he could go into “(Expletive) Don’t Kill My Vibe,” without any music, the large crowd finished the verse. Lamar called it the “Blackest” moment of the night and was so impressed that he made them do it again, before cranking up the music and finishing the classic.
On two occasions, Lamar talked about playing the Tabernacle in 2009, two years before even “Section.80″ came out. Before the Grammys and the Pulitzer, Lamar said Atlanta was one of the first places to embrace him.
“I remember a few individuals in the crowd who were there that night,” Lamar said. “Y’all showed me a lot of love before the world knew who I was.”
The world knows now, and Atlanta is still showing him love.
DJ Drama set, with Waka Flocka Flame, T.I., Young Dro and 2 Chainz
With less than 10 minutes left scheduled in DJ Drama’s set, Waka Flocka Flame came onstage with tons of energy to his hit song “Hard in Da Paint.” With his typical head banging, the Atlanta native didn’t have to do anything to get the crowd hyped. From “O Let Do It,” and “Grove St. Party,” Flocka didn’t give the crowd a break.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
But when he performed “No Hands,” the show turned slightly chaotic. Flocka got off the stage, engaging with the excited crowd. Maybe everyone was a little too excited when Flocka’s mic was cut and the show was paused for a couple of minutes. Flocka told production to turn his mic back on, and he continued with “Wasted (Remix).”
As he left the stage, he shouted out his home, Clayton County. After Flocka, DJ Drama’s set continued with more Atlanta legends, T.I., Young Dro and 2 Chainz. T.I. came on with his hit trap song “24′s”. Dro performed “Shoulder Lean,” and 2 Chainz came out to “No Lie.” The set ran about a hour over its scheduled time.
- Jillian Price
Brent Faiyaz
If there was a toxic lover boy playlist, Brent Faiyaz songs would dominate it. The R&B singer’s sound centers both on the desire to be in love and the fear of attaining it. Because he’s confused about what he really wants.
His hour-long set celebrated that style, although his voice was lackluster, not fully conveying his admired sound on stage. Throughout the set, his voice often sounded too mumbled to comprehend while the band became the main source for the show’s momentum. He performed songs like “Been Away,” “Rolling Stone,” and “Price of Fame.”
”I see a whole lot of y’all came here with somebody, or came here dolo thinking about somebody, or came here for somebody,” said the singer, who released a surprise album “Larger Than Life” last week. “This one’s for you.”
He later performed fan-favorites “All Mine,” “Jackie Brown” and “Fell in Love,” but he failed to bring the searing emotional intensity of his lyrics to the stage, with a stage presence that seemed better suited for more intimate venues instead of a festival.
He closed the set with the Neptunes-produced “Wasting Time,” which features Drake. The song begged for an encore performance (or literally anything else) that would save the entire set from being riddled in monotony, but the moment never came.
- DeAsia Paige
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Tems
After being introduced to wider audiences on Wizkid’s 2020 smash “Essence,” Tems’ popularity has skyrocketed. Since then, she’s collaborated with Rihanna, Beyoncé and Drake, but it’s her voice that remains the star of the show.
Tems’ bluesy tone contains a deep yearning and agony that feels like you understand her pain and desires. When heard live at ONE MusicFest, that becomes even more true, as her vocals somehow sound more stellar and alluring than the recording.
The Nigerian singer and songwriter began her 7 p.m. set with “Higher.” The song was sampled on Future’s no. 1 track “Wait For U.”
She also performed songs from her 2022 EP “If Orange Was a Place” like “Replay” and “Found.” Backed by a live band, Tems’ voice floats and her tone is piercing. On stage, her blend of soul and Afrobeats becomes a masterclass in using the depths of your voice to unveil the feeling that are often kept secret.
- DeAsia Paige
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Greg Street Set - Killer Mike
When Killer Mike hit the stage, he wanted the crowd to clearly understand that they were about to go on a spiritual journey.
”We came up go to church,” he said. “My name is Michael Render. We came to a music festival, but now we in church.”
Dressed all in white, Killer Mike was accompanied by a white-clad gospel quintet, The Midnight Revival, who will join him in Europe this week for a series of concerts to support his critically acclaimed “Michael.”
Killer Mike made it clear that the album is special to him and is unabashedly hoping for a Grammy nomination, a notion that Greg Street seconded. He kicked off his set with “Michael’s” “Down by Law.” There was a tiny bit of disappointment as the song features CeeLo Green, who had just left the stage as part of the Goodie Mob set. But the absence of CeeLo was quickly forgotten as Killer Mike and his choir crushed his lead single.
Digging deep into Killer Mike’s crates of hits, Greg Street dropped, “Kryptonite,” an Atlanta banger that included several members of The Dungeon Family, of which Killer Mike is a member.
Continuing the theme is church and family, Killer Mike was actually introduced onstage by Organized Noize producer Rico Wade, whose basement made up the “Dungeon.”
”Killer Mike is representing Atlanta real hard right now,” Wade said.
In reflecting on “Micheal,” Killer Mike said it was written by a 9-year-old Michael Render. Growing up in Atlanta, he said he was influenced by an older group of guys - including Wade.
”Thank you, Rico, for saving my life by proxy,” Killer Mike said. “You gave the West Side hope. You could have played it safe. You could have been New York part 2. But you developed your own style.”
That style was on display in Killer Mike’s closer, “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS,” which features Andre 3000 and Future. In the chorus, the song repeats — sung by his choir — “Imma Live Forever.”
And with that, all versions of him, Killer Mike, Michael and Michael Render exited the stage.
- Ernie Suggs
The-Dream
Taking a page from Babyface’s iconic career, The-Dream is this generation’s most esteemed songwriter who has penned some of the greatest songs ever performed by best-selling female artists. He wrote Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine” and countless hits for Beyoncé.
And when he wasn’t doing that, he was creating his own hits that were timeless enough to cement him as the R&B crooner whose falsetto can soundtrack any bedroom pleasure with a lover.
”It’s a blessing to be here in my home city,” the artist, born Terius Nash, said. “This city raised me. West side. Zone 1. I appreciate y’all for having me. Thank y’all for getting me out the house.”
The Atlanta native took the P&G stage at 4:15 and kicked off his set with “Shawty Is Da (expletive)” and had fans bouncing and singing along as if it were 2007 all over again. He also performed songs like “Purple Kisses,” “Rockin’ That (expletive),” and “Falsetto,” reminding the crowd just how sensual his lyrics can be.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
A highlight of his roughly 30-minute set arrived during his performance of 2009′s “Fancy.” The recorded version of the ballad is over six minutes long as The-Dream sings about a woman who knows her worth and is valued by many men. When performed live and backed by a band, he transforms the song into quasi-gospel hymn that makes you feel like you are the woman he’s singing about because he understands you that much. That’s the type of lover The-Dream presents in his songs, which makes his bedroom anthems sound romantic. It’s not about loveless sex. It’s all about sweet intimacy.
The-Dream ended his set with “I Luv Your Girl.” After he left the stage, Atlanta-based producer and music executive Kawan “KP” Prather, Councilmen Byron Amos and Phillana Williams, who serves as the director of Atlanta’s Office of Film & Entertainment, presented The-Dream with a proclamation that celebrated his achievements as a philanthropist, singer, songwriter and producer.
”You have produced and written for so many amazing people,” Williams said. “You make us all proud, like seriously. As you know, Atlanta really is the home of opportunity, and I wasn’t born here and neither was The-Dream, but when you come to Atlanta, amazing things can happen.”
- DeAsia Paige
Goodie Mob
Other local groups have sold more and won more awards. But in Atlanta, because they speak to and for the city, there is perhaps no other rap group as beloved as the Goodie Mob.
A product of the same Dungeon Family that produces literally and figuratively OutKast, Goodie Mob was formed in 1991 and dropped their first album in 1995. That was a fertile period in Atlanta hip-hop which at the time was findings its voice and sound. That voice and sound was the Goodie Mob, which honed their skills growing up in Atlanta listening to Cameo and Brick, while performing at skating rinks and talent shows. The teens they performed for were the same adults who crammed around the hip-hop stage to witness Khujo, Big Gipp, T-Mo and CeeLo Green.
Ahead of their set, they spoke about the state of Atlanta rap. “Atlanta’s impact on hip-hop has been really great,” said T-Mo, one-fourth of the group.” “We’ve had a great run, and that really took off with Outkast and the Dungeon Family and with Jermaine Dupri and it has kept going. It’s no stopping (it)....the good thing about it is Goodie Mob is still here and still relevant and still has something to say.”
The quartet, with the exception of CeeLo who had on a white sweatsuit, hit the stage in various forms of Dominique Wilkins’ classic 21 Atlanta Hawks jersey.
They didn’t have to ask, but the audience happily sang along to crowd favorite, “Soul Food,” before each member of the group performed songs from their solo catalogs. Rounding out their set, CeeLo and Big Gipp did their verses from the OutKast single “Git Up, Git Out,” a cautionary tale about teens “acting a fool.”
By the time the quartet reached “Black Ice (Sky High),” and “They Don’t Dance No Mo’,” the Atlanta crowd was delirious.
”We still here,” CeeLo yelled as the band closed out their set. Nobody could deny it.
Goodie Mob is featured in the AJC’s upcoming documentary “The South Got Something to Say,” which streams on Friday.
- Ernie Suggs and DeAsia Paige
Fans from Southeast and farther make trip to Atlanta
Daphane Gonzalez, 19, and Devin Bollinger, 21, are among the music fans who hit the road or took to the skies to enjoy the lineup at this year’s two-day festival.
Gonzalez and Bollinger drove from Durham, North Carolina, to catch the acts, but especially Coco Jones.
An excited Gonzalez, who clung to the steel gate separating fans from the stage Saturday, said she couldn’t believe her luck.
”I was so close to Coco Jones,” she said excitedly. “Oh my god.”
Credit: Leon Stafford
Credit: Leon Stafford
They praised the former Disney star’s Saturday set, saying she exceeded their expectations and was worth the trip to Atlanta.
”It was phenomenal, amazing, show stopping,” Gonzalez said. “I love her. I grew up watching her. I love her music. I love Coco.”
- Leon Stafford
El DeBarge
Toward the end of El DeBarge’s set, the legendary 1980s crooner sat down at the keyboard to sing “Time Will Reveal.”
Once the owner of one of the finest falsettos in R&B, age has gotten to him a bit at 62. But on occasion, he was still able to reach for it.
That’s what got Kieva Felts. Tears ran down her face watching and listening to DeBarge sing his most famous and perhaps touching ballad.
”I grew up listening to El DeBarge when music was healing,” said Felts, who flew in from the festival from Harlem for her birthday. “He is so refreshing, such an icon. So classy.”
Credit: Ernie Suggs
Credit: Ernie Suggs
After a Saturday night steeped in hip-hop and Janet Jackson, it seemed appropriate, that one of Sunday’s openers would be DeBarge and a shift to classic R&B.
Considered part of R&B royalty as the former lead singer of DeBarge, he walked out on stage in a silver sequined outfit backed by a full band, including a violinist and a saxophone player.
He set the mood early for the crowd, eager to be taken back. Eager to get that feeling that soul and R&B can give. He started out with the verses in “Secret Garden” before segueing into “All This Love.”
At times during the show, DeBarge let his tight band do most of the work. Songs like Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much,” and Maze’s…uh, Beyoncé's “Before I let Go,” were essentially instrumentals.
DeBarge, who looks like Clark Gable, having traded in his flowing locks for a slick back comb over, is not as spry on stage as he once was. But the audience didn’t seem to mind much. Digging deep into his family catalog he performed “There’ll Never Be,” and “I call your Name,” both made famous by his late other brother Bobby DeBarge, who was the leader singer of Switch.
He closed out his tight 45 minute set with “I Like It,” which had the crowd jumping and dried Felts’ tears.”He makes me feel youthful again. Like being a little girl and being loved by my mommy and grandma,” Felts explained. “His music was cooking in the kitchen.”
- Ernie Suggs
