Atlanta’s One Musicfest has wrapped up its second and final day of musical performances by a wide range of artists from across genres and generations. Like yesterday, today’s festival was not without surprises — some of them good, others not as much.
On the good list:
GloRilla came dressed to impress in a cheetah fur and matching two piece. Her powerhouse energy was contagious as groups of female fans rapped verses with as much ferocity as the star. She ended her set on a high with her Grammy-nominated breakout single, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go).”
Nostalgic Dru Hill fans got to hear some of their all-time favorite R&B songs and watch Sisqó who was all smiles.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
DJ Mars held true to his promise to throw an epic Block Party. Not only did Georgia rapper Pastor Troy show up wearing his signature championship belt to crank out his rowdy crunk classic “No Mo Play in G.A.,” Grammy-winning rapper T.I took the stage to tear through the Mannie Fresh-produced “Top Back” before segueing into other crowd-favorite bangers. Atlanta’s Young Dro returned for a second day to perform “We In Da City.”
Saucy Santana burst onto the stage asking concertgoers “Y’all ready to get ratchety?” The “Love & Hip-hop” cast member served as a needed energy boost to transition the festival from the first to second half in the late afternoon.
The slick blues licks played on a sunburst Fender during Leon Thomas’s set satisfied a thirst for chill swagger.
Victoria Monet’s poise, sultry voice and spicy choreography, all performed on a set designed to look the Amazon, elevated the bar heading into the headlining performances.
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III/AJC
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III/AJC
And, of course, Gunna and Jill Scott, finished the festival with two very different performances. Jill Scott delivered a powerful vocal performance on the Sprite stage, while Gunna, sporting a memorable outfit with studded pants, brought his charismatic personality and spitfire raps to end the evening at the P&G stage.
On the not so good list:
Sexyy Red fans left her stage confused and dissatisfied when the red-hot, up-and-comer failed to show. Festival organizers updated the concert app to notify the crowd of the substitution, but the One Musicfest Instagram channel offered little explanation, saying only: “Due to unforeseen circumstances Sexyy Red was not able to make OMF.” Instead, crowds got to hear Hunxho, who rose to fame with “Let’s Get It” in 2021 before doing a remix with fellow rapper 21 Savage.
Some concertgoers were still reeling from the late-in-the-game news that Cardi B would not be at the festival. Some who drove from out-of-state said they didn’t even receive the news until they had already arrived.
In spite of bumps in the road, the crowd showed up strong, especially Sunday following SpelHouse’s homecoming.
“2024 for a lot of people was tough, but this is a much-needed outlet for people to come and celebrate Black music,” said festival founder Jason “J.” Carter. “It’s showing on the faces of all of the attendees.”
Other highlights:
With just over a week until Election Day, some politicians attended the festival, including Sen. Raphael Warnock who took the P&G stage on Saturday to encourage concertgoers to go vote. Vote to Live, a voter engagement initiative, was also on site Sunday.
In the afternoon, Carter presented a check for $40,000 to Spelman College after the historically Black women’s college in the Atlanta University Center received the most public votes from a contest as part of fundraising initiative HBCU Change.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had a team of journalists at the festival. Throughout the day they posted updates, reviews and photos. See them all below.
Live updates from day two of the festival
Gunna’s croons, cornrows and ad-libs ended the night on a hip-hop, trap high
Gunna closed out the night on P&G Stage. Going on around 9:15 p.m. for an hour, the YSL artist, born Sergio Kitchens, stood with cornrowed dreadlocks on a large blue and white bed of flowers. He started with the Turbo-produced “Him All Along” and “back in the a.”
The trap music rapper with glowing, tempo-heavy beats to back his triplet flow had fire torches and strobe lighting reflected on his humble beginnings with “Never Forget it” before going into “Prada Dem” and the Mike WiLL Made-It-produced “Dollaz on My Head.”
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
The crowd bounced their shoulders, nodded heads and leaped off the ground as Gunna delivered his signature pitch-altered croons and infectious ad-libs to “Met Gala” and “Yosemite,” his feature on Travis Scott’s mammoth 2018 album “Astroworld.” He dug into mixtape tracks like “Pedestrian,” “Sold Out Dates,” his Grammy-nominated Top 10 pop duet with Lil Baby “Drip Too Hard,” “Top Off” and “Oh OK.”
From there, it was Metro Boomin-heralded and Drake-assisted “P power,” “Drip or Drown,” the scorching marching band-flavored “Hot,” which he cried “Free Thug” to show solidarity for his incarcerated YSL founder and labelmate Young Thug. When he started the lush “Ski,” he stopped the beat to let paramedics assist a festivalgoer in the crowd.
Gunna kept the street hits coming, like the siren-sounding “pushin P,” the flute-fueled Top Five pop hit “f—umean” and his Afrobeats-inspired feature with Victor Thompson and Ehis ‘D’ Greatest “This Year (Blessings).”
— Christopher A. Daniel
Atlanta-born Victoria Monét’s set: sultry, spicy and smooth
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Victoria Monét brought the cool to P&G stage beyond the sudden drop in temperature outside. Performing with a live band and production design similar to the Amazon rainforest, the Atlanta-born, Bay Area-raised entertainer started with “Alright” — throwing in a few horn scales of OutKast’s “Spottieottiedopalicious” — wearing a rhinestone-studded fedora and pinstriped trench coat.
Monét and her dancers kept perfect timing with synchronized choreography as the wind blew through her hair. Her delicate voice shined over the bass guitar-fueled “Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem)” before splicing in drum loops from late singer-actress Aaliyah’s bouncy single “Are You That Somebody.”
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
She lost the coat for the opulent burnt orange bra and flare pants showing her thighs for numbers including “Coastin” and “Jaguar.”
Throwing in a few Caribbean-themed songs, Monét slowed it down with the ballads “Moment,” “Smoke” and her mid-tempo breakthrough single “On My Mama,” expressing to attendees how much she felt their warm response to her set.
“I love it here so much. Your energy is incredible and one of a kind,” Monét said.
— Christopher A. Daniel
Mayor Dickens encourages festivalgoers to vote
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens walked on the P&G Stage at 7:23 p.m. to celebrate 15 years of One Musicfest. He repeated his support for Vice President Kamala Harris for president and encouraged the crowd to cast their ballots early.
“We want you to vote. We not going back, so let’s get it done,” Mayor Dickens told the audience.
Election Day is Nov. 5. Georgia’s voting period ends Nov. 1.
— Christopher A. Daniel
Doing double duty
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
The cast and crew of “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” were seen filming at the festival on Sunday. The VH1 series is currently in its twelfth season.
— Ronald R. Williams III
Atlanta has GloRilla ‘feeling so good’
Memphis rapper GloRilla came out around 6:10 p.m. wearing fur and a leopard two-piece. With a set list that included samples from songs by other Memphis rappers who preceded her, rap’s latest starlet opened with “Blessed.” She slid into “Lick or Sum,” which reimagines an erotic hit made famous years ago by Tear Da Club Up Thug and Three 6 Mafia with a woman’s touch.
Her self-assured, aggressive delivery was showcased on “Bad Bih 4 Ya,” her Megan Thee Stallion duet “Wanna Be” and the Moneybagg Yo-assisted “On Wat U On.”
From her latest album “Glorious,” the petite artist born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, leaped headfirst into “Hollon,” an eerie update on Big Oomp Records artist Unk’s rousing club track “Hold on H-.”
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
“Tomorrow 2,” her Top 10 pop remix with femcee Cardi B, kept the pace. GloRilla cranked up the knobs a few decibels with the high-octane “Yeah Glo!” and “TGIF.” GloRilla had hitmaker T-Pain sing the hook on “I Luv Her,” his No. 1 pop singles “Buy U a Drink (Shawty Snappin’)” and his duet with Chris Brown “Kiss Kiss.”
Her Grammy-nominated breakout single, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” closed out her 45-minute performance. Groups of female fans rapped verses with her — sometime enunciating words similar to her heavy Southern accent harder and louder than her.
“ATL, you all got me feeling so good, I didn’t know you were going to turn up like this,” GloRilla said.
— Christopher A. Daniel
Sexyy Red replaced on stage, in lineup with Hunxho
Time began to drag as crowds milled about the P&G stage to see Sexyy Red perform. She wasn’t coming out. In the festival app, the performance schedule was changed to reflect that Sexyy red would not be performing. Instead, rapper Hunxho took the stage.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances Sexyy Red was not able to make OMF,” said a social media post from the event’s Instagram account. No further explanation was provided
Hunxho rose to fame with “Let’s Get It” in 2021 before doing a remix with fellow rapper 21 Savage.
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III/AJC
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III/AJC
Sexyy Red is the second high-profile act missing from this year’s event. Earlier this month rapper Cardi B pulled out as headliner of One Musicfest due to an undisclosed medial condition
— AJC staff
DJ Mars knows how to start a party
DJ Bobby Black hyped the crowd until Marshall “DJ Mars” Thomas, Usher’s go-to deejay, hit the P&G Stage for his Block Party. Despite stepping onstage 15 minutes behind schedule, the Clark Atlanta University alumnus told the crowd he intended to show them a good time.
“We’re going to party like I do in Dubai or all over the United States,” Mars said.
Holding true to his word, Mars took the audience on a 72-minute musical voyage full of soulful hooks and catchy beats: beginning with Decatur-raised R&B singer Lloyd for “Get It Shawty,” “Girls Around the World” and “You.” He introduced Bronx, New York performer Will Traxx and asked the audience to throw up peace signs as a tribute to late hypeman Fatman Scoop.
Then, rapper Trap Beckham breezed into infectious jams “Birthday Chick” and “Lil Booties Matter.” Stone Mountain-based rap group Fast Life Yungstaz led the audience with “Swag Surfin,” their flash mob dance craze that’s taken over crowds from HBCU campuses to sporting events.
Georgia rapper Pastor Troy showed up wearing his signature championship belt to crank out his rowdy crunk classic “No Mo Play in G.A.” Decatur-born singer-songwriter Keri Hilson made the mood smoother with her singles “Turnin Me On,” “Knock You Down” and “Pretty Girl Rock.”
Mars introduced Kawan “K.P. the Great” Prather, who brought out Grammy-winning rapper T.I. The Bankhead emcee tore into the Mannie Fresh-produced “Top Back” before segueing into the bangers “Rubber Band Man,” “24′s,” “Bring Em Out,” “Stand Up,” “Dead and Gone,” “Live Your Life,” “About the Money” and his guest verse on Bone Crusher’s “Never Scared.”
Young Dro, T.I.’s protégé who rocked the crowd during Greg Street’s set on the Sprite Stage on Saturday, returned to perform “FDB” and “We In Da City.” He warned the crowd that he has a long enough discography to put on his own show.
“We got hits. We can do this all day,” T.I. told the crowd before the beat to his 2008 chart topper “Whatever You Like” blared from the speakers.
— Christopher A. Daniel
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Vote to Live’s festival lounge encourages concertgoers to go vote
Vote to Live, a voter engagement initiative, hosted a lounge area with charging stations and white sofas near the front of Central Park. Representatives handed out water, snacks and swag. They asked festivalgoers who stopped by the table to scan the QR code and share the organization’s flyers in groupchats to get more people to the polls. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Ronda Flynn, Vote to Live’s station manager, said the goal was to make civic action comfortable and fun while performers entertained crowds.
“People have been coming and chlling here,” Flynn said. “This election is too important to play with, so we’re encouraging everyone to do their best to get the word out.”
Credit: Hunter Boyce
Credit: Hunter Boyce
Birmingham resident Kendall Courtney, 27, stopped by Vote to Live to grab two bottles of water and take a screenshot of the flyer to send to her friends. This is her fourth year coming to One Musicfest and she said the Vote to Live location at the front entrance is a great way to encourage her peers to cast their ballot.
“It’s always important to use your voice and everyone has one. Just got to do your research and make your vote count,” she said.
— Christopher A. Daniel
Crowds get an afternoon pick-me-up with Saucy Santana and Plies
Cheering crowd, pumping speakers — Florida rapper Saucy Santana has landed.
Raunchy and unrelenting, Santana found success on social media. Here at Atlanta’s One Musicfest, the “Love & Hip-hop” cast member is succeeding still. “Y’all ready to get ratchety?,” he asked the crowd, bass bursting.
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
The festival’s crowd has been growing at a steady pace since Dajah Dorn kicked things off at 12:30 p.m. By 2 p.m., the P&G stage audience was winding down from a barn burner Leon Thomas set. There was a 30-minute lull challenging Santana to get the crowd back on their feet. Thanks to the incredible talents of the former City Girls makeup artist, mission accomplished. The rapper invited fans on stage to dance and the crowd erupted.
Over on the Sprite stage, rapper and social media sensation Plies growled and yelled through tracks like “Becky,” and his feature on Gucci Mane’s “Wasted.” The Fort Myers, Florida artist born Algernod Washington brought female audience members onstage for a twerking contest and led a sing-along of R&B hits like Deborah Cox’s “Nobody Supposed to Be Here” and Keith Sweat’s “Right and Wrong Way.”
— Hunter Boyce and Christopher A. Daniel
Festival founder committed to highlighting Black music
One Musicfest moved this year to Central Park from the larger Piedmont Park. In a social media post announcing the change, the festival cited “challenging logistics and economics facing the festival industry” as reasons for the move.
Festival founder Jason “J.” Carter declined to comment Sunday on attendance numbers for this year’s festival compared to last year’s at Piedmont Park. He said he remained committed to his original mission to entertain his loyal supporters with showcasing various Black music acts.
“2024 for a lot of people was tough, but this is a much-needed outlet for people to come and celebrate Black music. It’s showing on the faces of all of the attendees,” Carter said.
Later Sunday, Carter is presenting a check for $40,000 to Spelman College on the P&G Stage. He told the AJC that the historically Black women’s college in the Atlanta University Center received the most public votes from a contest as part of HBCU Change, an app that raises funds for HBCUs.
For Sunday’s shows, Carter anticipates having a larger crowd than Saturday come to Central Park now that Morehouse and Spelman colleges homecomings have ended.
When you’re putting on a music festival for scores of people, “you’re going to run into some things. Things will run much smoother today because everyone that was at SpelHouse’s homecoming will try and fight their way over here,” Carter said.
— Christopher A. Daniel
Atlanta showed up for Leon Thomas
The music grew louder, bass digging into the chest — rattling this enchanted part of the Peach State’s capital city. Everyone in earshot knew what it was.
It was Leon Thomas’ time. “Hey, Atlanta, I’m single!,” he yelled to the crowd.
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
The “Fear the Walking Dead” alum and versatile singer and songwriter hit the stage for One Musicfest on Sunday and put on a frighteningly good performance.
Pristine six-string brandished, it’s the first time today Central Park heard some slick blues licks. And Central Park was all about it, swooning, singing and cheering all the while.
Broadway-playing, record-making, crowd-drawing — Thomas is a star.
— Hunter Boyce
Fans enjoying day two
Cumming resident London Williams commuted with his girlfriend and her best friend to Central Park on MARTA Sunday afternoon to catch North Carolina hip-hop group Little Brother at the Sprite Stage at 1:30 p.m.
He said despite only catching half of the second day last year at Piedmont Park, he’s enjoying the company for Sunday’s lineup.
“I know a lot of people were mad this year because a few people dropped out and it’s at a smaller venue, but I don’t have any complaints. I hope I have a good time, but if all else fails, I know we’ll all be together,” Williams said.
— Christopher A. Daniel
‘The Voice’ finisher Koryn Hawthorne is ‘unstoppable’
“I am unstoppable,” the crowd shouted to Koryn Hawthorne.
And you know what? They were right.
Around 1 p.m. at the P&G stage in Atlanta’s Central Park, fans attending One Musicfest’s Sunday offerings got a special treat. Hawthorne, fourth-place finisher on season eight of NBC’s “The Voice,” laid out track after track of some serious crowd pleasers.
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Daughter of a minister, the Louisiana native has cultivated a hearty following for her contemporary gospel, first making a name for herself at 16 on NBC’s hit talent show.
Following an opening performance from Dajah Dorn that warmed up the crowd, Hawthorne seems to have cultivated a whole a new audience at OMF.
One thing is for sure, R&B is alive and well in the Peach State’s capital city.
— Hunter Boyce
Dajah Dorn wakes up Central Park
If a beat drops and no one is around to hear it, is it still awesome? Yes.
At a cloudy 69 degrees, things were a lot calmer and cooler at the P&G stage ahead of Sunday’s One Musicfest opener. But Dajah Dorn brought the heat to a few dozen gathering festival goers.
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
She woke up Central Park on this sleepy Sunday. “I Don’t Want You,” “Twice on Sunday,” “Love U 4 Free” — she gave the slowly growing Atlanta crowd her biggest hits. It’s the gravity of these weighty performances, from big names and newcomers alike, that has pulled so many from Georgia’s capital city into Central Park’s orbit.
Perhaps a major headliner in the making? Time will tell, but Dorn definitely made some new fans today. The P&G stage is warmed up for Koryn Hawthorne to light things up at 1 p.m., and this crowd isn’t going anywhere. Fans of NBC’s “The Voice” will want to tune in.
— Hunter Boyce
The gates have opened on day two of One Musicfest
It’s blue skies and cool clouds this Sunday, and Central Park has become a treat for the senses. Photo booths bedazzled to Insta-worthy effect greet you as you enter the grounds, followed by the sweet smell of food trucks. Of course, there’s the main attraction — music from some of the scene’s biggest names and most crowd pleasing up-and-comers. Dajah Dorn will start things off at the P&G stage at 12:30 p.m., but the festival won’t stop until 10 p.m.
— Hunter Boyce
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Credit: Hunter Boyce/AJC
Day One
Day one of the festival saw a mix of performances from DJ Greg Street with a surprise performance from Big Boi, to Method Man and Redman and Ari Lennox.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock stopped by the encourage the crowd to vote, and rapper Nelly brought out hip-hop legends Jermaine Dupri and Murphy Lee.
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
Credit: Ronald R. Williams III
