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Broccoli City Festival 2023 Weathered The Elements For A Hectic, Yet Satisfying Showcase

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Broccoli City Fest 2023
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Broccoli City Festival returned in 2023 with plays to take over a summer weekend, a change from its usual spring presence. The showcase, which was known to open its doors in May, opted to push things back to July this time around. Rumor has it that this change was done with the hopes of avoiding any rain delays that the spring season might have to offer. Unfortunately, Mother Nature proved to be the superior force as the weather played a role on both days of the festival this year.

This year’s showcase was headlined by Lil Uzi Vert, Jazmine Sullivan, and Brent Faiyaz, artists, who in recent years, have reached new heights in their careers. Behind them were slated performances from Asake, Rema, Chlöe, Coco Jones, Kodak Black, Mariah The Scientist, Ice Spice, City Girls, Keke Palmer, Saucy Santana, GloRilla, Lola Brooke, and more – and that was just the main stage. A smaller stage housed performances from Foggieraw, Ryan Trey, OG Bobby Billions, LaRussell, and others. Add in activations for some fun throughout the festival and food options throughout the outskirts of Washington D.C.’s RFK Stadium, and you have all the ingredients to put on a successful showcase.

So now that the weekend is over, let’s take a look back at the highs and lows of the 2023 Broccoli City Festival.

HIGH: Afrobeats

On the performance side of things, afrobeats was the winner at this year’s Broccoli City Festival. The genre was only presented by two artists for the weekend, Rema and Asake, but they put on a show to remember through their sets. On day one was Rema who arrived to perform highlights from his discography like “Holiday,” “Charm,” “Soundgasm,” “Dumebi,” “Bounce,” and of course, the record-breaking “Calm Down.” Rema was nothing short of charismatic and energetic on the Broccoli Stage as he consistently flashed a smile to the crowd while showing off his slick dance as his live band ripped through the instrumentals of his song. If you need to be convinced to go to a Rema show, his Broccoli City Festival set made a very convincing argument.

On day two, the afrobeats energy was brought forth by Asake who made interactions with the crowd a priority during his. He spent nearly half of his set by the front row barricade and in the open space that divided the VIP and general admission sections. There was even a point where he entered the general admission crowd from the back and worked his way to the front through them, which provided an up close and personal experience for his biggest fans. Asake pierced through beloved records like “Terminator,” “Sungba,” and “Joha,” before debuting records from his new album Work Of Art.

Rema and Asake went above and beyond to put on a show in their respective sets, and it’s for that reason that afrobeats gets the crown as the winner of this year’s Broccoli City Festival.

Rema Broccoli City Fest 2023
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LOW: Logistics

This year’s Broccoli City Festival had some logistical flaws throughout the weekend that affected the overall experience of the weekend. First, fans who had to pick up their wristbands through will call at the festival were subjected to a wait that lasted over an hour in many cases. Broccoli City officials did apologize for the wait and promised changes for day two. Things at the entry point did seem to run smoother on day two, but then again, most attendees already had their wristbands by that point.

Some other issues included an insufficient amount of water cooling and fan stations throughout the festivals. Both days experienced temperatures into the 90s, but the cooling and fan stations were few in number. Though, the main stage security team made sure to supply water to the crowd which hopefully helped a bit.

HIGH: Day Two

Day two of Broccoli City Festival was by far the best day of this year’s showcase. The performers were on point from start to finish. There was the previously-mentioned stellar performance from Asake and there was Coco Jones who earned herself a viral moment by performing “Rain On Me” as raindrops poured from the sky. Kodak Black and GloRilla satisfied hip-hop lovers with their performances and OG Bobby Billions and Ryan Trey impressed with their sets at the smaller City Stage. Things moved smoother on a logistical end as fans were able to get into the festival without issue, and unlike day two, the weather cooperated to allow for the festival to go through from start to finish without interruption. As the saying goes, it’s not how you start but how you finish.

LOW: Heat & Humidity

This isn’t much to blame on Broccoli City Festival itself, but my goodness the heat and humidity was serious on both days of the festival. A towel at least was needed, but attendees who brought personal fans (especially the ones with water mist), were in the best position to defend themselves. The sun relentlessly beaming above us and the humidity standing beside made it a bit difficult to enjoy what the festival had to offer. Frequent water breaks were needed as were any and all things to stay cool and hydrated. The plus side here was with the festival getting underway at 2 p.m. each day, a bit later than other festivals, there were fewer hours of peak sunlight to endure before the sun, along with the heat and humidity, made its way out of our presence for the day.

Brent Faiyaz Broccoli City Fest 2023
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HIGH: Brent Faiyaz, The Hometown Hero

I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with Brent Faiyaz’s set to close the festival weekend. The singer, who along with Broccoli City calls the DMV home, stepped out to use the weekend showcase as the kickoff moment for his F*ck The World, It’s A Wasteland Tour. For the most part, Brent stuck to records from F*ck The World and Wasteland, though he did reach back into his discography for older and more one-off releases. From start to finish, Brent’s vocals were fully present for his performance and they were rarely drowned out by a backing track. He also opted for a live band that only amplified the experience that had its tone and mood set by onstage visuals that fit perfectly with the theme of Wasteland. Brent didn’t keep this moment to himself either, he made sure to share the stage with fellow DMV artists Joony and Tre’Armani as they joined him for performances of “FYTB” and “Addictions.” If Broccoli City was a dress rehearsal for Brent’s F*ck The World, It’s A Wasteland Tour, then I suggest you do what you can to get tickets.

LOW: Small Stage

The main action at Broccoli City Festival year took place at the Broccoli Stage. All the big names brought their best through performances there, but there were still a number of acts worth paying attention to at the City Stage, the festival’s smaller stage. Foggieraw was there to perform his beloved track “Pslam 62” while Ryan Trey performed fan favorites and even brought out Mariah The Scientist! Other names like OG Bobby Billions delivered solid sets as TiaCorine and Lola Brooke also highlighted performances at this stage. With all that being said, the City Stage could have had a better set up for these performances. It wasn’t the most inviting display, which would’ve been a nice quality to reel in fans to discover a new artist. The canopy that sat over the stage and audience space was certainly clutch for the rain, but more could’ve been added to the experience to make it more presentable.

Final Thought:

Broccoli City Festival was a hectic weekend, but in the end, it was a satisfying showcase. Strong performances from Asake, Rema, Ice Spice, Brent Faiyaz, Chloe Bailey, Coco Jones, and others made it all worthwhile — especially when the dastardly sun set for the day or was at least covered by clouds. Some improvements are definitely in store for the next edition of the festival, but the highs and lows of Broccoli City shouldn’t deter you from checking out their next showcase, especially if the necessary changes are made.

Here Are The Afro Nation Miami Set Times For 2023

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Burna Boy Coachella 2023 Weekend Two
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Afrobeats’ footing in the United States is as strong as ever, as became apparent in January. Afro Nation will host its inaugural stateside festival at LoanDepot Park in Miami this weekend, May 27-28, with Burna Boy and Wizkid as its headliners. (The festival will hit Detroit in August.)

Afro Nation revealed the full schedule on Wednesday, May 24.

Burna Boy’s headlining set on Saturday, May 27, is scheduled from 10:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on the Main Stage. He’ll be preceded by Asake (9:30-10 p.m.), also on the Main Stage, while Uncle Waffles is scheduled to perform on the Piano People Stage from 9-10:30 p.m. Other acts slated for Saturday include Mavado (8:30-9 p.m.), Dadju (7:45-8:15 p.m.), and CKay (7-7:30 p.m.).

On Sunday, May 28, Wizkid will take on the Main Stage from 10:30-11:30 p.m. after the likes of Rema (9:15-10 p.m.), Fireboy DML (8:15-8:45 p.m.), and Beenie Man (7:15-7:45 p.m.). The Piano People Stage will be occupied on Sunday by Major League Djz (9:30-10:30 p.m.), Kamo Mphela (9-9:30 p.m.), TXC (8-9 p.m.), DBN Gogo (7-8 p.m.), Kelvin Momo (6-7 p.m.), and DJ Walgee (5-6 p.m.).

See the full Afro Nation schedule and the site map below, and find more information about the festival here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rema’s Slick-Talking ‘Charm’ Video Captures The Charisma Of A Lady’s Man

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One of the earliest moments in afrobeats 2022 impressive year came when Rema released his debut album Rave & Roses. The project was initially highlighted by the 2021 hit song “Soundgasm,” but more than a year later, “Calm Down” has proven to be the undeniable smash from the album. Following a remix with Selena Gomez, “Calm Down” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making him the first Nigerian artist to earn a top 5 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Rema celebrated the overall success of Rave & Roses with a deluxe reissue, titled Rave & Roses (Ultra), that added four more songs to the album. One of those is “Charm” which now has a new video attached to it.

Rema’s new video for “Charm” puts his lady’s man persona on display for the slick-talking record. The singer shows off his dance moves and whisks a woman into his arms all while singing about the charm and other qualities he brings to a woman and how it makes it hard for her to leave him.

“Charm” joins “Holiday” as another fan-favorite from the Rave & Roses (Ultra) project. The latter record was one of two songs from Rema used for an engaging performance on The Tonight Show.

You can watch the video for “Charm” above.

Rave & Roses (Ultra) is out now via Mavins World/Jonzing World. Find more information here.

Victony Is Limitless Now That He’s Found His Space In Afrobeats

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Victony 2023 Press Photo
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For many, their first experience with Nigerian afrobeats singer Victony, born Anthony Ebuka Victor, came with the growing hit song “Soweto.” As of today, that record has three versions: the original, a remix with Don Toliver and Rema, and a remix with Omah Lay, which altogether, speak to the song sweeping virality thanks to trends on TikTok and more. However, for others, especially those entrenched in the afrobeats space, Victony is a name they’ve seen and heard for a couple of years.

His second EP Outlaw, where “Soweto” is housed, was released last summer following celebrated collaborations with Burna Boy (“Different Size”) and Mayorkun (“Holy Father”). These records aren’t pedestrian releases either, no, they found extended life and were undeniably popular with fans of the genre and even to those who weren’t its most loyal followers.

This is one of my favorite aspects of today’s afrobeats space. Especially over the last half-decade, the genre has been seen in more of a mainstream light than ever. Records have been graced with the “song of the summer” title, claimed high positions on the Billboard singles chart, reached gold and platinum status, and been present on award-winning projects. In short, afrobeats is hot right now.

The same could be said for Victony. In a matter of just over 12 months, Victony found himself as a worthy member of afrobeats’ new class of rising stars. What makes it more impressive is prior to 2020, Victony had no desire to be a singer.

“All I wanted to do was rap,” Victony, who is just 22 years old, says over a Zoom call. “In my teenage years, I started listening to Drake and Kendrick Lamar, a lot of rap stuff just trying to imitate what they were doing.” Victony just like many other musicians at this time, made use of the pandemic as an opportunity to explore this sound and try new things. “I tried out the singing thing and seeing it blow up was pretty interesting,” he says. “It gave me the confidence to keep on exploring and do stuff without limit.”

The result of that was his 2020 debut EP Saturn, a six-track release with a lone feature from Falz on the highlight track “Maria.” “The reception was amazing, the people liked it,” Victony recalls of this project’s release. “I decided to do more singing. That gave me the confidence to work in the afrobeats space and find comfortable ground and just build on that.”

That desire to continue his foray into afrobeats was almost cut short thanks to a tragic accident that left him in a wheelchair for months. Though Victony survived the crash, his close friend Doyin was killed as a result of it. It proved to be an extremely dark time for the singer, and he credits his supporters, from his family to his friends to his fans, for aiding his recovery.

“They reached out, and that just kept me going,” he recalls. “My family, friends, and fans being around to encourage me, just knowing I have people gave me the strength to overcome [those] dark times.”

It didn’t take long for Victony to reach a higher status and become more recognizable in afrobeats. “Holy Father” with Mayorkun arrived the year after Saturn, and in 2022, he teamed with afrobeats heavyweight Burna Boy for “Different Size.” Both records did wonders for Victony, and in the singer’s opinion, these opportunities came as a result of his most unique assets: his striking voice and crafty pen.

“My voice, I feel, is really unique,” he says. “That’s one thing that was really striking on the ‘Holy Father’ song. Once it comes on, you’re like, ‘Who’s this?’” As for his pen, Victony believes its sharpness is what helped him land a feature on “Different Size.” “The way I craft my words together is pretty unique,” he notes. “It’s really refreshing to hear to on a song like ‘Different Size.’ I feel like that’s what made Burna reach out to me.”

The success of “Holy Father” and “Different Size” bookend the release of Victony’s sophomore project, Outlaw. Its seven songs make for a much more refined body of work compared to Saturn. “What I wanted to achieve with the Outlaw EP is to show people that I’d finally gotten really comfortable with the genre and found my space and my unique sound,” he says.

May it be the sweet-talking and love-swept “Chop & Slide,” or the high-spirited “Jolene,” or the amapiano-leaning “Apollo,” Outlaw presented the very best of Victony. These undeniably strong records, though they support and reaffirm Victony’s talents, they did sit behind the success of “Soweto,” the penultimate and breakout track on Outlaw.

More than six months after the song’s release, “Soweto” was an undeniable viral hit thanks to the powers of social media. The song was due for a remix and Victony had plenty of candidates that were suitable for it. The first remix was initially supposed to feature Nigerian singers CKay and Omah Lay. However, Victony was able to put together a version with Rema, a Nigerian singer who is a growing star in his own right, and Don Toliver, an addition that would give “Soweto” more appeal in the States.

Still, Victony had a plan for the previous remix that he has somewhat been able to put into action. “We had all verses in and I thought we might release everything at different points just to give the song some sort of longevity,” he reveals. Though the verses have been teased in some manner, Victony does believe that the remixes will all see the light of day soon. “A lot of people really like Omah Lay’s verse on TikTok and Twitter,” he says. “On all my socials, people hit me daily telling me that I need to put it out. If they still want it, yeah definitely, I’ll release it.” True to his word, Victony would release Omah Lay’s remix of “Soweto” days after our interview.

One record that may see the light of day is the version of “Chop & Slide” with Burna Boy. A preview of that record made its way online which somewhat ruined the plans Victony had for it. “People weren’t supposed to know that Burna was on the song,” he admits. “That kind of put me in a very tight position. I can’t really guarantee what plans we have for the ‘Chop & Slide’ remix, but we’re definitely on it. Everybody wants Burna Boy on the song right now.”

It’s been just over two years since Victony took on the afrobeats world, and in that time he’s achieved great success, worked with top talent, and pushed his name to the masses. The limits Victony once hoped to break through are miles behind him and his newfound space in afrobeats is vast enough to continue his current operation without interruption while also giving him the room to try new things and achieve new goals, something he hopes to accomplish on his third project.

“This year, what I want to do is come in and solidify my identity, I really want to do that,” he says. “Over time, we’ve been working on some really unique stuff that will be new to the game and it’s gonna solidify the Victony name and establish a stronger presence.” There’s strength in numbers and Victony continues to prove that with each record and each accolade, but most importantly, there’s strength in having no limits towards what can be accomplished. Victony is proving that now with “Soweto” and it’s only a matter of time until he does it again with a future release.

Rema Gave An Engaging Performance Of ‘Calm Down’ And ‘Holiday’ On ‘The Tonight Show’

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Last year, Rema shared his debut album Rave & Roses. He’s collaborated with Selena Gomez for a “Calm Down” remix, as well as FKA Twigs for “Jealousy.” Now, he’s bringing his material to late-night television with a new performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

He brought both “Calm Down” and “Holiday” to stage last night (April 5). He enthusiastically performed the two tracks as a hypnotic medley, not losing the watcher’s attention for a second. He engaged the audience the most while playing the celebratory anthem “Holiday,” dancing in a thick cloud of fog.

About joining Rema for a remix of “Calm Down,” Gomez said she was honored to be on the song.

“I’m really excited to see the person that asked me to be on a song that I couldn’t be more honored to do,” the “Lose You To Love Me” singer said. “The song’s fun, I hope people like it. That’s all I want.”

Rema will be hitting some festivals this year. He’s on the roster for Broccoli City Festival next to names like Brent Faiyaz, Jazmine Sullivan, and Lil Uzi Vert. He’s also on the lineup for Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival alongside Bob Dylan, Lil Nas X, and Sam Smith.

Watch Rema’s performance above.

Broccoli City Festival’s 2023 Lineup Includes Brent Faiyaz, Jazmine Sullivan, And Lil Uzi Vert

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lil uzi vert festival
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Broccoli City Festival has long been one of Washington, DC’s premiere music festivals, highlighting both local talent and rising stars of the wider music world since its inception in 2013. This year’s lineup continues that tradition, including headliners Brent Faiyaz, Jazmine Sullivan, and Lil Uzi Vert.

Outside of the headliners, the 2023 edition of the Broccoli City Festival also includes Afropop breakouts Asake and Rema, hip-hop it-girls like City Girls, GloRilla, Ice Spice, and Lola Brooke, and R&B standouts Coco Jones and Mariah The Scientist. Naturally, local acts like Fat Trel, Backyard Band, UCB, and more will also appear, with a battle of the bands highlighting the regional go-go sound.

The festival is set to take place on July 15th and 16th at the RFK Festival Grounds in Washington, DC. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Last year’s festival was headlined by Ari Lennox and Summer Walker, with appearances from 21 Savage, Don Toliver, Jeezy, Lil Durk, Masego, Tems, and Wizkid. However, it was also struck by controversy when Wale, widely considered the patron saint of DC hip-hop, declared he was pulling out of the show shortly after its lineup was announced due to feeling “disrespected” by his low placement on the flyer. However, the dispute was quickly resolved, with the flyer being updated to include “and friends” to reflect the outreach he does for local acts.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The NBA Celebrated Africa’s Global Contributions With An All-Star Halftime Performance Featuring Burna Boy, Rema, And Tems

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The NBA has become more and more global in the past few years, incorporating a greater volume of international players from Asia, Europe, and especially Africa. In celebration of African contributions to the league (and the league’s partnership with FIBA in creating the Basketball Africa League), the 2023 All-Star Game Halftime Show featured three of Africa’s most prominent Afrobeats/Afropop performers: Burna Boy, Rema, and Tems, who were all introduced by the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, who is from Cameroon.

The show opened with Burna Boy, who played his hits “Anybody” and “It’s Plenty,” followed by a truly exuberant performance by Rema, who got the crowd hyped with energetic renditions of “Calm Down” and “Holiday.” Tems came out last to close things out with a huge set of her own featuring “Crazy Tings,” “Free Mind,” her verse from Wizkid’s “Essence,” and her verse from Future’s “Wait For U.”

They were all accompanied by dazzling visual effects, a dance team that incorporated both traditional and modern African dances, and a band that kept the vibe lively. And just when it appeared that things were winding up, Burna Boy returned for renditions of his megahit “Last Last.”

You can watch the performance above.

Burna Boy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rema Shares The Joyous ‘Holiday’ Video And The Somber Single ‘Reason You’

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22-year-old artist Rema — who has been praised by Barack Obama and Drake and is set to perform at NBA All-Star Weekend — is rising ever since the release of his debut album Rave & Roses last year. It definitely helps that he’s teamed up with superstars for collaborations such as Selena Gomez for “Calm Down” and FKA Twigs for “Jealousy.”

Rema is back today with the new songs “Holiday” and “Reason You.” “Holiday” comes with a video that watches Rema biking around, dancing in the grocery store, and just having fun with his friends while he raps. There are drinks and video games to really prove the hook: “Every day is a holiday.”

“Reason You” is a slower, more melancholy track, grappling with past relationships against a gloomy beat. Still, the track hits, showing Rema’s impressive musicianship — he can make anthems that make listeners want to dance, as well as tear-jerkers.

Gomez didn’t only work with Rema, but the singer also expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration. “I’m really excited to see the person that asked me to be on a song that I couldn’t be more honored to do,” she said. “The song’s fun, I hope people like it. That’s all I want.”

Watch the video for “Holiday” above; listen to “Reason You” below.