Photo by Taylor Monet @taylormonetphoto
At the eighth annual Broccoli City Festival in Washington, D.C. this past weekend, Wale brought out local artists like Big Flock, Lightshow, Moneymarr, VISH and more to stand with him during his performance.
In that moment, which went viral online, it felt like Wale was planting a flag for the DMV as a bonafide Black music hub. “The urrea” has always had a distinct regional culture, through fashion, slang, and Go-Go music. But now, the DMV flavor is being amplified through Broccoli City performers like Wale, Ari Lennox, and Rico Nasty. The vitality of the DMV area was on display throughout Broccoli City 2022, thanks to the star-studded bill, festival hosts Gia Peppers, Rodney Rikal, and Lil Bacon Bear, as well as DJs Malcolm Xavier, DJ Domo, and Jae Murphy, who put on for the region by playing local acts in between sets.
In 2013, when Broccoli City co-founders Brandon McEachern, Marcus Allen, Darryl Perkins, and Jermon Williams started the festival, the DMV hip-hop scene was still burgeoning. Wale, and Fat Trel were signed, while acts like Shy Glizzy, Logic, Lightshow, Logic, and many more were starting to get local buzz and national press. Nine years later, the scene is teeming with artists, the area has cultivated a nationally-recognized “DMV Flow,” and the region’s rap’s ascendence aligns with the growth of Broccoli City as a festival. It was the first time the festival was put on since 2019, after the pandemic halted the 2020 in 2021 shows.
Broccoli City went from “butt naked financially” in 2017 to a showcase of Billboard chart-toppers like Cardi B and Future. This year was the festival’s first two-day event, which allowed organizers to invite even more major acts who showed out. Jeezy ended off his set by shouting out the local music scene, looping his bar from “Circulate.” Lil Durk had a live band for the first part of his set, and WizKid brought out Tems (who also had a set of her own) to perform “Essence,” which he deemed the biggest song in the f*ckin world.” Even after being harassed by the police, Summer Walker took the stage to close out the weekend right. Just a day before being rolled into an unfortunate RICO indictment, Gunna also shut down the stage with his set.
The bill’s variety speaks to the region’s diverse population and varied tastes. We love our hard shit just as we love smooth music. We want to two-step to WizKid just as much as we want to beat our feet to some go-go. That variety was reflected in local artists who took the stage, too. Rico Nasty set off the weekend with a set so fiery that even the rain couldn’t extinguish it, and new Interscope signee Alex Vaughn kicked off Day 2 with songs like her buzzing “Mirage.” A Jolleson Cosert-clad Ari Lennox ended Day 1 with a headlining performance that reaffirms why she’s one of the most supported DMV artists. She sang through the rain and, as she tweeted, she was “popping her wooha in the sky” for the fans. After all the undue slights Ari receives as a Black woman in the industry, it felt good to see her in her element, gracefully commanding the stage. Up-and-coming rapper No Savage also got a surprise set, where his “Reaper” single set the tone for 21 Savage’s then-upcoming set.
And, of course, Wale reeled through highlights of his immense catalog. He’s a DMV rap pioneer, and he showed why during his 45-minute set. DMV artists Big Flock, VISH, Noochie, Flex Karkel, and more lined the stage while he performed, he invited Polo G onstage, and he broke up his set to play go-go classics like UCB’s “Sexy Lady.” From local flavor to Billboard hits, Wale gave the people what they wanted. And he took on a role of unofficial ambassador of the DMV, by coming back for Day 2 to enjoy the festivities.
Through the bitter chill and rain of Day 1, the power of music won out at Broccoli City, and festivalgoers got the chance to see some of the biggest acts in the industry on a hometown stage. For years, the DMV was a hotspot for artists on national and regional tours, but now we have plenty of artists of our own to share the bill, and Broccoli City is facilitating it. Cities like New York, Chicago, Miami, and LA have their own local festivals and events, and now Broccoli City is staking its claim as the stage that artists from all over should hit in order to tap in with the DMV.