(The man did drop a song called “ Consensual Seduction,” after all, and one of his most popular tracks does contain the line “We was at Starbucks gettin’ lost in these caramel apple spices.”) Mostly, though, he made his striking sincerity - which, as Brandon Callender pointed out in a November 2021 essay, is part of a more tectonic shift in hip-hop’s zeitgeist - work in his favor so much so that when he asked such curiously worded questions as “Are y’all having a good time to the sound of my voice?,” the response was always a resounding yes.

There were some corny moments sprinkled throughout the show that - for this writer, at least - detracted from the immediacy of the moment. Mick Jenkins followed two acts later and put on a clinic in vibe, commanding the crowd completely with his deep, steady voice - and some help from the world-class guitar-bass-drum-DJ quartet behind him. The small stage saw more than its fair share of talent Sunday too, with New Orleans’ Ambré playing a similarly axe-forward, rock-tinged R&B set that had the whole crowd swaying in the rain. Saving the best for last, he ended with “ Heavy Heart,” a gorgeous rock ballad that should replace whatever song currently plays in the city of Toronto’s tourism ads, lingering - though not a second too long - on the song’s explosive, guitar-driven outro. Since being brought into the fold of long-running indie label 4AD, he’s toured with Lucy Dacus, Courtney Barnett, and Carseat Headrest, undoubtedly playing for more than his fair share of lily-white crowds, and he expressed relief at the change of scenery. Like many of the artists who played Afropunk Brooklyn this year, Strange seemed genuinely touched by its majority-Black fan base. He’s been touring since September 2021 - pausing only briefly to release his sophomore album, Farm To Table, in June - but the effects of this constant performance showed less as wear on his tires than as effortless showmanship. Still, he couldn’t resist pausing his ScHoolboy Q collab “ Gang Signs” twice to make the crowd shout “Fuck 12, suck a dick” loudly enough (ostensibly) to be heard from the other side of the park over the sound of the band, and taking a light-hearted jab at Questlove’s weight in the process.īartees Strange, who took the main stage after Siifu, was far from stiff, but the Oklahoma-via-Ipswich singer-songwriter’s workmanlike approach contrasted sharply with the Alabama artist’s wild energy. He handled it well, for the most part, flexing his razor-sharp flow both a cappella and accompanied by a backing track. He drew a much bigger audience than Butcher Brown - who led his band in a killer set for a scattered crowd while Isaiah Rashad commanded the main stage - but the sonic smorgasbord occurring just a football field away from Gibbs was a noticeable presence throughout his show. Meanwhile, due to delays on the smaller stage, Freddie Gibbs was forced to compete with the legendary Philadelphia crew for eyes and ears. Saturday night saw The Roots headlining Afropunk Brooklyn’s main stage, with Black Thought leading a rapt audience through a seamless medley of the group’s own hits, covers, and extended instrumental interludes including an impressive MPC solo from Stro Elliot.

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