Credit: aLive Coverage
The 2017 BUKU Music + Art Project took place this past Friday and Saturday at Mardi Gras World. It was the festival’s sixth year and believe it or not, my first time. BUKU was an experience in itself. I can honestly say that it’s a festival like no other—and NOLA is known for its number of festivals. From the music, to the art, to the outfits, BUKU definitely stands out and on its own. Here’s the spill on the weekend:
FRIDAY, MARCH 10
Credit: A. Marie Photography
On its first night, BUKU came out the gate with some of music’s waviest rappers: Young Thug, Lil Yachty, Lil Dicky. Unfortunately, Young Thug was unable to perform due to a personal emergency, but Juvenile stepped in as the hometown hero and served up all of his classic throwbacks. After his set, it would be about two hours and thirty minutes before Travis Scott took the stage. So, what do you do when you have all the time to spare? You check out art and the food!
I’m Catholic, which means I’m smack dab in the middle of Lent—so since it was a Friday, I couldn’t eat meat. I’m also dumbing down my carb intake, so my hunger was crucial. But though I was über limited, there were a myriad of food options to choose from. I opted for the veggie burrito bowl from Mexi Grill. Not filling at all, I also grabbed a slice of veggie pizza from Pizza Nova. For dessert, I had a funnel cake from Jalapeno Corndog. (I mean, come on, when’s the last time you had one of those? I JUST HAD TO.)
Credit: A. Marie Photography
Credit: A. Marie Photography
Credit: A. Marie Photography
We headed back to the Power Plant to set up for Travis Scott. His set was filled with birdcages, mirroring his latest album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. When he hit the stage, the crowd went bananas. His stage presence was insane, and at one point, he invited a few fans onstage to crowd dive. When they didn’t properly carry out the challenge, he kicked them off. He invited a few more up, and they did the job, diving jumping into the crowds—which looked kinda painful (see below); But they were fine. The rapper performed hits like “Antidote,” “Goosebumps,” “Pick Up the Phone,” “Upper Echelon,” and way more.
Credit: A. Marie Photography
Credit: aLive Coverage
Credit: A. Marie Photography
Next up, Lil Yachty. I was excited to see Lil King Boat perform. Though he may not be the most lyrical rapper, and most people don’t take him serious, he’s slowly but surely transitioning from underdog to top dog. I was totally there for his collaborative singles like Kyle’s “I Spy” and D.R.A.M.’s “Broccoli” which he delivered along with his hot singles “1Night” and “Minnesota.” His entire performance was accompanied by consistent throws of water and constant shouts of “Lil Boat.” He got the crowd so hyped that there was a mosh pit. Yes, a mosh pit at a rap concert. LIT!
Credit: aLive Coverage
Credit: aLive Coverage
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
Credit: aLive Coverage
I must admit: After day one, I was a tad worn out. But I was still prepared to take on day two. Alina Baraz took charge of the Power Plant stage but not before New Orleans’ own Ambré Perkins (and her guitar) commanded everyone’s attention in the Ballroom. Not too long after Ambré, Aminé took the stage. He’s a fairly new artist so he set was only 30 minutes. But within those 30 minutes, he kept our attention. Of course, everyone was waiting for him to perform his final song—his big hit, “Caroline.” He didn’t disappoint as the crowd belted out the entire song. So good!
Credit: aLive Coverage
Credit: aLive Coverage
BUKU was a hell of an experience. ‘Twas the most vibrant and vivrant festival I’ve ever been to and I can’t wait to see what it brings next year! Might I add that I gave up alcohol for Lent, so I experienced my entire weekend sober AF. Dealing with the thousands of kids who were too lit lit to quit was a true test. But my liver and I survived.
Check out photos from the entire weekend. See shots of the aforementioned artists plus Lil Dicky, Run The Jewels, NOLA’s own $uicideboy$, Vince Staples, 21 Savage, and more.
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