In its fifth year of existence, Boston Art & Music Soul Festival (BAMS Fest) has grown into a paragon of how to run a locally-focused music festival. Spread over two days in June, the event featured some of Boston’s finest musical talent in the genres of hip-hop, R&B, soul, jazz, spoken word, and more. Additionally, the festival did an amazing job at attracting national-level talent to its 2023 roster, headlined by Mumu Fresh the first night and Grandmaster Flash the second.
Day 1
Mumu Fresh
The placement of the stages (facing West so that sun would continue to illuminate the stages throughout the day) was sort of a dream alignment for my purposes as a photographer: every artist, especially those in the afternoon to sunset, were bathed in golden rays. However, at times I couldn’t help but worry for the artists, many of whom seemed to be trying their best to not stare directly into the sun.
DJ Slick Vick set the mood in between sets on day one, mixing hip-hop and R&B dance tracks from all eras. She even threw in a little juke tracks for the electronic heads (me). At 5pm, musician and poet Tim Hall took stage for the festival’s first live set. I had the fortune of seeing Hall perform his solo material a few months ago at Cambridge’s Lizard Lounge. Being in a basement, that set was wonderfully intimate and comforting. While Hall’s set at BAMS lost none of the comfort factor, the festival’s impeccable sound system gave him the chance to diametrically alter that soft intimacy with a brilliant wall of sound. As Hall’s band (and flying sax riffs) thundered from the speakers, we were left to close our eyes and let his words wash over us.
After Tim came rapper Nate Nics, who I was unfamiliar with, but will be checking out after a lively set that was made all the more impactful with the backing of a pretty sizeable band (~10 people). The only real hiccup of the day came as Zyah Belle got ready to perform. Some of her band members couldn’t hear the click track in their ear monitors, which caused a slight delay. Ultimately, it was worth it, as the singer rifled through a slew of slow, dreamy R&B covers. The evening was capped off by Baltimore artist Mumu Fresh, who delivered about 50% singing and 50% rapping, flowing easily between the two delivery methods. What stands out about her performance style is the balance between her powerful stage presence and the vulnerability of her personal storytelling via song.
-Harry
Day 2
Grandmaster Flash
[For this section, Tanvi’s contributions are in normal black text; Harry’s are italicized.]
BAMS Fest was inspiring, to say the least. As a first-time attendee (it was my BAMS Fest buddy Lina’s first time too), I’ve heard amazing things about the festival but wasn’t sure what to expect. So my long journey from Somerville to Franklin Park just built up my anticipation for the festival..When we reached, we were ready for anything with our umbrellas and wallets, our energy was all the way up.
The first performer we saw was Alexus Lee, and whoever put her on early was smart. Her song “Better Weather” manifested sun for the rest of BAMS Fest, after the initial awkward rain that we experienced through her lyrics, “There’s going to be better weather when we’re together.” It was Alexus’ first BAMS Fest, and she said she was grateful for her band and that she feels safe and at home at BAMS Fest. As a person of color, she loves the sense of community.
Next up was a food break, which didn’t disappoint. Suya Joint was SO flavorful and so good, and even the owner was surprised by my excitement to eat my jollof rice with plantains and stewed black beans. One of my favorite pictures from BAMS Fest is the picture of my food. Other notable food places included Clarke’s, with its vegan desserts and pastries, and Zaz, with their jerk seafood fries and lobster mac and cheese.
A pair of Jordans on display at Laa Tienda’s pop up.
Some other great things the festival does is provide free water (and other tasty little beverages) to attendees. Free bottles of still water, as well as Topo Chico, ensured that everyone was well-hydrated across the two days. Big props to the organizers for accounting for the safety and comfort of the festival-goers. There was also a dance tent where you could join a group in busting a few moves. But by far my personal favorite non-musical attraction was Laa Tienda’s pop up shop. The Medford-based footwear and apparel store set up on the festival grounds, displaying some of the coolest kicks and gear in their stock.
Cakeswagg then took the cake with her performance, giving us a taste of her music with “Thank You Black Girl” and a snippet of an upcoming song, “BBLU.” Cakeswagg was also joined by the Femme C’s — none other than Brandie Blaze and Red Shaydez — who joined the dancers on stage. Cakeswagg even had an interpreter for accessibility, which was heartwarming to see. Cakeswagg left me with the line “thank you Black girl, thank thank you Black girl” stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and I’m not mad about it.
Then, Catherine Morris graced The B Stage and brought on Mayor Wu, who she described as someone who “invests in the arts.” Mayor Wu told us about her background of growing up playing the piano and reflected, “The arts are an important way of finding ourselves and each other, and feeling grounded and able to connect with the community. The truth is that the most important infrastructure of all is community infrastructure — is what we have 5 years and counting, now.” You could definitely feel BAMS Fest’s effort to intertwine community through music, arts, culture, and local businesses all in one — I even bought a couple pairs of earrings from LBM Jewelry!
While Tanvi stepped away to cool down and rehydrate, I headed over to Stage B to check out International Show, a rapper I was unfamiliar with, but will be adding to my “to listen” playlist. One of the coolest things about the hip-hop artists on the bill was the commitment to playing with live backing bands. It lent the performances a lot of energy. Who doesn’t love live band hip-hop?
After that, Berklee professor Terri Lynn Carrington performed with her collective of musicians that are a part of the college’s Institute of Jazz and Gender Studies. Back on Stage B, the Mary Orij Visionaries Collective – donned in all-white outfits and matching visor sunglasses – were tight and together. When introing the band, Mary Orij gave touching descriptions of each member, praising their individual strengths.
When I headed back to Stage A, I was not expecting to discover one of my new favorite vocalists, but Dreion ended up becoming just that. Donned in a black and gold overcoat, the singer has that smooth 80s slow jam style: a lot of vocal runs and sensual lyricism. He and his backing vocalist Christelle were in perfect sync, dancing together and playing off each other vocally. At one point during his set, he started singing the chorus to Babyface’s 1989 slow jam classic “Whip Appeal” (“whatever you want/ it’s alright with me”), and I’m actually a little peeved at him because I haven’t been able to get the song out of my head for nearly two weeks.
Back to Tanvi…
Kevin Ross blew me away with his smooth RnB vocals, and those runs…damn. Everyone was grooving and vibing, and he did a medley of songs for all the 90s RnB fans, including “Remember the Time” and “I Wanna Sex You Up.” He even came into the crowd and made us all sing (and swoon), winning over many new fans, including me!
I definitely got my steps in — BAMS Fest should host some sorta workout class situation in the lead-up, because they made us run from Stage A to Stage B to Stage A and back to Stage B, all in the name of music… I swear we did at least a couple miles (but it was absolutely worth it).
ToriTori was an awesome surprise on Stage A — I had seen her once before, but this was my first time seeing her with a full band, which was even better! She even brought out some special guests: Latrell James, Notebook P, and Tim Hall. I am personally obsessed with her single, “Places”, and the line “You grew up, good for you, keep it up, took a few” gets me every time — it’s so catchy! I felt Tori’s sass through her vocals and her stage presence was just captivating.
After seeing ToriTori perform, we ran back (well, I walked) to Stage B to see Kei perform. I had seen Kei perform before but was super excited to see her with a full band and backup dancers. Kei brought the rock vibes to her catchy raps and songs. Her song “like ooo” had us all going “ooo” in awe of her talent and sass. Her drummer, though, was PHENOMENAL, and we were all like…he can drum — follow @mjltmofficial right now! I’m not sure what happened at the front of the stage but I definitely saw some flying clothes 👀
To close us out from a full day and get the party started, was Grandmaster Flash. “When I’m playing a hip hop set, I’m going around the planet,” which he did, paying homage to the likes of Big Pun, Juice WRLD, Tupac, and so many other artists who we’ve lost over the years. Grandmaster Flash had everyone with their hands in the air, dancing,singing, and bopping along to all his old-school beats.
*record scratch*
Heyyy, it’s Harry again. I could write an essay on Grandmaster Flash’s set alone. Or at least I think I could, if the immense emotional response I felt at the time could logically form itself into words and calmly transfer itself from my fingertips to this page. I doubt I could do that, but nonetheless I will try my best while also remaining concise enough for readership.
2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop as a genre. That’s a long time for a genre to evolve. Even saying “hip-hop” alone is misleading given the myriad subgenres that it has evolved into. While Grandmaster Flash was by no means the sole progenitor of the genre, it is nonetheless impossible to imagine what hip-hop would be like without his deft hands scratching those turntables.
The tribute to hip-hop musicians who lent the genre their gift before passing on was profound and inspiring. It began with Grandmaster toasting Robert Keith Wiggins, a.k.a. Keef Cowboy, one of the first MCs to pick up a mic while Flash was ripping thru records. You could hear Flash’s voice tremble as he paid tribute to his friend and collaborator. During the following segment – mixing tracks by these gone-but-not-forgotten artists – he asked the audience to get uproarious if he played a song by an artist who had touched their lives. First came Big Pun. I’m Puerto Rican on my mom’s side, so I screamed. Afterwards, Heavy D, Big L, an extended play of Phife Dawg’s contribution to “Can I Kick It?” (I’ve got Type 1 diabetes so Phife has always held a special place in my heart), MCA of the Beastie Boys, 2pac, Biggie (who I share a birthday with), and many, many more. I bring up these personal points of reference to demonstrate the ubiquitousness that hip-hop has achieved in its 50 years. Unless you’re a stuffy, bigoted curmudgeon who misguidedly dismisses the genre as “unmusical” or whatever (yawn), you’ve got a favorite rapper.
Ok back to Tanvi…
To end all the amazing performances, Catherine Morris praised Boston for coming out to Franklin Park, and for showing up! But BAMS Fest isn’t a one-and-done festival — they have more programs and events throughout the year that you can support. So, if you want to continue to build and empower the Black and Brown arts community, check out bamsfest.org!
-Tanvi
Check out our photos from BAMS Fest below.
